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Show i THE VOICE OF BUSINESS .f Scay Big Brother, eon you sp&ire about $50f000? By Richard L. Lesher, President Chamber of Commerce of the United States The chances are you haven't heard about this because the event received little publicity. Nevertheless, a recent meeting of the Quadrennial Commission Com-mission on Federal Executive Com-peasation, Com-peasation, which reviewed pay scales of members of Congress, federal judges and top appointed federal executives, demonstrated the tremendous obstacles ob-stacles President-elect Reagan will face in trying to cut the cost of government. The meeting was attended by our chief economist. Dr. Richard Rahn, and two members of his staff, who went to testify on behalf of the U.S. Chamber. Cham-ber. While awaiting their turn, they witnessed a scene that almost brought tears to their eyes. Here, briefly, is a bit of the sad tale they heard. Groups of federal judges, whose pay is now in the $50-60,000 range, rose to give emotional and eloquent accounts of the deprivations they are having to endure just to scrape by on their paltry salaries. Some of the sacrifices seem mind-boggling, even unconscionable. For example, they include not being able to send their children to Harvard, having to drive cars with 110,000 miles on them and not being able to afford having their basements pumped out. Watch out Mother Teresa, you've got competition ! To remedy such squalid living conditions, con-ditions, the judges recommend a new salary of $97,000 for district judges, and warned that $90,000 should be considered con-sidered an absolute bare minimum. These heartthrobbing stories evoked much sympathy from us. And yet. ..and yet. We were constantly jarred back to reality by two nagging facts: First, the average attorney maintaining an office makes slightly more than $20,000 a year after meeting all his or her expenses and risks of self-employment. Second, these judges who were pleading poverty already earn more than three times the average American family's income, which, incidentally, in many cases includes the earnings of a wife. When it came time for the Chamber to testify, we bravely presented our case, but it was received by how should I best describe it perhaps a certain lack of warmth? Why, you ask'? Well, we said, for example, that since many people seek to become members of Congress, and since our Congressmen are now well remunerated and, indeed, enjoy outside benefits, the Chamber could recommend recom-mend only a modest increase in pay. As for judges, since many people also seek those positions, and since federal judgeships generally pay significantly more than state judgeships, compensation com-pensation for that group should not be increased at all. We did recommend, however, that pay for top federal executives be increased substantially from the present $60-70,000 range, since those jobs do entail very great executive responsibilities. But we recommended that mid-level executive positions not be raised significantly since they are already at competitive levels. When it came time for questio-1 Dr. Rahn was immediately chalM1 on his statement that membel Congress enjoy outside benefit pointed out that Congressmen dol: tax-free housing allowance, a): travel allowance, and that Mj; Griffiths, one of the members J: Quadrennial Commission, had i that the pension benefits accrues Congressmen have a cash valt? approximatley $20,000 a year. tf; '- Div Rahn was ; then' asked' W : could make a recommendation Tv pay increase for federal judges explained that on the basis ofgej Chamber policy we could not c the large, requested pay increaij judges as consistent with i management principles. That did,; this point, the tone of the quesuV turned hostile. It might interest you to know, based on the list of witnesses appej-before appej-before the Commission, the Chai-appeared Chai-appeared to be the only group tin not go to ask for money. For ilsjr the Commission ' seemed mos: terested in orchestrating a sympa: forum for the desperate pl; federal employees earning$50j and more. Were not many of ', people the very ones who cbC loudest when President John F.-j nedy once said: (, "Ask not what your country d-for d-for you. J: "Ask what you can do for-! country." ; I" iWiiMH lliU'lWi ' 1 1 HI IHi i )j -.. " HWl!'.(Miiui.i J-... II!" ll I ,l( " l I I I Mill 1 Tjjf WfjU'l'1" ' - . v . . " i . x J - i r 1 I 1 i - f Y ' " t , if - - f ( , i -. W . .A V.. "it 1 ""s -ZZ DONATING THREE visitor beds to the Uintah County Hospital are Telephone Pioneers, Dode Rolf, Helen Harrison, Arlen Froese, and Con Bell. Nurses accepting the donation are Pat Tadish and Virginia Ewell. The lelephone Pioneers are a group of Mountain tsei , employees who serve the handicapped. , |