A Waste of Taxpayers money?

[Broken Glass Can]

Note the line in Bold:



Daschle staffers to get severance

The U.S. Senate unanimously approved two months' worth of severance pay for the employees of Sen. Tom Daschle, D-S.D., in the wake of his Nov. 2 defeat by Republican John Thune.

As one of their last acts before they adjourned in the early morning hours of Nov. 21, senators voted to change the rules governing the chamber to provide the severance pay and benefits package, which is expected to cost taxpayers at least $656,480.

Such severance packages have not been extended to staff members of defeated senators in the past.

Daschle has about 80 employees at his South Dakota field offices, his Senate office on Capitol Hill and his Senate minority leader office in the Capitol itself.

The $656,480 estimate comes from multiplying the estimated number of employees eligible for severance by two months' worth of the average annual salary — $49,236 — of a Senate employee. The cost of benefits has not been figured in.

That average salary comes from a 2001 report released by the Congressional Management Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization in Washington, D.C.

The severance pay will begin after Thune is sworn in Tuesday, Jan. 4.

The severance package is the result of Senate Resolution No. 478, a rule change that amends earlier resolutions granting similar severance packages to employees of senators who die while in office or resign.

The resolution grants severance pay to employees of all senators defeated in an election, but this year, only Daschle fits that category.

Under the resolution, such severance pay will be granted in the future to the staff members of defeated senators.

Aides must have worked for a senator for a minimum of 183 days to get the severance package. According to The Hill newspaper, severance payments would stop after eligible staffers get new jobs.

In addition, The Hill reported that the rule change "applies the benefit to the Senate's president pro tempore emeritus, a title created for Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.), who gave up the office of president pro tempore to Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) when Republicans regained control of the Senate. Byrd was able to maintain his chauffeur-driven Cadillac and a small staff when he assumed the emeritus post."

[SossMan]

there has to be more important things to worry about, right?

$600,000? c'mon, were a 10 trillion dollar economy.

[jakethebake]

[ QUOTE ]
there has to be more important things to worry about, right?

$600,000? c'mon, were a 10 trillion dollar economy.

[/ QUOTE ]
I can't believe someone said this. It's o.k. to steal just a little from us. [img]/images/graemlins/mad.gif[/img]

[ACPlayer]

.

[bholdr]

I hate to put words in anybody's mouth, but it was pretty clear to me that Sossman was saying we have much more money being wasted/stolen in other areas, which would be a better focus for our attention. (haliburton's questionable contracts and mismanagment, and the UN oil for food scandal come to mind. here we are talking about billions that went who knows where)

[ QUOTE ]
It's o.k. to steal just a little from us.

[/ QUOTE ]
c'mon this money is, maybe, being misapproiated. 'steal' is too strong a word.

but i don't think it is even being misapproiated. two months salary is a pretty standard severance package, and there is no reason that Tom Daschle's staffers don't deserve such a benifit for their service. i personally feel that more of the money in politics should be used to encourage real talent to enter and stay in the feild.

[Rooster71]

[ QUOTE ]
Note the line in Bold:



Daschle staffers to get severance

The U.S. Senate unanimously approved two months' worth of severance pay for the employees of Sen. Tom Daschle, D-S.D., in the wake of his Nov. 2 defeat by Republican John Thune.

As one of their last acts before they adjourned in the early morning hours of Nov. 21, senators voted to change the rules governing the chamber to provide the severance pay and benefits package, which is expected to cost taxpayers at least $656,480.

Such severance packages have not been extended to staff members of defeated senators in the past.

Daschle has about 80 employees at his South Dakota field offices, his Senate office on Capitol Hill and his Senate minority leader office in the Capitol itself.

The $656,480 estimate comes from multiplying the estimated number of employees eligible for severance by two months' worth of the average annual salary — $49,236 — of a Senate employee. The cost of benefits has not been figured in.

That average salary comes from a 2001 report released by the Congressional Management Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization in Washington, D.C.

The severance pay will begin after Thune is sworn in Tuesday, Jan. 4.

The severance package is the result of Senate Resolution No. 478, a rule change that amends earlier resolutions granting similar severance packages to employees of senators who die while in office or resign.

The resolution grants severance pay to employees of all senators defeated in an election, but this year, only Daschle fits that category.

Under the resolution, such severance pay will be granted in the future to the staff members of defeated senators.

Aides must have worked for a senator for a minimum of 183 days to get the severance package. According to The Hill newspaper, severance payments would stop after eligible staffers get new jobs.

In addition, The Hill reported that the rule change "applies the benefit to the Senate's president pro tempore emeritus, a title created for Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.), who gave up the office of president pro tempore to Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) when Republicans regained control of the Senate. Byrd was able to maintain his chauffeur-driven Cadillac and a small staff when he assumed the emeritus post."

[/ QUOTE ]
Sure it's a waste of money. Just add it the the long list of stupid money wasting things that come from the Senate. It is important to note the following:
[ QUOTE ]
The U.S. Senate unanimously approved two months' worth of severance pay for the employees of Sen. Tom Daschle, D-S.D., in the wake of his Nov. 2 defeat by Republican John Thune.

[/ QUOTE ]
I'm sure some folks will make a feeble attempt to somehow "blame it on the libs". But this is not a partisan issue. It's a simply matter of poor money management that is common practice of our federal government.

[bholdr]

i don't think the fact that it hasn't been done before makes it a waste of money, and unless i misunderstand your argument, this is what you are saying.

you may be right anyway.