If the Devil is Six, then Ridge is Seven

Julian Sanchez | November 30, 2004

...seventh to resign, that is. Apparently heading the Department of Homeland Security doesn't pay well enough.

Comments

Jeff Smith|11.30.04 @ 3:02PM|#

Well, 175K is not much in DC. A nice four
bedroom house in NW or Chevy Chase or Bethesda
is 800K or more. If you live in NW, you also
have to spring for a private school.

More generally, this just seems too low. Even
putting asid the football coach, a number of my
colleagues in economics at maryland make more
than this - in some cases substantially more.
Seems like a cabinet secretary ought to make
more than a professor - even a famous one.
(UM salaries are public info and listed every
year in the student newspaper, so I am not
revealing any deep dark secrets here).

But, the market speaks, and I listen.

Jeff

|11.30.04 @ 3:14PM|#

If I remember correctly, Paul Volcker left the Fed because the pay was so low. If I remember correctly, his kid had some sort of debilitating disease and was expensive to care for.

...Legend has it that Volcker only had one suit while he was at the Fed. I've heard it said that in every picture of him taken at the time, he's always wearing the same suit.

|11.30.04 @ 3:20PM|#

And if he wants to make money, now is the best time to cash in. He's tight with the current administration, one that values loyalty, so some private institution will pay him a pretty penny for influence. If he stayed on another term, he'd run the risk of the White House changing parties and having less pull, reducing his market value.

|11.30.04 @ 3:21PM|#

If the title of this post is a reference to that 90's immortal bloodhound gang tune, I'm subscribing to Reason immedately!! Help me out, Sanchez.

"I'm not black like Barry White no I am white like Frank Black is."

|11.30.04 @ 3:29PM|#

Rats. And he was doing such a good job at keeping track of what color the national alert was too. How will we ever replace him.

(Maybe there is a future for him in duct tape sales.)

|11.30.04 @ 3:31PM|#

I guess this is one of the early warning signs of age-related irrelevance, but seriously, snake, "that 90's immortal bloodhound gang tune"? Here's a quarter, buy some perspective.

|11.30.04 @ 3:32PM|#

Keep this in mind for future debates:
If the Dept of Homeland Security actually made das Heimlandt Secure, or, even a tiny bit more secure, the head would make at about the level of Bill Gates, right?

|11.30.04 @ 3:33PM|#

Pixies play my town this week, and I am there. Yahoo!

|11.30.04 @ 3:40PM|#

Snake-
Actually a Pixies reference. Though I'm sure I can work a BG reference into a future header if it'll inspire a subscription.

CodeMonkeySteve|11.30.04 @ 3:47PM|#

Could take a while to get acclimated:

"No, no, no, Tom, this is the Private Sector ... they're called 'customers', not 'subjects'".

|11.30.04 @ 4:04PM|#

Hey snake, did you know Paul McCartney was in a band before Wings?

|11.30.04 @ 4:08PM|#

Sanchez, thanks but even with this newfound leverage, I already subscribed.

Pixies are also excellent, I'm a big fan of Frank Black as well.
"Space is gonna do me good...aaaooooaaahhh"

Senescent brings to mind an excerpt from a Satire where Juvenal cannot discern whether a Roman politican spoke or farted.

|11.30.04 @ 4:09PM|#

Here's a stumper:

How can Call Me Snake get a '80s movie reference right while misunderstanding an '80s song reference? From a group that's arguably now enjoying a better second life than its first?

Maybe Reason should annotate the Hit and Run post headlines.

|11.30.04 @ 4:15PM|#

Joe, Really? I heard he co-founded a group who copied the Everly Brothers for a few years before reacting to Pet Sounds with Sgt. Pepper's.

|11.30.04 @ 4:20PM|#

Next time there's an outbreak of Halliburton conspiracy fever, maybe you could title the post "Gouge Away"
haha I make me laugh

|11.30.04 @ 4:30PM|#

Here's a stumper:

Can anyone explain why hilly is one of those sad people who add nothing, hence their lives are made better by the unprovoked criticism of others?

|11.30.04 @ 4:59PM|#

"Here's a stumper:

How can Call Me Snake get a '80s movie reference right while misunderstanding an '80s song reference? From a group that's arguably now enjoying a better second life than its first?

Maybe Reason should annotate the Hit and Run post headlines."


Snake was looking at the wrong headline. There is a Bloodhound Gang reference on the site this fine afternoon, Julian's entry at 3:43.

"Tt's hard to hide a hardon when you're dressed like Minnie Pearl"

|11.30.04 @ 5:03PM|#

the last half of that line is: but at least you know what you spent for your hat.

I think I heard Rather say that on '02 election night.

|11.30.04 @ 6:00PM|#

So as governor of Pa Ridge made more than 175k?

Hmmmmm.

It always amazes me to discover the amount of money that people claim they just can't live on.

David|11.30.04 @ 8:31PM|#

"It always amazes me to discover the amount of money that people claim they just can't live on."

Same here. Somehow I think my family and I could struggle along just fine on 175k a year, living anywhere in the U.S. That's not even considering all the various perks and benefits of a federal government job, let alone a cabinet position.

|11.30.04 @ 11:26PM|#

TWC,
The current governor of PA makes about $145,000, plus gets to live in a state mansion for free in Harrisburg. Ridge's $175k in D.C. is comparible to $112k in Harrisburg prices, and he has to pay for his own house. That is not much cash, but I am sure he will make it up quickly out of office.

|12.1.04 @ 10:03AM|#

Why take a resignation reason at face value? (why take any politician's words at face value?) It's a no-fault cover for a real reason of being sick and tired or burned out of what sure looks like a frustrating job.

... or maybe Ridge is motivated because leading indicators are flashing a possible terror strike in 9-15 months, and he gets out while his reputation is solid.

|12.1.04 @ 10:41AM|#

For some reason I cannot hear or read the words Department of Homeland Security without seeing in my mind the Kenneth Mars (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0550318/) character from Young Frankenstein. Even if I suppress that it is replaced with visions of ranks of troops in comic opera, chocolate soldier type uniforms. Am I the only one who remembers Nixon's White House Guards?

drf|12.1.04 @ 10:55AM|#

tommy is getting groomed for vp when dick gets too sick.

|12.1.04 @ 12:54PM|#

drf

I thought Rudi had that sewn up.

|12.1.04 @ 4:50PM|#

Ha! I got it:

"This flunky's going to heaven"

|12.1.04 @ 9:29PM|#

Ridge also inspired a similar color-coded terror warning systrem for Iraq: http://www.theonion.com/news/index.php?issue=4048