Staff for (Calif.) governor's wife costing taxpayers $500,000 a year

[Newsjock]

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/10/16/BAGORF966J1.DTL

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's ballot call for California to live within its means is triggering questions about whether his own administration is living within its means -- especially when it comes to his wife, Maria Shriver.

Shriver doesn't hold elected office, but records show she does command a half-million-dollar-a-year staff -- which, depending on how you cut it, is anywhere from $60,000 to $180,000 more than what her predecessor, Sharon Davis, had.

Recently, Daniel Zingale -- a Democratic gay rights advocate who had been working on Controller Steve Westly's gubernatorial campaign -- was appointed Shriver's $123,255 chief of staff. When he takes over Nov. 1, he will be earning about $30,000 more than Davis' top aide, Trish Fontana, was paid.

... Then there's Shriver's $100,000-a-year press secretary and events coordinator, Terri Carbaugh. Her position, we're told, didn't exist during the Davis years.

... "To compare Maria Shriver with Sharon Davis," Carbaugh said, is like comparing "Madonna to Jewel. Both are talented women in their own right, but certainly not comparable in terms of notoriety or the sheer number of fans and admirers.''

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[Metta]

1. She's long overdue for turning in her Kennedy membership card.

That is, she couldn't care less about anything but her own image looking back at her.

[fooj]

2. At this point, that man she is married to defies EVERYTHING

her family stands for. I often wonder how the hell she can stay married to that neanderthal! LOL!

Peace.

[Cha]

3. the shovelnator is a fucking hypocrite..

just like bush and so is his wife (gag)..fun picture of her..:puke:

[olddad56]

4. What about Arnold's staff....

Beyond the governor's office. What about all of his staff that run his fund raising efforts, or his campaign in the special election, or his propaganda machine. They are all on the state payroll. Everyone who worked on his election campaign as paid staffers how are all stashed away in 6 figure salaried executive positions at various state agencies. Sure they take care of their administrative positions. Positions such as secretary of public relations at every state agency, but they also work directly for the governor. They plan his strategy, handle the spin all all political stories that reach the media, and work directly for him on the special election. They are all paid by, guess who, the tax payers. It is millions a month.

[musette_sf]

5. How do you solve a problem like Maria?

Many a thing you know you'd like to tell her,
Many a thing she ought to understand.

Never thought I'd be finding wisdom in The Sound Of Music...

BTW, I was cleaning out my desk at work on Friday :-(, and found the Vanity Fair with her craven sex-stupor leering out on the cover, posing on the back of the motorcycle with the Governator. I left it in the mail rack for the next person to occupy the space. What a ho. And DU feminists, please don't take me to task, I'm a woman too, and I think she is so far beyond sellout, that at this point Nancy Reagan has more integrity than her.

[ninkasi]

6. And the gropenfuhrer's answer to everything

is to reduce expenditures in social services to the poor, the young, the elderly, and the disabled. Look at his fight with teachers...typical conservative thinking, let the least able to fend for themselves suffer, and spare no expense for themselves. The man is a disgrace, but then, he's a Republican, so that goes without saying.

[SaintLouisBlues]

7. Maria Shriver's Face Resharpened--The Onion, Dec. 3, 1999

Maybe he has a face resharpener on staff.

[libnnc]

17. *snarf-arf*

:rofl:

[yurbud]

8. why do we pay anything for this? The extra noteriety and fans come

from her day job, and therefore should be NBC's problem not ours.

[leesa]

9. Wonder what for...she doesn't eat so it can't be the food bill.

[99Pancakes]

16. Good one!

She's wasting away before our very eyes...but then, maybe that's a good thing. It's the next best thing to an all-out disappearing act (Lord, hear my prayers).

[Child_Of_Isis]

10. Major welfare queen. eom

[Erika]

11. Agreed. She shames her family

Wonder what their kids will up as? Elitists, who will never truly work a day in their lives if they take after the Bush family.

[LibDemAlways]

12. This is outrageous. Shriver should never have

quit her day job. California doesn't need a "first lady" who squanders a half mil of taxpayer dollars per year to feed her ego, which is as big as his. Who the hell cares about her anyway?

Meantime school funding in this state has been reduced to districts begging parents for donations. Disgusting.

[Erika]

13. She made her choice, she needs to call herself a GOP

She's a disgrace to the Kennedy name.

[kestrel91316]

14. For all that money you would thnk they could afford to hire a

nutritional consultant for her, to teach her the importance of occasionally EATING something other than celery.

[SoCalDemGrrl]

15. Marias's not a true Kennedy.. a Kennedy would never

cow tow to someone like Arnold. She makes me sick!! Maria could have really made a difference for people in California but ever since Arnold and the Repubs hijacked our wonderful state, she has gone along with their program. For God's sake, everything they stand for is an anathema to the Kennedy and Democratic credo!! Maria should be ashamed of herself, she is a DISGRACE to the Kennedy clan.

[mohinoaklawnillinois]

18. Can someone explain to me why this is on the

California taxpayer's?

After all, Maria is a Kennedy. I'm sure she's got a pretty nice trust fund that belongs to her and I'm sure when she was working for NBC, it sure wasn't a minimum wage job.

[Binka]

19. WTF Madonna to Jewel? Oy I Am Gonna Kick Something!

:wtf::wtf::wtf::wtf::wtf:

Fuck sticks every fucking one of these asshat clowns. Somebody please tell me what this means...."Both are talented women in their own right, but certainly not comparable in terms of notoriety or the sheer number of fans and admirers." This from Shriver's mother fucking douche bag press secretary..... PRESS SECRETARY!!!