Dec. 15, 2003

By Alex J.Walling

Is it the $87,696 that bugs people?

Maybe it is the 40% raise that is the factor?

Or is it people like CJCH open line show host Rick Howe that stirs up the defecation on this issue that has some of the hot line following irate?

The subject is the proposed raises for our members of the legislature otherwise known as MLA’s.

A new report gives these people a 4.3% pay raise in the New Year and it recommends a much larger raise –39 per cent—when the next provincial election rolls around.

At the moment an MLA makes $33,256.30 of taxable income plus another $16,628.15 tax free for a total of $49.884.45. With the tax free portion that’s equivalent to a salary of around $59,000.

One of those who are railing against such an increase is personable radio open line host Rick Howe.

Howe is a likeable chap, regardless of what Harry Flemming says about him. I think he has grown as an open line host over the years and for the most part his show is both entertaining and informative.

Howe and I share a few things in common; one being the way we dress, and that is, we dress for comfort. Except, I don’t wear one of those ball caps on my noggin. But then I have more hair than him. Not much more mind you, but still a little bit more.

I’ve been the guest on Howe’s show numerous times including a four to five month stretch last year when I replaced Harv Stewart on the Friday morning ‘sports’ show.

Very rarely do I call in the program on other subjects even though I am fortunate enough to be able to catch the program on most days. Being self employed and writing most of the time for a living puts me at a computer for many hours a day (as I am working on two sport books) and allows me to listen to ‘the hot line’.

But once or twice a year I will leave my broadcaster-journalist-reporter-media person role and become ‘a caller’.

Last Friday was one of these and I have to feel very strongly about a topic before I venture on air as a caller.

The topic was the proposed pay raise for our members of the legislature and I realize from the beginning that it is not the popular stance that I support but I am in total favour to raising those salaries and hope they even go higher.

Let’s look at the objections as voiced by Mr. Howe.

First of all he says the report was handled by Art Donahue, a former Tory MLA. He doesn’t think it is a fair or non partial report.

If anyone should have knowledge of the work that an MLA does… it should be a former one, should it not? Who better to speak for the MLA’s then one who has done the job and done it successfully?

If you don’t buy that line then let’s assume it was an independent academic such as a well known political science professor who made the report and had recommended the same thing.

So WHO made the recommendation is really not a factor.

“But this is not the right time,” pontificates Mr. Howe.

It’s never the right time Rick. There’s ALWAYS a reason NOT to give someone a raise especially a public servant.

“But look at our deficit, some 12 Billion dollars,” says the hot line host.

Answer, we had had deficits since Confederation so what else in new?

If you have to wait until we have wiped out the deficit then let’s close down the legislature.

Yeah, I know the next line. “But let’s wait until the debt is more manageable”, is another thought that one could echo?

I hear what you’re saying Rick, but…. When will it be manageable?

Trouble is no one, including Howe, seems to have an answer.

What is the figure that would be acceptable for an MLA’s salary?

Why is a radio or TV announcer’s salary (some around making over 80,000-150,000) OK and yet an MLA who has to field calls and complaints seven days a week isn’t?

“But look at the cuts in health care and education? This is simply not the time for a raise,” Mr. Howe goes on to moan and groan and cry.

Provinces such as ours Rick will be cutting for ever. That is part of the process if you want a balanced budget.

And as for education and the fact that our kids can’t read or speak or write well according to tons of surveys in recent years I lay the blame on the teachers, more so the teachers union, not the government or the minister of education.

Next, comes those ‘open line show’ surveys as if the results are not predetermined by the question.

“Should the MLA’s get a raise?”

Get serious that like asking kids, ‘should we remove Santa Claus?

As I write this column the vote is 22-1 against. Oops another ‘no vote’ just came in (23-1).

If I believed in his one sided- hot line surveys- then the Nova Scotia party would have won the last provincial election, hands down, as they won that ‘hot line’ poll with a whopping majority a few months prior to the election.

You would think that if this non-scientific survey was at least on the radar, that the N.S. Party would win, if not the majority, but one single seat. It didn’t.

So much for the representation from the Hot Line if anything their surveys shows they are out of touch with the real world.

Rick Howe has many good attributes and is a successful broadcaster and I realize part of his role, one that I have had for many years, is to ‘encourage or spur’ on debate or conversation. And for the most part he has become good at it, very good, but he has one major glaring weakness. (Not that this writer is perfect, in fact I have a litany of faults, but that is not today’s topic).

The biggest is Howe’s lack of business knowledge and/or acumen followed up with the lack of respect for law enforcement. Cops vs protesters is a case that comes to mind but that may be the topic for another column. Lack of business knowledge and ‘big brother isn’t always watching me’ are books he should get for Christmas.

Back to his lack of business knowledge.

The man simply has no concept of business and it shows, over and over, in his program. To the best of my knowledge he has never run, or owned a business and has never had to hire and pay a decent to good salary for someone who can make the world of difference.

So he doesn’t understand that it is ‘good people’ who make a company and that paying ‘big bucks’ for some people can be the difference between success and bankruptcy.

Not sometimes, not most times, but EVERY time that a public servant is talked about for a raise, Howe is against it.

And the same hackneyed, old, trite arguments are thrown out for the hot line disciples to digest. And that they do.

When a company has to let go people because it lacks productivity (gee maybe some of the workers are lazy and should be fired) Howe always sides with the workers never with the management.

If Air Canada lays off people Howe can’t understand it saying ‘why don’t they lay off top management’?

Maybe they are losing tens of millions of dollars but the man doesn’t seem to get it.

In fact one caller to his Friday show, Dave I believe, labeled Howe as the ‘Salary God”.

Last week Howe was ranting and raving that our head librarian was making to much money.

Never mind that this lady has two if not more degrees, was highly sought after and has an enormous work load, phenomenal amount of responsibility but in Howe’s mind a ‘librarian’ is not worth that kind of money. He probably thinks such a person is worth $15,000 and is in charge of a little ‘red school’ house.

Let’s deal with the MLA’s.

The problem as I see it is the percentage. Yes, 39 or 40% sounds high.

Maybe Donahue should have pulled a Trudeau. Remember John Crosby and Joe Clark and their mega increase proposal. They mentioned something over 25% and people got upset, voted Clark out of power and Trudeau came in and increased it even more but he did it in bits and pieces.

40% of a little bit is not that much and MLA’s are absolutely underpaid.

It is the biggest reason why we don’t get many ‘solid’ people to offer. Some of the MLA’s do a good job but I believe those who are doing a good job either had to take a pay cut (Bill Estabrooks) or are self employed.

In listening to this hot line show for years I can honestly say the majority of callers are ‘anti government’ or are always ‘blaming the government for their problems’.

“The government should do this, should do that.”

“I’m not getting enough money from the government.”

“I want more.”

“Give me, give me, and give me more.”

“We have poor government. They don’t know how to manage things at province house” and other such lines can be heard almost daily.

Obviously the quality of current MLA's are no where up to open line show listeners expectations. If so one would not be hearing just 'how terrible' they are since according to many of the callers 'they can't seem to do anything right down there (province house).

Gee, I wonder why.

There are some very solid people who listen to open line shows but in my opinion the majority are unemployed, on welfare or have nothing better to do but moan and groan and use the hot line.

Not all. Some have valid opinions, are self employed or retired but they are the few.

Some have no choice and would like to be working, others have run into bad luck but there are many who have nothing better to do and the fact that someone may make more money than them or have a chance of making more money really rattles them.

(The open line poll is now 34-4 against the MLA’s getting a raise).

Money, money, money. And it is about money.

“How dare they get that much,” one lady rattled on the radio.

“They are not worth that” says another.

*80,000 for a politician, you got to be kidding,” rifles another caller.

All of the above are given the nod of the salary god Rick Howe who instead of moderating the topic is 100% against the MLA’s. So much for unbiased comment?

Well, I for one, think they are worth it and will give you the reasons in a few days here on Halifax live dot com.

As I leave and return to my other work the count is now 36-4 and the hot verbal invective to people who are trying to better our province continues to be hurled by the callers.

God, you couldn’t pay me $100,000 to run for office.

Alex J. Walling could be reached at AlexJ@sportsite.ca