Rethink Public Sector Work

As various news outlets have reported recently, the White House made its annual disclosure of salaries.  If you were thinking of going into the public sector, it better not have been for the salary.  The top earners at the White House make just more than a first year associate at a big firm.  Of course, those in the White House had start dates.

Not on the list is the head honcho himself, the big man, the President:

He makes $400,000 a year plus benefits and discretionary funds.

So aside from elected officials, who are the top earners in the White House?

Michael M. Hash and Timothy P. Love top the list with salaries of $179,700.

I can't find a picture of Tim Love, but both seem to be involved in the new health care plan.

COS Rahm Emanuel:

He makes $172,200 along with many other senior staff including Press Secretary Robert Gibbs and NY Times Profilee Valerie Jarrett.

Next we visit the middle of the list.

Howard W. Buffett serves as a special assistant to the Secretary of Agriculture and makes $51,630.  Although I'm not sure why he's listed on this page as a White House employee.  He went to Columbia and Northwestern and likes walking on train tracks.  Maybe he is also related to musician Peter Buffett.

Howie's rolling in the dough compared to some people though.  At the bottom of the list appear to be a number of staff assistants including Hilary Alley (her name was first in the list). 

Hilary was evidently a lacrosse player - maybe winning a national championship.  She now makes $42,000 a year.

So rethink that public interest career.  It only pays off if you were editor-in-chief of the Harvard Law Review.  And in that case, what are you doing in the public sector?