I never thought I'd find myself defending a RI state legislator, but if Mr. Moura's salary is really $55K, some new engineering graduates are ahead of him.

Since Mr. Moura has been in the legislature since 1984, he's 20 years older than 2004 graduates.

The pay of the average Rhode Islander is $37,430 and most have nowhere near the benefits package enjoyed by Mr. Moura (source). Additionally, Mr. Moura is clearly in a position by which he can benefit from legislation he proposes. That is a "perk" few others enjoy, wouldn't you say?

I think what this fellow (Moura) is saying is that this $55,000 is his pay from the Union - not his legislative pay.
Add together his pay/benefits and he's over $100K- not too shabby for a "public servant".

Since this morning, I've read the Journal article. I certainly saw a few other organizations mentioned, CVS, GTECH, Blue Cross and Verizon. It made me wonder just how old Marc is and how long he's lived in RI, since when I lived there in the 1970s, this same article, with different byline, names, and numbers came around in the Journal every so often. It all looked somewhat pointless, since there never seemed to be a push to raise the salaries or change the duties of the legislators, just to point at some of their salaries or who they worked for.

No one ever seemed to be able to find a legislator whose non-state income was below the RI average. Surely there's a quahogger or somebody working in a mill in Pawtucket who's also in the legislature?

When I read the post, seeing "Moura estimated he made $55,000 in salary alone" caught me. I had just received my W2 form at work, and so was very much aware that most of us know the of our salary; the organization we work for may tell us what our overall compensation is worth, but few of us believe it, since there are assumptions on what benefits are worth, etc. Union guys may be a little more gullible that way, but in the article, I found this sentence, "In salary alone, Ruggerio estimated his pay at $122,000; Ciccone, at $80,000; and Moura, at $55,000." It seems a bit of an extrapolation to get to what's in the post about Moura.

Going back to my previous comment, if you look at the reference for starting salaries, back in June, every one getting a degree from the URI College of Engineering should have been at or above the RI average income. I assume all the engineering faculty already were. The same is true for accounting majors over at the business school. Is this a problem for RI, that this group of people who should be representative of the state have such high incomes? It might also be true at Brown. Does PC have engineering?

Finally, based on my last paragraph, you can tell I went looking at your blog. So I know what town you live in, where I have cousins and in-laws. That you didn't go to URI. If you couldn't tell by now, I'm a cranky, old engineer, but I am married to someone with a history MA. Also, I spent some time at Brown myself, and am related by marriage to numerous PC grad. I stay anonymous so I can comment on aerospace and defense areas without getting into trouble with employer or customers.

And no, I don't typically beat up on conservative bloggers. The lowest form of life is RI and MD Democrat legislators (well maybe Louisiana and Arkansas as well).

Steevil

Steevil,

You bring up valid points concerning the CVS, GTECH, etc. ties, but I make mention of the union ties primarily because it is the union contracts that the State and communities have signed that have the most "fluff" in them and need to be scaled back. Like you, I also find it interesting that the union members didn't know what they made, but I'm not sure what you think I "extrapolated." All figures are directly from the ProJo piece to which I linked.

I understand your point regarding fresh URI engineers and accountants making more than Moura. I am not trying to excoriate anyone for making more money. Rather, I was trying to point out that Moura's statement on "how little [he] make[s]" showed a degree of naivete regarding what the average Rhode Islander makes. My point is that many would like to make as "little" as he. It was just not a smart thing for him to say when the average Rhode Islander (not the College grad mind you, the average "working man") makes less than Moura.

Finally, you are correct regarding my time "in country" here in Rhode Island. I grew up in Maine, went to a NY City area college and received a degree in engineering. I worked as a union member myself for a period of time, but left when I changed career paths. I took a job with a small engineering firm here in RI and my wife and I moved here in 1995. After having a couple kids, I decided to pursue a History MA at PC.

By the way, regarding the employment of those in the legislature. (Some have listed multiple professions at the RI General Assembly web site, that is why there are more than 75 in the House, for example):

House:
Attorney - 24
Business/Professional - 20
Business Owner - 10
Education - 5
Firefighter - 4
Law Enforcement - 4
Health Care - 3
Government - 2
Union - 2
Retired - 2
Student -1
None - 1

Senate:
Attorney - 3
Business/Professional - 10
Business Owner - 4
Education - 3
Health Care - 4
Government - 3
Union - 3
Retired - 3
Unknown - 2
Mom - 1
Master Plumber - 1

No quahoggers or mill workers. The "Business/Professional" group is a catch-all and includes: Realtors, Executives, Engineers, Salespeople, Charities, and even a couple average working stiffs.

Thanks for engaging in a coversation and I encourage you to come back often!