Every day I turn on the news here lately, I hear about more people losing their jobs, companies closing their doors, and how some employees are forced to take pay cuts or furloughs to help their companies. The current job market is awful, and forecasts warn that it’s not going to get better in the next year.
I understand our economy is in trouble. I understand that companies are seeing drastically reduced orders and that small business, the backbone of our economy, is having a hard time. I would have had to be living on Mars for the past year not to know it, in fact. The evidence is everywhere. From growing prices, failing banks and the constant chatter of just about every news correspondent out there.
But then again, I know we live in a strange world. Ok, I will revise that to say we live in a sometimes strange country.
I was treated today, by reading the news, to learn of a man who works for his state government, who gets paid…. wait for it…..
$ 93,803 a year.
Let me repeat that incase you didn’t catch on to that the first time.
$ 93,803 a year. Or $ 1,803.80 a week, or $ 45.10 an hour.
His official title is: Director of Investigations
State agency he works for? Insurance Fund.
That pretty much sounds on the up and up so far right? Here is a man, a Director of Investigations, who makes a good salary, not to mention his state benefits. None of this is what makes this whole story strange.
So, you ask: Kevin? What is so strange about this?
Let me explain.
I will explain what this man’s official job duty is. Normally, this can be a long complicated list. But it just so happens that is not the case here.
Mr. Randall Hinton, Director of Investigations job duties are: NOTHING.
How can this be? You ask.
Well, it seems that Mr. Hinton sued the state some years ago. Mr. Hinton sued Gov. George Pataki’s administration 10 years ago. The administration settled the case. Although this is not a sign of guilt, or an admission of guilt, it makes you wonder doesn’t it?
Be that as it may, since then, Mr. Hitton has been transferred to several positions. Eventually, he wound up in his new position.
Mr. Hitton claims that he is still be discriminated against (he is a Native American) and being blackballed by his supervisors. The thing is, he actually has documentation that indicates he is right. Even his old boss agrees with him.
Court papers show that as part of the settlement, he was guaranteed a job and then according to both Mr. Hitton and his former boss, was told that no one was to give Mr. Hitton anything of substance to do. Despite complaints and e-mails, ASKING for work to do, nothing has been done. NOTHING.
Mr. Hitton even lacks the resources that other equal pay grade employees get. A car, a cell phone, a computer. He does, however, have an office and a desk.
So, what does Mr. Hitton spend his time at work doing? Why he puts his feet up on his desk, bored out of his mind. He listens to music on his ipod. He reads a new book. His boss’s? They seem to be perfectly content to let that continue.
So, here we have a man who is willing to work, to earn his pay, to try and do a good job for his customers (the people of the state) and his employer (the state) and his bosses. But he isn’t allowed to.
With millions of American’s out of work and even more about to lose their jobs or risk pay cuts of some form or other, the state of New York is employing a capable and talented man to do…. nothing. Get paid with tax payer money… for nothing.
I don’t know about you, but I’m having a very hard time swallowing that. I mean really. I’m having a really hard time here.
There is always more than one side to any story, and after all, I have only the news article to go on. But this man has documentation that his situation has been allowed to continue.
I don’t think this man should lose his job. After all, not being given duties to perform for getting paid is hardly his fault. It’s the state administrations fault. Honestly. What are the people of New York paying the administrators for anyway? To pay employees to do nothing?
Seems to me, that maybe those administrators should lose their jobs, and the state should hire some of those unfortunate to not have one, who are looking for work, and are more than willing to serve the people of New York, and the state’s employees.
Of course, what do I know?
State Employee: “I get paid $ 93,803 for no work”
Disgusted – Kevin
