For Love of Money
Corporate greed, or top-secret-special meritocracy? Nuclear Watch of New Mexico has uncovered a somewhat astounding little figure: Michael Anastasio, the director of Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), earns $800,348 a year—almost twice as much as US President Barack Obama (who makes $400,000, with a $50K cushion for “expenses”). The proof is here, on one of the federal government’s “transparency pages” aimed at helping hungry reporters track down how stimulus money (of which LANL has received over $200 million in government contracts) is spent.
At $800,000, Anastasio is no Lloyd Blankfein (CEO of Goldman Sachs; $42.9 million last year), no Rex Tillerson (Exxon Mobil; $32 million)—but his salary is nothing to be sniffed at, either. Los Alamos gets its money straight from the US Department of Energy, whose budgets are funded by…well, you and me (provided we pay our taxes).
In a press release today, Nuclear Watch pointed out other problems: that LANL’s business–national security–doesn’t exactly stimulate New Mexico’s economy. Case in point (from the Nuclear Watch release):
According to Census Bureau data, in 2007 Los Alamos County had the 4th highest median household income ($101,098), while New Mexico was the 45th state in median household income ($41,509) with the 3rd highest poverty rate. Politicians and the Department of Energy constantly remind New Mexicans that the nuclear weapons industry is vital to the state’s economy. Despite that, historically New Mexico has slipped to 47th in per capita income in 2007 from 37th in 1959. In contrast, Bechtel has experienced record setting revenues for each of the last six years ($31.4 billion in 2008).
Another fun news tidbit surfaced today: Apparently, the federal government’s claims of “jobs saved” by federal stimulus money is a tiny bit fudged. It even starts to sound like the government is inflating its numbers until a Health and Human Services Department staffer fires back at the Associated Press with this gem:
“If I give you a raise, it is going to save a portion of your job,” HHS spokesman Luis Rosero said.
Right, so…then you have two jobs, at least for government accounting purposes?
I digress. The point is, if the government’s claiming more jobs than actually exist, one might wonder whether certain government contractors are doing the same.
Postscript: Jay Coghlan of Nuclear Watch informs me that Tom Hunter, the director of Sandia Lab, makes an even prettier penny: $1.7 million.
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November 5th, 2009 at 5:39 pm
The salaryincrease=saved jobs is rampant in WI, along with double-counting, miscounting and outright invention of information.
http://hotair.com/archives/2009/11/05/bogus-porkulus-numbers-epidemic-hits-wisconsin-too/
It is remarkable how much stimulus money has gone into government entities, which rarely let people go anyway. Some entities are buying materials, equipment and services, but using the money for raises to people who never were in danger of losing their jobs, while 36 million people are now on food stamps and millions of the people who are paying for this spree are on the street…I am stunned.
No raises for me or anybody here this year. Or last year. And Philly transit workers are demanding 4% increases for the next 4 years. Taxpayers are getting hosed. No wonder there is turbulence out there among the unwashed, the non-elites.
November 6th, 2009 at 9:29 am
When Mike Anastasio was the University of California’s Director of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) he made about $370K a year. Now he’s doing basically the same job at LANL and getting $800K. When the University of California ran LANL and LLNL the directors would never make more than the President of the University… now that private “for profit” companies are running these labs, the senior executives have more than doubled their salaries… also Anastasio is not just the LANL Director, he’s President of the company (Los Alamos National Security, LLC) that runs LANL, so is the logic in his salary increase is that he’s doing more work – not just the daily running of LANL as Director, but also running the company as President and overseeing how the “LANL Director” is performing… where is the public outrage and congressional investigations!
November 6th, 2009 at 2:47 pm
Apparently the National Nuclear Security Administration reimburses Los Alamos National Security LLC (LANS) $397,341 for LANL Director Anastasio’s salary. Then LANS LLC pays him another $400K to promote the NNSA agenda from which LANS LLC derives a profit. During all this time Anastasio also acts as President of LANS (for which he gets a combined total of $800K).
Which hat does Anastasio then wear when the country needs his best advice? Obama wants the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty ratified as one beginning step toward a nuclear weapons-free world. The Labs want the Senate to attach “Safeguards” to the Treaty during the ratification process that will have the contrary effect of enshrining nuclear weapons design and production capabilities into perpetuity. LANS profits from those capabilities. How do we know that Anastasio will give untainted advice on serious questions such as whether this country will genuinely lead toward enhanced global security through the verifiable multilateral elimination of nuclear weapons?
Jay Coghlan
Nuclear Watch New Mexico
November 6th, 2009 at 6:49 pm
There should be a law – or at least an NNSA requirement in its contract with LANS LLC – that the Lab Director and President of the company running the Lab cannot be the same person. This probably won’t save total money on the contract, just keep one person from making $800K. What might save money would be a single company (and President) running both LANL and LLNL, with each lab still having separate Directors. Right now the executive Board of Governors and Chairs/Vice-chairs of the Boards over both LANS and LLNS are identical. Having a single Lab Management company with one Board of Governors and one President would definitely save tax dollars.