Congressional Barbershops: Private "House Cuts" is Profitable, "Senate Hair Care" Got $300k Bailout
From The Daily:
"While the Senate barbershop is federally subsidized, the House barbershop is a private business. Its three employees, one of whom is part time, are independent contractors. The House barbershop was privatized in 1994, a decision that House Republicans made after they took control of the lower chamber for the first time in decades.
The dueling business models of the congressional barbershops have produced different financial results. While the Senate barbershop required a $300,000 federal bailout last year, the House barbershop turned a profit. And while Senate Hair Care Services, the formal name for the Senate barbershop, is not charged a dime for its work space, House Cuts pays the government $2,000 to $3,000 in rent each year."
MP: No surprise here....
30 Comments:
well, i'm a little suprised at the size of the bailout.
$300k? what on earth could they have needed?
they pay no rent.
does Ferrari make barber chairs or something?
are they using beluga for shampoo?
you could start a whole salon from scratch for that, especially if the space was free.
Is it REALLY fair to criticize the Senate Barbershop until you compare their work output?
http://renovomedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/harry-reid-evil-mongers.jpg
Why the Hell does the Senate need their own barber shop? What's wrong with Supercuts?
It looks like the Senate Barber Shop has a trust fund. From a trust account about $33,000 was used in 2010(page 4).
BTW,
A couple of other taxpayer trusts fund the Senate Photographic Studio and the Senate Recording Studio.
Jon Murphy is right. These blowhards don't deserve an on-site barber. Heaven forbid they bear the indignity of waiting in a normal barbershop like the rest of us.
Or just shave their heads upon their swear-in like the Army.
Congressman who'd receive a salary equal to the median-income of a US family, plus a reasonable housing allowance and travel allowance. And that's it.
Jon: "Why the Hell does the Senate need their own barber shop? What's wrong with Supercuts?"
Well, that's really two separate questions, but the notion of senators being out of Senate building more of the time seems like a good thing, and would probably benefit all of us. :)
morganovich: "well, i'm a little suprised at the size of the bailout.
$300k? what on earth could they have needed?"
Remember, this is in a market-free zone in which all economic laws are suspended.
Oh, the life of a public servant.
What's with all the bitchin'? They are federal employees, their jobs are more complicated and difficult, and they work far harder than you rubes in the private sector. Don't believe me? Just ask Democrat Sen. Ben Cardin of Maryland.
$300K for the bailout? The Senate barber shop has 11 employees vs. 3 in the House. Let's say the bailout saved the difference: 8 jobs. $300,000/8 = $37,500/job.
For the stimulus as a whole (probably correctly communicated as a "hole"): $787B/3.5M claimed jobs = $225,000/claimed job.
This was one of the most efficient uses of the stimulus. Of course, it was still $300,000 wasted as the government has no business bailing them out, but just a useful image of all of the other money wasted on ever more ridiculous "stimulus."
Remember this even better story from not so long ago?...
Senate Votes To Privatize Its Failing Restaurants
They can't run a cafeteria or a barber shop, but they can redesign the entire national health care system.
They buried the best part:
Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., said privatizing government does not appeal to him, but “I would like to know why the Senate barbershop is running its business into the red.”
asked and answered:
And he has three staff members versus 11 in the Senate.
100 Senators / 11 barbers = 9 Senators / barber. Assuming that a good barber can do 9 haircuts per day. That means that each Senator is getting his (her) hair cut every single day.
11 barbers for 100 Senators and 3 for 535 Congressman?
WTF?
gotta be something more to this story, eh?
Larry G said...
11 barbers for 100 Senators and 3 for 535 Congressman?
the 57 states may have 535 Congress persons, but the lower 50 have only 435.
What isn't clear is if staff members can get haircuts on a space available basis :)
Rand said...That means that each Senator is getting his (her) hair cut every single day.
Or, many of the Federal Barbers are out with work related injuries, or off training in Italy, or maybe just standing around with their thumbs up some orifice, watching the 1 duty barber cut hair...
>> Or just shave their heads upon their swear-in like the Army.
I'd think a swift kick in the ass, repeat as needed until you become a worthwhile soldier (politician) -- just like basic training -- would a heck of a lot more effective.
Not saying you can't do both, but just the entertainment value alone would make CSPAN profitable for the first time in its existence, I'd bet.
>>> "(probably correctly communicated as a "hole")"
Considering the subject matter is Congressbozos, I'd suggest revising as so:
(probably correctly communicated as "a hole")
Amazing how effective a simple shift of a punctuation mark can be.
Another question:
Does Pelosi get her hair done there? That would explain a lot.
...And it would be an interesting investigation for Breitbart, et al, to see how she gets the government to pay for it if she doesn't use the "barbershop".
>>> 100 Senators / 11 barbers = 9 Senators / barber. Assuming that a good barber can do 9 haircuts per day. That means that each Senator is getting his (her) hair cut every single day.
Gotta keep the pubes trimmed on Congressional Whores?
It's a good thing we've solved our debt issues, our oil dependency,and resolved the worst financial crisis in a 100 year - now we can get down to the important stuff, like how our poublic servants get their hair cut!
While I don't believe the government should subsidize the hair cuts of our elected officials, I think the dollar figures could be based on volume. The house is much larger and it is likely even if the price was the same the dollars would be greater.
While I don't believe the government should subsidize the hair cuts of our elected officials, I think the dollar figures could be based on volume. The house is much larger and it is likely even if the price was the same the dollars would be greater.
100 Senators / 11 barbers = 9 Senators / barber. Assuming that a good barber can do 9 haircuts per day. That means that each Senator is getting his (her) hair cut every single day.
I'd assume these are full service barbers where they do shaving, waxing, trimming, etc.
"Or just shave their heads upon their swear-in like the Army"...
LMAO!
Oh damn moneyjihad, all of a sudden I had visions of terror, Boxer shrieking from a podium sporting a 'high, white, & tight' hairdo...
I'm with ron h, the more time these folks aren't in session but waiting in line for a haircut the better it is for the rest of us...
"I'd assume these are full service barbers where they do shaving, waxing, trimming, etc."...
Hmmm, jon murphy would you want to be the barber that would have administer a 'bikini waxing' to Senator Feinstein?
juandos: "Hmmm, jon murphy would you want to be the barber that would have administer a 'bikini waxing' to Senator Feinstein?Hmmm, jon murphy would you want to be the barber that would have administer a 'bikini waxing' to Senator Feinstein?"
Thanks. Now I will have to eat breakfast again - if my stomach will just settle down.
I would bet of those 11 barbers, 2 are on fmla leave, another 2 are on ADA and three just dont show up and still get paid because they have EEOC settlements. The rest don't work very hard cause they can't get fired. And they all think they are working hard and doing a public service. And that, is most of federal employment.
I would bet of those 11 barbers, 2 are on fmla leave, another 2 are on ADA and three just dont show up and still get paid because they have EEOC settlements. The rest don't work very hard cause they can't get fired. And they all think they are working hard and doing a public service. And that, is most of federal employment.
"Now I will have to eat breakfast again - if my stomach will just settle down"...
Sorry about that ron h but the neighbor lady walking by just sort of reminded me of the possibility...
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