Why not dock the finance chief's pay?
What do you get when you multiply 281,666 by four? Don't bother with your calculators, Public Eye will tell you. The answer is 1,126,664. That's how many dollars the people will save if pro-democracy legislators win a vote to cut a month's pay of four top officials for failing in their jobs. Think of what we could do with HK$1.12 million. We could easily feed for a month all those old ladies who scavenge cardboard boxes for a living. That would give them a nice break from their long hours of toiling. We could use the money for the entertainment expenses of our top officials. At least then they'll be paying for their own long lunches, although we're not sure if HK$1.12 million is enough to cover a month's worth. But why vote to dock the pay of only four top officials? The legislators are mad at the government for handing out short-term budget sweeteners instead of fixing long-term social problems. It's Financial Secretary John Tsang Chun-wah who hands out the sweeteners. So why is he not among those to be punished? Tsang's monthly pay is higher than the HK$281,666 the four targeted officials make. Add that to the docked pay of the four and you just might have enough to cover all those long lunches for a month. Well, maybe.
Let's not be idle with the rich on engines ban
Government officials have finally gathered the guts to ban idling vehicle engines. But how far will those guts go? Far enough to go after all those rich guys whose chauffeurs leave their car engines idling while their bosses linger over long lunches at overpriced restaurants? You'll have no trouble finding them all over Central and Wan Chai. Or will they just go after the little guys trying to keep cool on a hot summer's day? What if the rich guys instruct their chauffeurs to simply pay the HK$320 fine? They give more than that in tips during their pricey long lunches.
Will our government then have the guts to raise the fine? Or will it dilly-dally for another few years?
Property plea fails to measure up