How's this for a comparison:
On the one hand, a fisherman is cited for catching a few fish without an "authorization letter" — paperwork that one federal regulatory agency told him he didn't need, but the Coast Guard insisted he did. He receives a violation notice with a fine of nearly $20,000.
On the other hand is Dale Jones, enforcement director for the past decade of the National Marine Fisheries Service. A series of audits by the U.S. Department of Commerce Inspector General Todd Zinser earlier finds that under his leadership, fines levied against fishermen in the Northeast have been more than twice those in other areas of the country.
It finds that the excessive fines were used to build a $92 million Asset Forfeiture Fund, then Jones' agents spend millions of that fund on vehicles, boats and foreign travel with little or no documentation or oversight.
It finds evidence of document shredding by Jones and his staff — as many as 140 files last fall while Zinser was investigating.
And for all that? Jones was relieved of his position in February, but it was not until last week, under threat of subpoena, that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration — the agency that oversees NMFS — acknowledged to Congress that Jones is still on the NOAA payroll and that the agency is "considering reassigning him to an appropriate position."
Or, in the words of Congressman Barney Frank, "Apparently the reward for highly questionable actions (at NOAA) is a paid vacation."
And that comparison tells fishermen, along with local, state and federal officials, all they need to know about the difference between private sector workers struggling to make a living and public sector officials who commit egregious abuse of their positions. The fishermen gets crushing punishment. The public official keeps collecting salary and benefits, all while not even working at an "appropriate position."
This is disgusting.
It is disgusting that NOAA head Jane Lubchenco not only enables, but endorses, this kind of cover-up and protection of misconduct.
It is disgusting, after her obviously empty declaration following the release of the IG's report that, "I own the problem and I intend to fix it."
Frank, who had called for Lubchenco to resign or be fired, but then backed off, should renew that call.
She doesn't intend to fix anything. She intends to perpetuate it.
