I  do like music, but I don’t think the cost of this music will help steady my hand as I try to pay my taxes, fees, permits etc. etc. etc. 

From Grassroot Institute of Hawaii

Cover Your Ears (Wallet): The Royal Hawaiian Band is Coming
2009 Hawaii Pork Report
By Grassroot Institute of Hawaii, 5/28/2009 11:41:01 AM

The Royal Hawaiian Band, formed in 1836 by King Kamehameha II, professes to be one of the last living links to Hawaii’s monarchy. The musical ensemble represents Honolulu by performing at a variety of public functions and events.During performances, audiences enjoy classic favorites like Aloha ‘Oe, Sophisticated Hula, and Hukilau year-round. In turn, being a member of the band has its perks. Most performances run around 45 minutes, and rehearsals are scheduled several times a week, lasting about an hour. Yet for a part-time gig, band members enjoy full-time compensation, as they are listed as full-time employees in the city’s operating budget.

The salary comes out to about $49,000 per member, and the bandmaster earns nearly $100,000. The Royal Hawaiian Band has the dubious honor of being the only full-time municipal band in the country—one that will cost the city $2,197,968 in 2009.

Somehow, the sweet music isn’t so comforting to the ears of taxpayers.

For more information, log onto http://www.grassrootinstitute.org

This entry was posted on Friday, May 29th, 2009 at 11:17 am and is filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.