$25K is too much to pay

I normally leap to the defense of speechwriters who get “exposed” for getting fees from government officials to craft communications.

But a story out of Canada has me in full retreat.

Taxpayers doled out $25,000 for the privilege of having the Ontario Hospital Association hear an eloquent speech by Sarah Kramer, former CEO of the provincial agency eHealth.

The speechwriter, Hugh MacPhie (not making that up) got $7K—not a preposterous sum.

However: “Costs skyrocketed after consultants from Courtyard Group Ltd. and Anzen pored over the speech to make revisions, edits and brainstorm potential questions and answers.”

The problem wasn’t the speechwriter; the problem was, they farmed out the bureaucratic b.s., too. And that, when you itemize it, gets real expensive, real fast.