Watch: Is this humorist worth $17K in taxpayer dollars?

Taken from The Dori Monson Show.

We broke a story last week from one of my listeners tips. He told me that on the same day that the state’s largest agency, Department of Social and Health Services, sent out a doom and gloom email about a billion-dollar plus budget deficit and impending possible layoffs, they sent out an email saying they’re going to invite all 2,100 employees to a workshop, that they later estimated cost around $600,000.

Brandi spoke to DSHS about this. They admitted the timing might have seemed strange as it happened.

“I think that what I would say is the workshop committee has been planning this for the better part of a year. This kind of thing doesn’t come together easily,” said Babs Roberts, director of the Community Services Division. “The timing, I don’t think I understood that timing happened exactly like that, but certainly I can see where it would be odd, would seem inappropriate.”

People are now asking what the $600,000 covered? One thing on this list, as reported by The Olympian, was Denver-based humorist and motivational speaker Tim Gard who was paid $17,500 for three talks at the conference.

I once thought about doing the corporate speaking thing, long ago before I got this show. I thought that would be the easiest, big money gig in the world. If you hone about three or four messages, you can tailor it for different audiences. You can market yourself to various groups and you get paid an insane amount of money.

The all-expenses paid workshop promised to be both “fun” and educational. Brandi asked DSHS just what “fun” things they’d be getting up to at the conference. Roberts explained to her that Tim Gard was a big part of that.

Brandi: It says this is going to be a chance to have some fun. What is something they’re going to be doing that would be considered fun?

Roberts: Certainly, Tim Gard as a presenter uses humor to talk about stress in the workplace and toxic stress in the workplace and that is fun. But at the same time, they are learning.

That sounds fun, talking about a toxic workplace. Since you the taxpayers paid for this, we thought you should get a taste. Here is a little bit of what you paid for:

I watched a number of his videos. One of his big messages is the things you have to deal with in the workplace are either a “bummer” or a “woo-hoo” and he turned a bummer to a woo-hoo with his comical noisemaker in that act.

I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling all the tension melt away as I watch these videos. So is that worth $17,500 in taxpayer dollars?

Taken from Wednesday’s edition of The Dori Monson Show.

JS