Alabama Attorney General Troy King is doing his best to counter the economic downturn — at least among his staff.

While many Alabamians struggle during this period of stagflation and rising energy costs, Mr. King boosted the salaries of several of his top aides. They include one with no legal experience who Mr. King reclassified as a paralegal to qualify for a $10,000 increase. He promoted another aide in March to chief aide, making $57,000 a year, after being an unpaid intern last summer.

Chris Bence, Mr. King’s spokesman and chief of staff, says Mr. King gave several employees new titles so that they qualified for the raises. State personnel records list Mr. Bence, who has no legal experience or training, as a paralegal. The change in title qualified Mr. Bence for a $10,000-a-year raise.

John W. Godwin is perhaps the biggest beneficiary of Mr. King’s largesse. Mr. Godwin, 24, was an unpaid summer intern last year while finishing his degree in broadcast journalism at Troy State University. He is now Mr. King’s executive assistant, “almost indispensable in terms of the many functions he carries out in this office” and while traveling with Mr. King, Mr. Bence said. Mr. Godwin makes $57,000 annually.

Yet another office employee, Kenneth Steely, received a $30,000 raise upon returning to the staff after taking a leave of absence to manage Mr. King’s political campaign. It appears Mr. King rewarded Mr. Steely with taxpayer money for his role in the attorney general’s election effort.

Maybe Mr. King doesn’t understand the struggle many working men and women are experiencing in this sluggish economy. After all, he is the second highest paid attorney general in the country. And he has friends like Alabama Power Co. who pay for his family’s baseball tickets and food at the game.