Pennsylvania: You bail out our department stores, we’ll take a pay raise!
Yesterday, I noted that Pennsylvania Democrat Gov. Ed Rendell had secured $35 million in federal money — your money — to bail out ailing department store Boscov’s. (link) So, with all the belt-tightening and rough economic sledding ahead, what are Pennsylvania state lawmakers doing?
No kidding: Getting pay raises.
Despite a growing budget deficit, the very real prospect of tax increases, and unemployment rates not seen in years, Pennsylvania lawmakers are about to get a raise.
Come Dec. 1, base salaries of state House and Senate members will increase 2.8 percent, or $2,152, to $78,315. Legislative leaders will see even more of a pay bump.
The extra cash comes courtesy of a law that legislators passed in 1995, setting in motion annual cost-of-living adjustments, or COLAs, for themselves and other elected state officials, including the governor and judges.
The legislature replaced the COLAs in 2005 with raises of 16 to 54 percent but, after widespread public outcry, rescinded them later that year and returned to the COLAs.
Gene Stilp, a longtime Harrisburg activist who challenged the 2005 raises in court, scolded lawmakers for continuing the COLAs, especially in such tough economic times.
“The legislature is continuing with its let-them-eat-cake syndrome,” he said. “Maybe the citizens need a guillotine.”
Through the first four months of the fiscal year, Pennsylvania is digging a deep budget hole, with revenue trailing projections by 7 percent, or $565 million. The state is expected to end the fiscal year between $1 billion and $2 billion in the red.
Gov. Rendell said Wednesday that he was seeking new spending cuts on top of the $300 million already made, and that he could not rule out a tax hike next year. Rendell, whose salary is set to increase $4,806 in January, to $174,956, added yesterday that he was considering forgoing his raise and having his cabinet do the same.
Asked whether the legislature should also consider the option, Rendell told reporters that he needed to work with lawmakers in the final two years of his administration, “so I am not sure I want to necessarily beat them over the head, especially when you guys are all too willing to do it for us.”
Senate President Pro Tempore Joseph B. Scarnati III (R., Jefferson) said yesterday that the notion of axing the automatic yearly raises should become part of the budget discussion between leaders of both parties in both chambers and the administration in coming weeks.
He declined to say whether he supported such an idea, but stressed that “nothing is off the table.”
Senate Minority Leader Robert J. Mellow (D., Lackawanna) defended the raise as reasonable.
Great timing, man.
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This reminded me of when I was young, I’d ask my mother if I could do/have something, instead of outright saying “no” knowing it would start an endless line of questions, she’d say “we’ll see”.
We’ll see if his ‘consideration’ turns into action.
I noted with interest how the Big Three Executives were savaged by our beloved Congressmane for flying in private jets to D.C.
Had I been one of those executives my response would have been, “Senator, given the fact that under your leadership your ‘business’ is currently over $10 trillon in the red, may I ask how you got to the Capitol this morning?”
Given their performance Congress should have to get around on mopeds.
(Banging head against wall)
Will this ever end? It seems like I am having a nightmare where I am falling and I am not going to wake up. I feel a binge coming on.
not until we’re all ‘equal’
except of course for our overlords in guvmint….they’re more equal than us…
Amazing…fargin’ amazing! The legislators run their states into the ground,line up for bailouts,THEN have the gall to vote themselves a raise.Let them eat toilet cake!
I don’t know why the fuss. Do you think your US Congressmen and Senators will go without their pay raises this year? It’s all their money, after all. You should be grateful they let you keep any of it.
/sarc
Between this story, and Murtha getting re-elected, I’m wondering what happened to the many level-headed Pennsylvanians over the years?
Wait, Wait, Wait!!!
This is not Spreading the wealth!
Where is the Odopeolice!!!!
oops, I’ve known level headed conservative Pennsylvanians over the years! Sheesh! Why can’t I learn to use preview?
Huh, this was under Clinton’s watch…Shocker.
Shouldnt this increase be based on their approval ratings? Cost of LIVING? UGH.
What a freakin racket!!!!
How many here will be getting a pay raise this year? How many may not have a job after this mess is over? I sure am having a problem with ALL elected and daily it is getting worse.
L
*Exasperated Sigh*
Thanks again, Pennsylvania.
I imagine with the slowing economy their bribes are way down. Cocaine, Mistresses and Hookers are expensive-a little compassion here.
I see a French style revolution in our future…heads will roll………….
I line here in suburban Philly, and I didn’t vote for these clowns! Help me!
But I bet we can do better than the French.
Boycott Boscovs!
That is just the base pay. They get paid as full time are never there, pay themselves extra per diem just to show up get auto allowence etc etc etc.
On top of that we have one of the largest legislatures in the Country and
often they run unopposed…….
but it is snowing so PA aint all bad
Madchef I would boycott them but I never shop there doncha hate that!
I want to vote myself a payraise too.
I just gave up my jet so they could get their raise!
:Let the record show nobody agreed to that:
Nevermind.
They voted these idiot’s in so I have no sympathy for them.
Boscov’s isn’t worth bailing out in the first place. Ridiculous. I am waiting patiently for that buffoon Rendell to leave office. The way it goes in Pennsylvania is every 8 years it switches from one party to the other.
Now it all makes sense to me! See, “Speedy” Rendell is threatening to cut 78 million from our education budget because “we just don’t have it”. Funny, how we don’t have money for that, yet money for this?? This man never likes to fund education in PA. A few years ago, when my kids were still in school, he threatened to not release funding to the schools unless he had things his way. He is a bully. Oh, and he is an ass too.
Amazing!
Liberals love to spend spend spend… who flips the bill?
Taxpayers.
keep on pushing … one day the American people will push back.
Yeah, they are p!$$ing down our backs and telling us it’s raining… Greedy morons, one and all.
Hey Pennsylvanians!
If you want to see who’s fault it is that your politicians keep sticking it to you………Look in the mirror!
This also applies to all you idiots who helped elect our next President and US Congress!
Obama stated in an interview many months ago that he plans to implement “change” by imposing so many regulations and what-not that he will eventually bankrupt the coal mining industry. So, coal-mining states like Pennsylvania (and Ohio and a few others who voted for “The One”), you really should start stocking up on canned goods and light bulbs before “Obama’s Hope and Change” and the greed of your CHOSEN elected officials force you into a socialist bread line.
Has anyone asked what the plane assigned to our fearless Speaker of the House, Pelosi, costs per flight? Inquiring minds want to know – also, does she reimburse the gubmint for any relative on board?
Boscovs? I didn’t even know Russians drank chocolate milk!
Until states, cities and the Federal government begin to restrain their spending to match incoming funds, they will continue this downward path to insolvency. States like California, et al, who spend BILLIONS more than they take in due to entitlements, idiotic laws, etc, are now reaping what they’ve sown. You can’t do this forever, the bucket will either empty totally or be filled with worthless paper. Since most don’t read history, the Weimar Republic in Germany after World War One had such bad inflation they ended up printing gazillions of useless paper money, so useless people had to be paid twice a day: at 11 AM and 4 PM, since prices changed at noon and 5. It took a wheelbarrow of cash to buy a loaf of bread. THAT is what continually printing paper money backed by nothing other than the “faith in government” will do for a country and its citizens.
And televised too.
For what it’s worth, as a native Pennsylvanian (having lived outside the state the last 23 years), the majority of Pennsylvanians are descended from European immigrants and have really deep roots in this beautiful, rural state. Many take care of elderly family members or don’t even like the thought of moving away from family — even if it means moving to a more reasonable state (and how many of those are there — with honest politicians? Ha!)
There is virtually no industry in Pa. It is beyond depressing. That’s why Murtha got re-elected. He brings home the pork for stuff they otherwise couldn’t buy with tax dollars. He promised his constituents a fire truck, hardly a luxury item. Sad.
Rendell (or Swin-dell, as he’s known), I have no explanation for. He’s tight with the Clintons and from Dem-heavy Filthadelphia. ‘Nuf said.
Hmmm, riddle me this, did the Federal level congress critters incl the Senate ever rescind their 15%+ COLA that they gave themselves back around 1982? IIRC, & I do, we were having double digit inflation, ditto unemployment, and folks were protesting Reaganomics.
The right thing to do if “we just don’t have it” would be to shut down the public schools altogether and let them compete in the marketplace.
Who really cares if he funds the schools as long as the taxpayers aren’t forced to pay for them?
RWR
http://www.rightwingrocker.com
Well, no retirement for me this year.
Must wait until fast Eddie is gone.
I’m really tired of the sea of blue around here!