Pay raise II
LAST TIME our legislators deemed themselves worthy of a raise, they convened in a secret chamber and slipped the self-serving provision between the pages of some other legislation.
LAST TIME our legislators deemed themselves worthy of a raise, they convened in a secret chamber and slipped the self-serving provision between the pages of some other legislation.
But what's done in the dark tends to come to light eventually. Voters weren't pleased.
Several lawmakers were sent packing in the next election cycle and the hefty pay hikes were rolled back. The lawmakers then returned to the automatic cost-of-living adjustments that they instituted in 1995 for themselves, judges and other elected officials.
On Monday a 2.8 percent COLA will raise legislative salaries to $78,315. Last year, the COLA resulted in a 3.5 percent pay hike. Annual hikes have raised legislative salaries 38 percent since 1995.
At any other time, this modest increase would go unnoticed. But with the state struggling to fill a budget gap of up to $2 billion, and at a time when lawmakers in Philadelphia and around the state are taking pay cuts to help balance their budgets, state lawmakers should be embarrassed to accept a raise.
Some are. Several have said they will give the increase to charity.
We have a better idea. Just say no to this year's pay raise. Charity begins at home. *