CA: Legislators give aides fat raises amid lean times

Mercury News ^ | 4/19/03 | Dion Nissenbaum

[NormsRevenge]

SACRAMENTO -Despite a budget crisis that pushed state legislators to cut aid to the poor and suspend tax breaks for teachers, lawmakers last year rewarded loyal aides with generous raises and six-figure salaries that have driven legislative spending to record levels.

[NormsRevenge]

A Mercury News analysis has found that more than 150 of the 2,200 legislative aides now make at least $100,000 -- just four years after a ban on six-figure salaries was lifted. More than 30 now make more than $125,000 -- the average pay for a lawmaker. And 19 elite aides make more each year than the lieutenant governor, who earns $131,000.

California state gubimint bery bery good to some folks!

[NormsRevenge]

"Holding my nose tighter than usual" Ping

[NormsRevenge]

What a bunch of sanctimonious sacks of stinkymento scat!!!

[Falcon4.0]

Sure, Why NOT? It's not their money. And beside the they can always raise taxes on the "RICH" and blame Republicans.

[Dog Gone]

For comparison purposes, Texas pays their legislators about $ 7,000 a year. I'm not sure what they pay aides, if anything.

[ErnBatavia]

Herbie knows how the game is played...

(He kinda has that "I have a dream" look, doesn't he?)

[Tacis]

Nobody knows about kick-backs? The legislators can't give themselves increases so they give raises to their aides. The aides have to pay for the privelege of being on the state payroll and return or kick-back a portion of their salary to the legislator to whom they owe employment and, maybe, a smaller chunk to the democrat county or precinct organization that sponsored him in the first place.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Stinking Rats!

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[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

For comparison purposes, Texas pays their legislators about $ 7,000 a year. I'm not sure what they pay aides, if anything.

Well, clearly they are not Professionals, I mean look how well things are run here in California with our Professional Legislators and Administrators!

/sarcasm

[Mister Baredog]

SACRAMENTO -Despite a budget crisis that pushed state legislators to cut aid to the poor and suspend tax breaks for teachers, lawmakers last year rewarded loyal aides with generous raises and six-figure salaries that have driven legislative spending to record levels

This is the only way they can keep these "aides" from testifying against them in future corruption trials, which I predict we will have many before our NIGHTMARE is over.

[Mr. Jeeves]

``If you do not equip them with staff that have the expertise, then they will not be in a position to help the poor, to help the disabled, to help the blind, to help the children,'' said Assembly Speaker Herb Wesson, a Los Angeles Democrat...

Let's use the Democrat Doubletalk Descrambler on this one:

``If you do not equip them with staff that have the expertise, then they will not be in a position to make sure the Democrat voting base stays bought,'' said Assembly Speaker Herb Wesson, a Los Angeles Democrat...

[Gritty]

``If you do not equip them with staff that have the expertise, then they will not be in a position to help the poor, to help the disabled, to help the blind, to help the children,'' said Assembly Speaker Herb Wesson, a Los Angeles Democrat

For some reason she left out her job description,... "and to balance the out-of-control Budget"!

From the sounds of the unparalleled accolades these heroic aides get, they are the most honest, hard-working, competent, wise and best-of-the-best in all of State government, if not all of Kalifornia - simply unbeatable and irreplaceable at almost any price!

Just imagine the fiscal disaster this State would have if they hired just "normal" people to "manage" it!

I suppose even Joe Stalin's Potempkin Villages couldn't produce a finer bumper crop of "public servants" to admire!

[Grampa Dave]

Wesson is a cheap knock off clone of Willie Brown without the charisma and the sense of humor that Willie had. When Willie was picking our pockets, he did it with charisma and often made us laugh. Wesson can't get buy with it.

Of course now that Willie is Da Mayor, he has no more charisma or sense of humor.