Pennsylvania Legislators Approved Illegal Pay Hike for Themselves

Human Events Online ^ | July 26, 2005 | Ralph R. Reiland

[hinterlander]

Insiders: Leaders promised "walking around money" to legislators who "cooperated."

"Harrisburg is one of the sleaziest state capitals in the country," said Jake Tapper, Washington correspondent for Salon, and that was before he saw the sleaze that oozed from under the closed doors of the state Legislature at 2 a.m. one recent night after the politicians voted themselves an illegal pay hike. The pay increase is illegal because, by allowing legislators to pocket the new money in the form of "unvouchered expenses," it violates Article 2, Section 8 of the state constitution, which specifically forbids legislators to collect new pay raises until they've been re-elected.

"It's illegal to give yourself a raise now," says Temple University Law School professor David Kairys. "If you want to give yourself the raise and call it lunch money, that's not going to make it legal."

[TX Bluebonnet]

How do politicians live with themselves?

[dts32041]

Easy they look in the mirror and say they are honest men for ripping of the taxpayer and no one holds them to account as a group or individually.

BTW My suggestion of Decimation every four years was vetoed by a moderator.

But I don like that to bring that up as a solution every once in a while.

[Iris7]

I would bet that this "unvouchered expense money" is seen as NOT income, and therefore NOT taxable, by those "legislators". If they DO pay taxes on it, then the money must be income, and therefore has been received illegally. If they DON'T pay taxes on it then maybe the IRS can be made to become interested. Income tax law is very clear that this is income.

Don't bet on this happening, though.

[jos65]

Sleezes, and they are slippery too.

[Jersey Republican Biker Chick]

PA PING!! You are not going to like this one!!!

[squirt-gun]

The keystone state is totally beyond repair.

[RATkiller]

The really gross problems are centered in Philadelphia and eastern Pa and a pale second is Pittsburgh-Allegheny County. Most of the rest of the state is OK. The problem is really the "ethnic blue collar guys" in the highly populated areas - they won't come out of the 19th-20ieth century attitude.

[mmercier]

>> How do politicians live with themselves?

They "live" off of us all.

They will continue to take until they chase away those they can take from. Once all is in ruin, they will chase those whom they can take from and again attain a position where they can live off of the labor of others. In the meanwhile, we can all bitch amongst ourselves about all our jobs fleeing overseas.

It is better than getting a real job, and they do get top dollar and a tiffany benefit package.

If they get lucky, they can retire with a tax free pension @ 50.

They live with themselves quite fine, it is the rest of us that pay.

[HonestConservative]

If either of you recall, the wonderful "rescue" of the elderly from property taxes pushed by Gov. Rendel and approved by the other sleezeballs, gave the members of the legislature a 1% share in income from any gambling activity under the new program. Talk about ovaries!

I would like to have a job where I can set my own income.

Ironically very few townships have participated in the plan, recognizing it as an attempt by the scamer-cons in PA to scrape more blood out of the local veins.

[litehaus]

This happened in RENDELLSLAVIA? Horrors!

[ncountylee]

How do politicians live with themselves?

Higher on the hog now!

[TracyPA]

Not only do they get a pay raise, but also an increase in annual pensions. If a rank-and-file representative with 20 years retires this month they would get $40,000 a year.
But thanks to the pay raise From $69,647 to $81,050-if they retire in three years, the annual pension is $50,000.
If they chair a committee the pension is $55,000. Also their salary boost is bigger-$89,155 a year.

The pay-raise plan was drawn up in secret without public hearings or floor debate. After the vote, the Legislature broke for its two-month summer vacation and left Harrisburg.

[HonestConservative]

Mr Renell used to frequent Ocean City NJ beaches more frequently when he was mayor of Phila. He and his wife had a home there.

In those days, you could always spot his "distinguished" face on the beach at 50th street because he was the only face facing the crowd and not the water. Like the guy who gets on the elevator and faces the back.

He would yell out his daughters name, you know the type, the whole name, all three parts, on the beach loud enough so that all would notice him, not just his daughter. Using his child in a way that I will not do by mentioning her name here. Such a painfully obvious panderer. Puke.

He has an ad on TV promoting route 6 and visiting the wooded areas of PA. I am sure he is an expert on hiking and biking the bucolic gardens of the Keystone state.
Puke 2.

[squirt-gun]

Born and raised in Pgh...But am glad I don't live there anymore.

The majority of people voted against the stadium... but they got one anyway.

People voted against the absolutely stupid tunnel projects under the river.... but they will get them anyway.

Pgh is a shadow of its once magnificent self....This vital, vibrant city is now junk.

Entering the city from the airport every 200 feet or so you see yellow signs with every imaginable idiotic message.....most of them warings about DWI enforcemnt litering etc.

Allegheny county has always been a demo stronghold and always had corruption of the highest magnitutde....but there was an offset of intelligent working people in every walk of life...most of them long gone.

Now there are just the people who want free this and free that.

I hate it when I have to come to Pittsburgh....I once loved the place.

[Antoninus]

The really gross problems are centered in Philadelphia and eastern Pa and a pale second is Pittsburgh-Allegheny County. Most of the rest of the state is OK. The problem is really the "ethnic blue collar guys" in the highly populated areas - they won't come out of the 19th-20ieth century attitude.

You mean there's a problem with the huge percentage of people in city jobs who retire with pension and "disability"?

[joesnuffy]

When anti war democrat politicans aren't adding to family's sorrow by Funeral Crashing/demonstrating at native son/fallen war hero's funerals

They are either bad mouthing the tax payer, gouging the tax payer,or outright stealing from the tax payer...

imo

[Pirate21]

Mayor Murphy took a city on the decline and greased the slopes.

Allegheny county has always been a demo stronghold...
Yup, and it's tough to turn things around when citizens see a "D" and reflexively vote for it.

...but there was an offset of intelligent working people in every walk of life...most of them long gone.
Here, I respectfully disagree. There are fine people in the 'burbs of the 'Burgh, regardless of political alignment. There are signs of life in non-Democrats, and they're growing...but moreso outside of the city. Another thing that makes it tough to turn things around during elections is having Ed "The Rigger" Rendell as the governor.

[End Times Sentinel]

What I'm pissed about is that I lost the election and won't be collecting that sweet, sweet paycheck.  Of course I didn't mention it in my campaign, but my first act in the House of Reps would be to propose just such legislation.

Owl_Eagle

(If what I just wrote makes you sad or angry,

 it was probably sarcasm)

[Jersey Republican Biker Chick]

You will have to run again. I will come to PA and run your campaign.