Whatever happened to the concept of public service?

Pennsylvania legislators will earn a base salary of $82,000 a year starting Dec. 1, thanks to a state law (passed by the Legislature) that gives lawmakers an annual cost-of-living-adjustment unless the very same lawmakers vote to reject the pay hike.

Some lawmakers give back the annual COLA be sending a check at the end of the year to the state Treasury. Others donate the money to charity (and claim a nice tax deduction for it, no doubt).

But what they don't tell their constituents is that the annual salary bump also increases the amount of money lawmakers will receive from their taxpayer-paid pensions when they leave the Legislature.

P.S. - The average salary of a Pennsylvania worker is $43,000 a year.

Legislators make double what their constituents bring home - pottsmerc.com