Lawmakers: Time right to revisit pay raise - Omaha.com

Rep. Mike Coffman, a Republican who represents Colorado's 6th Congressional District, wants the permanent political class in Washington to feel some of the pain of their constituents, who are footing the bills.

Coffman has been serving on Congress since 2009 and obviously hasn't been brainwashed by the political lifers who run Washington.

Rep. Mike Coffman: Time to Kill Congressional Pensions and Cut Pay - HUMAN EVENTS

Even if Pennsylvania lawmakers "give back" their annual COLA, their base pay continues to grow each year and their golden pension plans will grow based on the higher salaries.

Lawmakers' automatic pay hikes take effect: Some argue that giving COLA back to the state or to charity isn't enough

From an editorial in The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review on the latest pay raise for members of the Pennsylvania Legislature:

The arrival of yet another automatic cost-of-living pay raise is proof positive of state lawmakers' craven disregard for both taxpayers and economic reality.

Read the full editorial - The legislative COLA: Slap! - at the newspaper's website.

Only in Congress and the Pennsylvania Legislature can you be rewarded for not doing your job.

Legislators get raise despite lack of results - pottsmerc.com

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

The average Pennsylvania worker makes $43,000 a year, but state legislators will make a base salary of $82,000 after a Dec. 1 pay raise kicks in.

How do you feel about working so hard to keep the permanent political class in the lifestyle they've become accustomed to?

Every member of the state House and half the members of the state Senate will face re-election in 2012. Remember the pay raise when your incumbent state lawmaker comes around looking for your vote next year.

State Sen. Gene Yaw alone on taking a 3 percent pay hike

Don't worry about a gift for your Pennsylvania state legislator. They've already decided to give themselves a 3% pay raise, effective Dec. 1, bringing their base salary to $82,000 a year - twice what the average Pennsylvania worker takes home.

State legislators to get pay raise on Dec. 1 - pottsmerc.com

The permanent political class in Pennsylvania is giving itself a 3% pay raise on Dec. 1, despite the fact that hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvania residents are unemployed and millions are struggling to survive in a down economy.

The base salary of a Pennsylvania state legislator will go up to $82,000.

Legislators set up 'stealth' pay raise - pottsmerc.com

At a time when so many Pennsylvania families are struggling, is it right for elected officials already making $80,000 a year to give themselves a pay raise?

From a Harrisburg Patriot News editorial urging Pennsylvania lawmakers to forgo a scheduled pay increase on Dec. 1:

Teachers do it. State workers do it.

It's about time our elected officials did it, too.

Tens of millions of private-sector employees have seen their pay frozen for one, two or even three years now.

Federal employees have had a freeze on cost-of-living adjustments since last fall.

The state House should accept a one-year pay freeze. The state Senate should do the same.

It's not about politics. It's about integrity.

Does your state representative or state senator feel your pain? If not, perhaps you should send them a simple message: Give yourself a pay hike on Dec. 1, and I'll vote you out of office in 2012.

Read the full editorial at the newspaper's website.

The base salary of a Pennsylvania state legislator is $79,613 and these "public servants" will receive a COLA on Dec. 1 under a 1995 law that automatically raises their pay unless they vote not to accept the increase.

With the COLA, state lawmakers will make more than $80,000 a year.

With Pennsylvania's unemployment rate at 8.3% and rising and tax collection revenues declining every month in the new fiscal year, how can state lawmakers justify taking more from their constituents?

One Republican lawmaker - Rep. Brad Roae - wants to eliminate the scheduled pay raise.

"Many teachers and state workers agreed to a one-year pay freeze because of the state budget problems, so I think state representatives should lead by example and do the same thing," Roae said. "Social Security recipients went for several years without a COLA and the increase they are going to get next year will be offset by the higher Medicare payments retirees have to pay. Many local companies could not afford to give raises to their employees this year. If all of these people have had their incomes frozen, I believe state representatives should also have their incomes frozen."

Will a majority of the career politicians in Harrisburg vote to turn down a pay raise?

Stay tuned.

State Rep. Brad Roae Introduces Bill to Freeze State Representatives' Pay

While the average Pennsylvanian continues to struggle, Pennsylvania's political class enjoys rising salaries and perks.

Pa. taxpayers miffed at COLA for lawmakers - pottsmerc.com

The chancellor of Pennsylvania's 14 state-owned universities is OK with pay raises for 1,500 nonunion administrators, including himself, despite threats by university presidents to raise tuition dramatically or cut back programs.

Let this be a lesson to you college kids: When it comes to lining their own pockets, the folks living in the Ivory Towers come first.

Daily Journal - Pa. university system chancellor defends administrators' raises, despite looming deficit

It took five years to sink into his thick skull, but lame-duck Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell has finally admitted he screwed up in supporting the infamous middle-of-the-night pay raise for lawmakers and other politicians in 2005.

From a story by Brad Bumsted in The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:

Gov. Ed Rendell said today his one regret during his eight-year tenure was that he agreed to sign the 2005 legislative pay raise, which hiked lawmakers' pay by 16 to 34 percent.

He said he agreed to sign it after opposing it a year before because he was told by legislative leaders he'd get nothing on his agenda approved during his remaining years in office.

"The pay raise and the way it was structured was untenable," Rendell said at a news conference to talk about his tenure as governor. He leaves office Jan. 18 when Republican Gov.-elect Tom Corbett is sworn in. Rendell was elected in 2002 and re-elected in 2006.

Most of the legislative leaders who hatched the pay raise scheme have been ousted or forced into early retirement in the past five years. The list includes John Perzel, Chip Brightbill, Robert Jubelirer, Mike Veon and Vince Fumo.

Also gone is former Pennsylvania Supreme Court Chief Justice Ralph Cappy, who also pushed for the pay raise. Cappy retired in 2007 instead of facing the voters in a retention election. The only person who escaped the wrath of voters was "Teflon" Ed Rendell.

Read the full story, "Rendell: Pay raise for lawmakers was bad idea," at the newspaper's website.

From a new column by Brad Bumsted on the "stealth" pay raise Pennsylvania politicians get every year.

Many Pennsylvanians haven't seen a raise in years. Others can't find jobs. Seniors haven't had a Social Security increase in two years.

A COLA "is an annual stealth pay raise, which has no relation to merit or quality of work product," said Eric Epstein, of Harrisburg, an opponent of the 2005 raise.

If legislators want a raise they should have to vote on it. It would be difficult for years, given the 2005 pay fiasco. But if a few years from now they want a raise? Justify it. Hold public hearings. Put your name behind it and pay the consequences or not.

It then effectively would be up to voters to approve the raise, by casting a vote for or against the legislator. It's what a republic is all about.

Read the full column at The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review website.

The new Republican majority in Harrisburg could get off to a good start with voters for ending automatic pay raises for state politicians and judges.

Editorial: Time to kill automatic political pay hikes - delcotimes.com

Why do we have to go through this song-and-dance every year? The Legislature should repeal the 1995 law that grants its members and other state officials automatic pay raises every year.

Most legislators say no to COLA - News - The Times-Tribune

Republican David M. Maloney won't take office until January, but he's already paying dividends for constituents in the 130th State House District.

Maloney announced Tuesday he will not accept the automatic 1.7% cost-of-living adjustment increase that members of the Pennsylvania Legislature gave themselves.

The automatic COLA raise was enacted in 1995 and gives a yearly pay raise for state legislators, members of the executive branch, including the governor, state judges and other state officials. (Gov.-elect Tom Corbett has also announced he will not accept the raise.)

Maloney issued the following statement: "Taking the increase is simply not the right thing to do. I have met so many people in our district this year who are truly struggling to pay bills, taxes and keep their homes. With Pennsylvania's high unemployment at nearly 10% and many of those out of work will be seeing the end of their unemployment benefits soon and as the Social Security Administration said there will be no increase again for our seniors, this is not the time for a COLA increase."

Maloney said he will return the COLA to the taxpayers of Pennsylvania.

"It is the people's money. We also have a nearly $5 billion dollar hole in our budget coming next year so every belt needs tightening. The State Legislature needs to lead by example."

Maloney, a reform candidate who unseated Democratic incumbent Rep. David Kessler, represents the 130th district, which includes Boyertown, Birdsboro, Fleetwood and Earl, Douglass (Berks), Ruscombmanor, Amity, Rockland, Pike, Oley, Union and Colebrookdale townships and parts of Exeter Township.

Auditor General Jack Wagner Calls for Moratorium On Cost of Living Salary Increases for Public Officials

A pay freeze for federal workers is the right thing to do considering the country is bankrupt, but since government workers usually vote Democratic, will they take out their anger on Obama and the Democrats in 2012?

Can't say I feel sorry for the Democrats, who have increased the federal debt by $3 trillion in just two years.

Federal pay freeze: why Obama is following path trod by states, businesses now