Politics Information |
PA Congressional Pay Hike Raises Eyebrows
While many Pennsylvanians are struggling to figure out how they can pay their real estate taxes before the end-of-the-year deadline, the PA congress not only votes an extra $11,403 onto their base pay, but those on committee chairs receive an additional $4,050. Speaking in terms of percentage, the pay hikes ranged from 16% - 34%, while most of their constituents are lucky to see a 3% raise. At least the past congressional bodies, in their wisdom, made a congressman's pay increase not take affect until the following election term. But like any enterprising citizen would attempt, lawmakers looked for---and found---loopholes in the law that allows them to take "unvouchered expenses" and thus have access to the piles of tax dollars being shoveled into their waiting accounts. No one would argue that being a state legislator is a huge responsibility. Nor would many argue that pay raises are acceptable. As a matter of fact, according to columnist John Grogan of the Philadelphia Inquirer, lawmakers have received a cost of living pay raise every year for the past decade. It is just difficult to swallow when their latest raise exceeds some citizen's gross annual salary. It is really sticky business when a governing body is responsible for approving its own raises. Rather an awkward position, don't you think? But cheer up. Many of these legislators have businesses or investments back home bringing in plenty of cash for the family. For those individuals, you might call the legislative salary "pin money". Grogan reported that the salary deal was "hammered out behind closed doors without public airing or input and passed without discussion at 2 a.m., moments before lawmakers fled the Capitol for summer recess." Supreme Court Justice Ralph J. Cappy, the state's top jurist, called the raises "reasonable and responsible" as part of a spirited public defense he led against the public outcry. Oh yeah, he forgot to mention that he benefited an additional $22,300 out of the deal cut by congressional leaders. Most of us could get a little spirited if our boss offered that kind of pay jump! Mr. H. William DeWeese, (D) PA House Minority Leader defended the move by saying it would attract "high minded and intelligent" young people into politics. That almost sounds plausible. But the aftermath of this midnight move will resonate with even the most stupid citizen and remind them that politics is a dirty game; anyone who doesn't conform to the lead players are stripped of power and hung out to dry. Read on. Every day, some bureaucratic government group blows a few million too much?..on a program, a dumb idea, a failing project, or yes, even on their own pay raises. The public is "ripped up" for awhile, being again reminded of the fiscal irresponsibility, the fatness of government agencies, and the desperate struggle for each group to justify why they should continue to sit at the office desk each day. But it always blows over, because citizens have greater things to worry about: the roof is leaking, the wife's car needs new tires, and the husband's boss just told him that there is going to be a layoff next month. Any one of these problems may be all that your monthly budget can bear, and so in focusing on our own realities, the "unreality show" in Harrisburg soon takes a back seat in the thoughts of the day. There is a larger travesty taking place with this pocket-filling that stinks worse than the dead groundhog your neighbor left lying in the fencerow. And the opportunity for corrupt actions as a result of these raises looms fierce before the faces of lead politicians. It is the House Minority Leader's responsibility to oversee the assignment of committee leadership positions. These positions often provide additional power to a legislator, giving him the opportunity to push his/her own agenda forward with more tenacity. It also comes with a significant salary increase. After the vote was tallied for the salary hike, a number of committee leadership positions went through a major shuffle. Fifteen House Democrats were stripped of their committee leadership positions (12 subcommittee chairmen and 3 committee vice chairmen)- AND their pay for those positions. Quite coincidentally, ALL 15 DEMOCRATS that received these demotions were members who had voted against the pay raises! To borrow Mr. Grogan's line, "oil on ice doesn't get this slimy." When questioned about the event, DeWeese's spokesman said it was just a "shuffling of positions" and that the reassignments were purely coincidental. The spokesman said that Mr. DeWeese has the discretion to act as he sees fit. Wow. We're not sure if that is really "seeing fit". It appears more to be "taking a fit". All of this brings us back to those bright young people that congressional leaders are trying to attract. Well, if you're greedy, and you can play dirty, then politics might be in the cards. But the lesson here is to follow the leader, or be assigned to choosing paint colors for the state's sign posts. Now that sounds like representative government at its finest. Rep. Richard T. Grucela, D-Northhampton, was one member who was stripped of his vice chairman's post on the agriculture and rural affairs committee after voting against the raise. When questioned by a reporter, Grucela said, "It was probably to be expected. I understand how the institution works." On the opposite side of the aisle, a spokesman for House Majority Leader Sam Smith stated that the House Republicans had no plans to make similar committee and subcommittee reassignments. State representative Kerry Benninghoff, R-College Township, Centre County, and representative Mike Hanna, Centre/Clinton counties, both voted against the pay raise. Hanna was one of the casualties who was demoted. Representative Lynn Herman, R-Phillipsburg, and State Senators Jake Corman, R-Benner Township and John Wozniak, D-Johnstown, all voted in favor of the raise. Mr. DeWeese has certainly received his share of media pressure from the huge coincidence, in his endeavor to do "what he sees fit". It comes with a perk though; DeWeese's salary rose from $100,911 to $134,771 annually. Perhaps the public needs to follow DeWeese's statements, and do what WE see fit; contact your congressmen and Governor Rendell to express your concerns. Only by becoming active in the business of democracy will people remain in a democracy. The Governor can be reached at 225 Main Capitol Building, Harrisburg, 17120. Phone him at (717) 787-2500; or email his office at governor@state.pa.us . Internet users can find information for their own (or any other) PA representative by logging onto www.legis.state.pa.us/ . Learn how your representative voted at www.pacleansweep.com/. Log onto the Trees 'n' Turf web pages and view our bulletin board for updates to the story, or email us for additional contact information such as addresses for your representative. Our website is http://www.clouserfarm.net/ . Tell them you're watching. Tell them you're not impressed. And tell them that after you're done working overtime to pay for the kids' school shoes, you're gonna vote them out of more than just their committee chair. Tom Clouser is a 38 year old farmer in Pennsylvania. In addition to farming, he and his father publish a monthly 16-page newspaper called "Trees 'n' Turf", which targets subjects of interest to those in land use industries and activities. View their website at http://www.clouserfarm.net
MORE RESOURCES: Unable to open template $TEMPLATEfilename, exiting |
RELATED ARTICLES
How Can We Elect Good Leaders? Absolute power corrupts absolutely. Men desire power. Smelter Closures In America Hurt Our Industrial Output The United States is losing its industrial capacity quite rapidly. Some environmentalists call these "old industries" and say we do not need them anymore; that we want clean industries. Spies in Seminaries - Stalin the CEO The use of religion is well-documented as a social engineering tool and Francis Fukayama's 'The End of History and The Last Man' admits he and his ilk are adept in this regard. Magicians and propagandists are everywhere in the history of Empire since the days of Tuthmosis if not long before that. Federal Trade Commission Falsely Purports Franchise Disclosure is Cost Effective In a recent report on the status of the Franchising Industry, the Federal Trade Commission knowingly and falsely purported that its Franchise Disclosure Rules are cost effective. In fact; there is nothing inexpensive or "cost-effective" about the 190 to 230 pages of disclosures that franchisors must give to prospective franchisees. Continuing Change in the Offshore World The offshore financial centres have been forced in recent years to review almost every aspect of the ways in which they operate in response to the international anti- money laundering laws and initiatives by major economies such as the E.U. The Mother of All Political Battles Has Begun! News is spreading of the retirement of Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, setting up a political battle the likes never before seen. This is the first of what could be several openings in the not too distant future. A Deal Made With Ireland SYNOD OF DRUM CEATT (494 - 5):It is interesting to observe that the dominant cleric of the Catholic Church at this Synod was Columcille who we know as St. Columba. Emerging Markets, Property Law I read an interesting article in foreign Affairs magazine last year, and recently in the Economist also. The articles stated in some way that a country without a set of laws for property rights would mean slow-growth, lack of foreign investment and economic vitality would be scarce. Profiling Eco-terrorists The FBI recently before Congress stated that Eco-Terrorism was on the rise and it is probably the most significant current Domestic Threat. Unfortunately it is somewhat hard to profile these folks as most are misfits of society and somewhat socially inept. Steel Tubing Tariffs Prove that NAFTA Still Needs Work The North American Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was implemented on January 1, 1994. An extension of the previous Canada-U. Did 9-11 Change Everything for the Business Community For the business community 9-11 changed everything. In our company, we are in the cleaning business and after 9-11 we saw 62. Timber Dumping Recently in Professional Builder a cover article discussed how the industry was concerned about the anti-dumping tariffs of Canadian Lumber. I understand how they fill from a cost stand point, however let us discuss the hardships that Canadians have placed on trucking companies going into Canada with US goods. Mother Russia and Poland When Boris Yeltsin spoke about an experiment that 'they' wrought upon his Russian 'brethren' on June 1st, 1991; did anyone ask who THEY were? Here is what he said:"Our country has not been lucky. Indeed, it was decided to carry out this Marxist experiment on us -? Instead of some country in Africa, they began this experiment with us. Media and the Iraq War, Some Random Thoughts Indeed 2001 Here are some miscellaneous thoughts on issues many of which are opinion and should be looked at as such, some are not even my opinion but opinions of people I have talked with and wished to pass on. The first item I wish to discuss is the World News reporting which is anti-American. Global Entrepreneurs, Mining and Raw Materials There are many mines around the world, which are owned by the new global citizen who considers no country their home. Literally a world-class jet set of entrepreneurs. Accessibility Requirements for Fair Housing PolicyFederal Fair Housing accessibility requirements for new multifamily buildings should be written in building code language certified as Fair Housing compliant by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). HUD should be vigilant in compliance education and assistance as is NAHB. Ethanol, Water, Pollution, North Korea and Free Trade Ethanol is a great way to produce fuel, great fuel to trade and It makes sense to grow your fuel. Only a few problems; it takes water, processing makes CO2 and how much can we get for it when we export it?Ethanol Plants are popping up across America and turn corn into fuel, but corn takes water to grow and states like Nebraska, North and South Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri are in drought. The Ugly American Returns! Originally published in 1958, "The Ugly American" (Lederer & Burdick) documented American blunders abroad and our failure to identify that what we termed communism in undeveloped countries was merely the screams of hunger and hopelessness becoming manifest. 15 years later, we extricated ourselves from Vietnam and licked our wounds for 30 years, finally coming to some sort of accommodation with free fire zones, Agent Orange, and My Lai. Bio Attack Nation Unready We are told by out leadership that we risk loss of American life from a Bio-Attack. This is quite a scary notion. Do Not Tell The Truth Do you really want to get ahead in your life? Do you want to grow a business really large? Do you want to be powerful? Well then do what works. For instance the United States Government is big and powerful. |
home | site map | contact us |