Legislature Pay Raise- Same Old Issue With A New Twist

Recent artilces and reports by the media told us that more Pennsylvania legislators and the governor are forgoing the pay raise slated for next year. Andrew Seder of the Times Leader penned this story on the topic.

The real problem for Pennsylvania taxpayers is the fact that their elected official are still taking the money from the Commonwealth's Treasury. I believe that is an important point for newly elected officials to consider. I know that their intentions are good but feel they need to look at the greater picture.

The last two elections were turning points in political history. The people want government to change. If they don't get it from one party they are fickle as hell. They will jump ship faster than greased lightning.

Consider the following:

1. Taking the COLA in any form still means legislators are taking it from the taxpayers in a time when Pennsylvania is facing a $5 billion deficit.

2. Forget the argument that it is a small, insignificant amount and won't make a difference in the Treasury. Leaders must lead by example regardless of the maginitude of the impact. At the very least the COLA amount for this year in its entirety between both chambers of our bicameral legislture is over $330,000.00. Last time I checked to the average voter that is a huge amount.

3. There are many Consumer Price Indexes(CPI). Price indexes are available for the U.S., the four Census regions, size of city, cross-classifications of regions and size-classes, and for 26 local areas. Due to differences in the CPI picked for calculating solons' raises(CPI for mid Atlantic states) our legislators received $7,751.16 more per seat since 2003 more than if the same CPI determinator used for seniors receiving Social Security was applied over the same time period. As a result, since 2003, the legislature received a total increase of $1,961,043.48. Leadership figures will bump that calculation slightly higher but safe to say over $2 million dollars. That's not chump change by any standard.

4. Taxpayers know that Legislators accepting the raise and donating it to charity still means the dollar amount used will go towards calculation of their pension.

5. Taxpayers know that the pension also has a COLA attached to it compounding the benefit of accepting a COLA and donating it to charity.

6. Taxpayers know that Legislators are getting the credit for donations to charities by those organizations rather than the taxpayers receiving the credit for their hard earned money.

It is time to turn off the COLA process for the next few years until their pay balances out with what it would have been using the CPI multiplier used by seniors. Next, unless they repeal the COLA, they should change the CPI used for calculating their COLA to the one seniors are forced to accept by the federal legislators.

Lastly they should always be mindful that California is a five hour flight but you can be there through the internet in 0.4 seconds. The new twist I am making is that it very easy to see what legislators in other states are making. The National Conference of State Legislatures complied this list of salaries and per diems for state lawmakers. Only California and New York surpass Pennsylvania in annual pay.

The Waccama Times reports on pension benefits for state legislators. Nine states – Alabama, California, Louisiana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont and Wyoming – no longer provide pensions to state legislators, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures in Washington, D.C.

In South Carolina, retired legislators earn an annual average of $19,605 in gross retirement benefits, based on July figures from the state retirement system. Newly retired Keith McCall could receive a benefit near $90,000.00 according to the Post Gazette. Prior to retirement his salary was $122,254 as Speaker of the House.

With information like that Governor-elect Tom Corbett will have plenty of ammunition to support his campaign platform of reducing the size of Pennsylvania's legisalture as part of government reform.

Reducing the Size & Cost of Government – The size and cost of state government has grown out of control, and it is time to bring fiscal responsibility and accountability back to Pennsylvania. We must continue the forward momentum on streamlining state government by reducing the cost of how state government does business. Through technology upgrades, centralizing communications between agencies and lowering the overall administrative costs associated with running state government, we can return millions of dollars to Pennsylvanians. Tom Corbett has called for a 10 percent reduction in government administrative operations in all branches of government.

Yudichak Leads Effort To Reform Pennsylvania Government

In this Pittsburgh Tribune-Review article by Ashley Mannings and Brad Bumsted State Rep. John Yudichak is credited with leading the effort to reform the way Pennsylvania government accounts to its citizens.

"This effort is aimed at making sure we do not repeat the past mistakes," said Rep. Eugene DePasquale, D-York. "We have a lot of work needed to get Pennsylvania back on track."

"Our freedoms and liberties, guaranteed and enshrined in the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution, are under attack, and the threat is from within," said Rep. Curt Schroder, R-Chester County.

Schroder and DePasquale, with Rep. John Yudichak, D-Luzerne County, and Rep. Mike Vereb, R-Montgomery County, unveiled their proposal outside Independence Hall in Philadelphia.

"This legislation is a step in the right direction," said Vereb, a former police officer. "A Public Integrity Commission with law enforcement powers will be able to root out corruption and make government more transparent for all citizens of Pennsylvania."

House Majority Leader Todd Eachus first won his seat with the support of State Rep. Bill DeWeese, now facing serious charges in the Bonusgate matter and headed to trial. Todd Eachus previously said he was "proud" to introduce Robert Powell, now admitted criminal, formerly associated  with Gladstone Partners, many times at public announcements regarding the proposed Hazleton Cargo Airport. Todd Eachus previously stood at the podium and introduced now admitted criminal Greg Skrepenak at the proposed cargo airport press conferences.

According to a January, 2010 article by Brad Bumsted [Former staffer John Paul Jones said he was brought onto Eachus' staff "solely" to do political work. He said he had a "beard assignment" that he was supposed to be working on "alternative energy" issues.

"But you didn't study alternative energy?" a prosecutor asked him. "No," Jones told the grand jury.

Jones testified that Eachus wanted to spend "soft dollars" through state-paid public service announcements so the campaigns would spend less of their resources.

There were occasions, Jones testified, where he and another aide were called in to provide staff support so Eachus could make fundraising calls in his office.]

I wonder when Todd Eachus is going to lead the charge for reform and greater transparency in Pennsylvania government.

Ethics Reform Due To Greed

Legislative resistance to reforming Pennsylania's government is a miscalculated and misguided effort by those in office who think voter apathy will relegate this issue to the trash bin that states "This too shall pass". Their lack of fear of the voting booth signifies a culture where their concerns for what is truly right and what Pennsylvania taxpayers demand is emotionally bankrupt. They will soon reazlie that it will only hurt worse to fight it.

Legislators who make a base salary of $78,000 per year, fully paid healthcare, pensions that exceed their outgoing salaries, car expense, telephone expense, campaign expense, guaranteed cost of living adjustments, and the ability to modify any one of those in the most favorable terms are severely out of touch with today's economic climate. House Majority Leader Todd Eachus has a salary exceeding $114,900.00 plus collected over $27,000 in per diems. Those of you reading this, what are your salary and benefits?

Solons like Senator Daylin Leach who have the nerve to write an opinion column like this one that appeared in the Post-Gazette illustrate not only the need but that time is of the essence to reprogram the thought processes in Harrisburg by elected officials. Leach is a Democrat for King of Prussis but talks to us like he is the King of Russia.

In today's Time Leader Professor David Friedrichs discusses the greed with Mark Guydish that led the charge in creating the culture pervading Luzerne County and, for the most part, the rest of Pennsylvania.

Tough prison terms? Restructured governments? Strict codes of conduct? Ethics education in school and more public discussion, as championed the new Ethics Awareness Initiative?

“Addressing it is indeed challenging,” University of Scranton criminal justice Professor David Friedrichs conceded. “With this new wave of indictments and imprisonment of high-profile judges and officials, there is hope that it will have fundamental impact in terms of individual choices.

“But more generally,” he added, “you have to try to reorient the whole culture to address the built-in conflicts of interests in public/private sector arrangements.”

“Unless the whole region becomes convinced that ethical behavior is critically important to the area, it’s not going to change.”

Senator Leach has already demonstrated the uphill battle taxpayers face.

In a related article the Times Leader educates is readers about the efforts of Sister Bernadette Duross as executive director of the Ethics Institute of Northeastern Pennsylvania and launching a communitywide ethics project amid the bucolic backdrop of Misericordia University

In May, barely five months into that role, she helped spearhead the Ethics Awareness Initiative, a joint effort by the Ethics Institute and Leadership Wilkes-Barre. The project is intended to spur area residents to push for government reforms – and perhaps adopt new attitudes about ethical behavior – in the wake of the region’s ongoing public corruption crackdown.

“We need individuals to step up and get the public and organizations on board,” she said. At Misericordia, she hopes that means a campuswide initiative to “incorporate ethics training more into the curriculum.” She’s also hoping other area colleges, as well as elementary and high schools, will do the same..

How about local legislators? How many have signed an ethics pledge? Ask your legislator to join Sister Duross in her effort to restore confidence and trust in Pennsylvania government- Phyllis Mundy, Eddie "Day" Pashinski, Todd Eachus, Karen Boback, Neal Goodman, Jerry Knowles, Kevin Murphy, James Wansacz, Edward Staback. The Northeastern delegation should lead the charge.

Pennsylvania Goverment Reform-Restoring Public Trust

One would think that with Bonusgate the Democrats would lead the charge for reform to give the public the appearance they care about what happens in Harrisburg. One would think, anyway. Don't get me wrong. I know it is only a matter of time before the hammer falls on the Republicans. I have it on more than just rumor that the Republican emails have been and are being scrutinized as we, well,.. read.

The Post-Gazette(did you take notice how much information from Harrisburg comes out of this newspaper) features an article by Tim Barnes highlighting Republican Sam Smith's announcement on his 15 point proposal to restore faith in those governing us in Harrisburg.

"The vast majority of General Assembly members have the right intentions in mind,'' he told reporters today.

But he said something must be done in the wake of former Sen. Vincent Fumo's conviction on 137 corruption charges; dozens of theft charges being filed against former House Democratic Whip Mike Veon; and the firing of former Turnpike Commission Chairman Mitchell Rubin, who was accused of getting $150,000 from Mr. Fumo for a no-work job.

"Public trust has been diminished,'' he said. "We need to tighten things down and weed out areas where people have taken advantage of existing law.''

Public office is a public trust, the authority and opportunities of which must be used as absolutely as the public moneys for the public benefit, and not for the purposes of any individual or party.- Dorman Eaton

But on the issue of reform we should head George Bernard Shaw's words- Reformers have the idea that change can be achieved by brute sanity.

Wonder when Todd the Legislative Leader is going to put forth his plan? One thing legislators have not learned from private life. When someone screws you it can mess you up for life. You may never trust others again no matter what. If there is going to be meaningful reform Republicans and Democrats alike need to take their respective hats off and worry about what Pennsylvanians want. After all without the voters who needs them.