John Baer: Hey, GOP, first things first: Kill pol's pay raises
HERE'S AN idea for a state with money trouble at a time when its taxpayers struggle with slimmer (if any) paychecks and reduced (if any) benefits.
HERE'S AN idea for a state with money trouble at a time when its taxpayers struggle with slimmer (if any) paychecks and reduced (if any) benefits.
Legislative leaders and the governor-elect in the "fiscally responsible" GOP that is soon to take over ought to end the automatic pay raises for themselves, judges and all state lawmakers.
Otherwise, the annual salary hikes that our "honorables" wrote into law take effect Dec. 1, rewarding their fine labors with a 1.7 percent cost-of-living increase.
That's a pay jump for each of 253 folks taking, or returning to, office in January. The new governor, his Cabinet and 1,030 state and county judges get their increases Jan. 1.
I feel certain that Gov.-elect Cut-Cut Corbett will renounce his hike. How could he not, after the no-tax/slash-costs campaign he ran?
I feel equally certain that the judges will grab the money, saying that the raise is set by law, and that Article V, Section 16 of the state Constitution says that their salaries "shall not be diminished during their terms of office."
But guess what?
The same section also says that judicial pay can't be cut "unless by law applying generally to all salaried officers of the Commonwealth."
So that's what should happen: a new law, ending automatic raises for all, retroactively to include this one.
Granted, it's not a big boost: about $1,300 for rank-and-file lawmakers, to $79,623; about $2,000 for legislative floor leaders, to $115,364.
(Corbett goes to $177,888; county judges to $164,602; most state judges to $184,432; Supreme Court justices to $189,620.)
But, come on. For the second year in a row, two million seniors here in America's second-oldest state aren't getting cost-of-living Social Security raises. And how many other constituents of the bloated Legislature aren't getting raises or even paychecks?
Remember, while these salaries might not look like much in Philly, a judge in Elk County gets the same as a judge in the city. And the state median household income, as averaged over the last three years, is $49,829, according to Census data.
Moreover, this raise puts our lawmakers behind only California and Michigan in base pay, which is deceptive because it doesn't include perks, per diems and health care.
But Michigan has 105 fewer lawmakers than we do, and California has 133 fewer, and represent a population nearly three times Pennsylvania's.
Among neighboring states, only New York pays lawmakers about as much ($79,500) but has 42 fewer lawmakers representing six million more people.
Other neighbor-state lawmaker salaries: Delaware, $42,750; Maryland, $43,500; New Jersey, $49,000, and no per diems; Ohio, $60,584; West Virginia, $20,000.
In all but Ohio, lawmakers' salaries are below their state's median income.
As I often point out, we pay for the largest, most expensive full-time legislature in America. Think it's a good value? Think a raise is in order?
Me neither.
So here stands a golden opportunity for Corbett and other GOP leaders to cut costs and send a message.
I figure when you toss in the judges and add a couple thou per lawmaker, we're talking $3 million-plus.
But beyond money, stopping this raise is a powerful gesture, a chance for Republicans to take a step toward repairing the Legislature's reputation for self-serving greed.
The automatic raise thing is a joke. It exists solely so incumbents never have to vote on hiking their pay. It isn't enough that some lawmakers give back such raises or donate them to charity or that a few introduce legislation to stop the raises.
Leaders should lead, dump the whole system and replace it with an independent citizen compensation commission.
And, given the state of the state, the state of the economy and the state of most major reform efforts here, it's an idea whose time has come.
Send e-mail to baerj@phillynews.com.
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