Thursday, November 03, 2005
LET NO ONE FORGET!
Sound familiar? It should! Pennsylvania's Congressmen and Senators took a page right out of history. The same tactics were used to pass the Federal Reserve Act on December 23, 1913 in the middle of the night with no debate.
Yet the pay raise bill increased Pennsylvania legislators' base salary to $81,050, the second highest in the nation!(3)
Of 253 total seats in the General Assembly, 228 will be up for grabs in 2006.(5)
These Pennsylvania lawmakers and judges knew there would be public outrage; that is why they attached the pay raise as an amendment to a bill fifteen minutes before the bill came to the House floor with no notice given or debate allowed. They play us for suckers taking our hard earned dollars and spending our money as they wish to glorify their ego for their next re-election bid. Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
What's this rumor I am hearing? They are having some second thoughts? Oh my! Politicians developing a conscience!
From the Seattle Post-Intelligencer we read:
Don't bet for one moment that Pennsylvania Senators have suddenly developed a conscience. There is always more here than meets the eye.
Notice that Gov. Rendell has used plausible denial (has not yet seen the bill) by his press secretary, so that he can hold his finger to the political winds before he decides to support the pay raise repeal. Just maybe the opposition is not as powerfull as the public opinion polls suggest. Just maybe, in the meantime, his staffers can find a way to justify this outrageous abuse of power and make it seem palatable.
As for me and my house we will not give them a second chance. We will not forget! They have had many opportunities to serve our best interests and yet in the dead of night they abused that privilege, the public trust, by raping the honest taxpayers of this commonwealth. I'll say it again; power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
There is an old saying about politicians during elections. When in doubt, vote them out; and let them learn how the honest taxpayer makes a living.
Steve
This article may be reproduced WITHOUT CHANGE and in its entirety for non-commercial and non-political purposes.ourfutureworld.blogspot.com
End Notes
(1) Op-Ed by Russ Diamond, Operation Clean Sweep: The Only Real Solution.
(http://www.pacleansweep.com/oped080705.html)
(2)Ibid.
(3)Marc Levy, Pa. Senate approves repeal of pay raise, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, November 2, 2005(http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1110AP_Pay_Raise.html)
(4)(Ibid.)
(5)Op-Ed by Russ Diamond, Operation Clean Sweep: The Only Real Solution.
.
On July 7, Pennsylvania's General Assembly increased its own pay by a whopping 16 to 34 percent. This action was taken in the middle of the night, in the form of an amendment attached fifteen minutes before the bill came to the House floor, with no public notice or debate.(1)
Sound familiar? It should! Pennsylvania's Congressmen and Senators took a page right out of history. The same tactics were used to pass the Federal Reserve Act on December 23, 1913 in the middle of the night with no debate.
For some legislators, the raise itself exceeds $32,000, more than many Pennsylvanians earn in an entire year. This despite the fact that our Commonwealth regularly ranks near the bottom of the heap for economic progress when compared with other states.(2)
Yet the pay raise bill increased Pennsylvania legislators' base salary to $81,050, the second highest in the nation!(3)
The legislative raises do not take effect until December 2006, but a majority of the 253 lawmakers began collecting the extra money right away through a controversial mechanism called "unvouchered expenses."(4)
Of 253 total seats in the General Assembly, 228 will be up for grabs in 2006.(5)
These Pennsylvania lawmakers and judges knew there would be public outrage; that is why they attached the pay raise as an amendment to a bill fifteen minutes before the bill came to the House floor with no notice given or debate allowed. They play us for suckers taking our hard earned dollars and spending our money as they wish to glorify their ego for their next re-election bid. Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
What's this rumor I am hearing? They are having some second thoughts? Oh my! Politicians developing a conscience!
From the Seattle Post-Intelligencer we read:
HARRISBURG, Pa. -- Responding to months of public uproar, the Pennsylvania Senate on Wednesday unanimously voted to repeal a July law that gave big pay raises to lawmakers, judges and senior executive branch officials.
The repeal's sponsor, Democratic Sen. Sean Logan, said the action would "restore some integrity" that lawmakers lost in passing the bill in the middle of the night without debate or public notice.
The law enabled lawmakers to immediately collect raises of 16 percent to 54 percent if they chose, despite a constitutional ban on midterm raises.(Italics mine, Steve).
There was no immediate word on what action the House might take on the repeal bill.
Gov. Ed Rendell's press secretary, Kate Philips, said the governor had not yet seen the bill or decided whether to support it.
Don't bet for one moment that Pennsylvania Senators have suddenly developed a conscience. There is always more here than meets the eye.
Notice that Gov. Rendell has used plausible denial (has not yet seen the bill) by his press secretary, so that he can hold his finger to the political winds before he decides to support the pay raise repeal. Just maybe the opposition is not as powerfull as the public opinion polls suggest. Just maybe, in the meantime, his staffers can find a way to justify this outrageous abuse of power and make it seem palatable.
As for me and my house we will not give them a second chance. We will not forget! They have had many opportunities to serve our best interests and yet in the dead of night they abused that privilege, the public trust, by raping the honest taxpayers of this commonwealth. I'll say it again; power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
There is an old saying about politicians during elections. When in doubt, vote them out; and let them learn how the honest taxpayer makes a living.
Steve
This article may be reproduced WITHOUT CHANGE and in its entirety for non-commercial and non-political purposes.ourfutureworld.blogspot.com
(1) Op-Ed by Russ Diamond, Operation Clean Sweep: The Only Real Solution.
(http://www.pacleansweep.com/oped080705.html)
(2)Ibid.
(3)Marc Levy, Pa. Senate approves repeal of pay raise, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, November 2, 2005(http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1110AP_Pay_Raise.html)
(4)(Ibid.)
(5)Op-Ed by Russ Diamond, Operation Clean Sweep: The Only Real Solution.
Comments:
Post a Comment
