Interesting. Not what I'd expect in a non election year.

Nah, we don't much care. Suckers.

No raise for over dosing.

wow all mine gave the money back

gReat!

Considering that we re-elected most of the Senators who voted for the bailout and even crowned one of them President, I don't think anyone really cares.

Ayn Rand would strongly disapprove. Egoism demands that people act in their own self interest, and not out of altruism. Anyone who would refuse a raise is clearly not rational.

LocalCynic: Ayn Rand would strongly disapprove.

Well, there's one reason for doing it right there.

LocalCynic: Ayn Rand would strongly disapprove. Egoism demands that people act in their own self interest, and not out of altruism. Anyone who would refuse a raise is clearly not rational.

Whenever I have to make a major life decisions, I always think of what dear old Ayn would do. Then I do the exact opposite.

I see my senator is listed (Pat Browne), but my representative in the House (Gary Day) hasn't gotten around to sending the money back. I'm not terribly surprised that the Republicans outnumber the Democrats, given how the Republican electorate tossed out a number of the bums who tried this a few years ago.

Fark yeah.

Anyone dedicated enough to give the party totals?

// because EVERYTHING's about party

LocalCynic: Ayn Rand would strongly disapprove. Egoism demands that people act in their own self interest, and not out of altruism. Anyone who would refuse a raise is clearly not rational.

People deserving of a cock punch:

1) Ayn Rand

LocalCynic: Ayn Rand would strongly disapprove. Egoism demands that people act in their own self interest, and not out of altruism. Anyone who would refuse a raise is clearly not rational.

I've never read Rand, but I'm going to go ahead and assume that she didn't limit "rational self interest" to only money. These people are giving up money for good will from their constituents, which they obviously seem to think is a good trade.

How many raises have they gotten over the years for accomplishing jack squat? So they returned one out of dozens.

Big.
Farking.
Deal.

Well, my State Senator did but my House representative did not. 50/50 isn't too bad.

/Fark Rendell.

I'll bet he does.

My wife's grandmother was the first black alderwoman in her area. She got elected and maintained her position by working tenaciously for the people in her district.

Now aldermen don't get paid a ton, maybe $100 per meeting. For most of the other aldermen, that sum was peanuts. They had day jobs, they were doctors or lawyers, and didn't really need the money. So, when they voted to reduce the payment from $100 to $30 per meeting, most of them went along with it. Not grandma. She needed that money, she worked hard on it and relied on it, and she spoke up and said so. And the local paper wrote editorials and printed a cartoon with her holding a big bag of money and refusing to let go.

I haven't read this article, I don't know the situation. But I don't automatically assume that the politicians fighting for pay raises are the most corrupt or aren't the ones fighting hardest for all of their constituents.

Rep. Deborah Kula, D-Fayette

Glad to see she's on the list, this woman literally changed my life when she was a local magistrate. I was running with a pretty rough crowd in high school and got caught stealing from another magistrate from across town. When I had to go before her she laid it down to me that I was going down the wrong path. She said that she was going to be lenient with me this one time and that I should realize the chance that I was given, because she could have been much, much harsher. Sixteen year old me, amazingly, listened and I'm a much better person for it.

As for the old crowd? Most are in jail, on some sort of substance, or in a menial job living hand to mouth. I'm applying to law school.

Moral of the story?
Sometimes a slap on the wrist and a stern lecture is enough to set someone straight.

Wish they'd do that in Rhode Island.

I'd respect them more if they were doing this because it is the right thing to do, and not because they want to earn brownie points, but it's certainly better than nothing.

Dr Dreidel
Anyone dedicated enough to give the party totals?

As if the knee-jerk defenders of those who kept their raises didn't reveal the truth:

16 R Senate
6 D Senate

29 R House
33 D House

/thanks to members of both Parties who knew it would be wrong to keep their raises in a turbulent economy

//now, if we can get it through the cementheads in Washington, D.C. to follow suit...

it's a political move ..... it has nothing to do with morals, and everything to do with pr

/but keep re-electing the same crooks
//tards

bacccc: it's a political move ..... it has nothing to do with morals, and everything to do with pr

Then why wouldn't everyone be doing it?

I figured the only reason they did this is because all the Wachovia branches in PA closed, and there was nowhere to put a deposit.

Crude: now, if we can get it through the cementheads in Washington, D.C. to follow suit...

Google "Obama pay freeze". Not the same, but probably will save more cash than the returned bonuses. I dunno about percentages (and this is the executive branch, not the legislative), but it seems like at least one cement-head realizes that there are symbolic gestures that both save money and engender goodwill.

illegal.tender: People deserving of a cock punch:
1) Ayn Rand


LOL WUT?

LocalCynic: Ayn Rand would strongly disapprove. Egoism demands that people act in their own self interest, and not out of altruism. Anyone who would refuse a raise is clearly not rational.

Yea, except in this case making a big scene out of giving back a 3% raise gets them more publicity than they could buy for the same amount of money.

soy_bomb: illegal.tender: People deserving of a cock punch:
1) Ayn Rand


LOL WUT?

What, you think there is actually a VAGINA in there? Hell no! Ayn Rand was the Ann Coulter of the WW2 crowd.

IXI Jim IXI : bacccc: it's a political move ..... it has nothing to do with morals, and everything to do with pr

Then why wouldn't everyone be doing it?

Some seats are much, much safer than others. In those instances, you don't need any kind of PR when your re-election is nothing more than a mere formality.

Dr Dreidel
Crude: now, if we can get it through the cementheads in Washington, D.C. to follow suit...

Google "Obama pay freeze". Not the same, but probably will save more cash than the returned bonuses. I dunno about percentages (and this is the executive branch, not the legislative), but it seems like at least one cement-head realizes that there are symbolic gestures that both save money and engender goodwill.

Oh, I'm fully aware of the pay-raise freeze that President Obama has enacted, and I applaud him for doing so.

I was referring to the Congressional Cement-heads who "work" about 100 days a year. Mostly to the detriment of the American people.

Tallgordon: I haven't read this article, I don't know the situation. But I don't automatically assume that the politicians fighting for pay raises are the most corrupt or aren't the ones fighting hardest for all of their constituents.

Maybe I'm just cynical, but I think your wife's grandmother was the exception to the rule re: corrupt politicians. PA's state government officials have already proven they care more about lining their own pockets than helping constituents (see: the midnight pay raise of 2005.) The 2005 pay raise (which even included a special provision for covering "unvouchered expenses") was later repealed due to public outcry - but four years later, there is still an investigation going on as to how all this money was used (one guy allegedly used it to give his mistress a salary.)

Like I said, maybe I'm just cynical, but I think it's stupid for taxpayers NOT to be suspicious of any requests for extra handouts at this point.

Abner Doon: LocalCynic: Ayn Rand would strongly disapprove. Egoism demands that people act in their own self interest, and not out of altruism. Anyone who would refuse a raise is clearly not rational.

I've never read Rand, but I'm going to go ahead and assume that she didn't limit "rational self interest" to only money. These people are giving up money for good will from their constituents, which they obviously seem to think is a good trade.

I believe they call that "enlightened self interest," I don't believe rational self interest has the same connotations. Enlightenment infers that you understand that we're all in this together, and that your actions have consequences beyond the immediate rewards and/or penalties.

/never read rand

kregh99: How many raises have they gotten over the years for accomplishing jack squat? So they returned one out of dozens.

Big.
Farking.
Deal.

is it fun to insist upon being negative about everything?

I see that Tim "Jesus Christ" Mahoney hasn't gotten around to turning his share of the pirate's booty in yet.

/must be busy kissing the ass of the local media again

One third gave it back?

That means two thirds didn't.

Both the subby and the author of the article are obviously in the tank for the PA state legislature.

My cynical side thinks they ones who gave it back are the ones who feel they're potentially vulnerable in the next election.

LocalCynic: Ayn Rand would strongly disapprove. Egoism demands that people act in their own self interest, and not out of altruism. Anyone who would refuse a raise is clearly not rational.

I'm sure a lot of weak-minded fools will care.

Insanity is voting for the same political arseholes over and over again and expecting different results.

The voters of PA, and of this country, are, by and large, morons.

This won't matter in the slightest (remember what happened to the judges? Didn't think so.) because the electorate is so stinking uninformed/apathetic.

We'll keep voting for the same people and we'll continue to get screwed and we'll wonder how we let it happen.

/votes against all incumbents purely on principal. Serve your term, GTFO, and let some other political arsehole screw us over. Change we can believe in.

And why the fork do we have so many stinking state legislators, anyway? We have fewer people than California, but more legislators than they do.

How about we cut a few of these positions and save even more money?