Posted on 06/26/2008 6:20:10 AM PDT by rrstar96
BATON ROUGE -- House Speaker Jim Tucker, one of the major proponents of raising lawmakers' base pay from $16,800 to $37,500 a year, was hit with a recall petition Wednesday, while three more House members quietly submitted statements declining the doubling of their salaries and at least two legislators urged Gov. Bobby Jindal to veto the measure that has outraged many voters.
Tucker, who cannot run for re-election to his House seat in 2011 because of term limits, is the fourth lawmaker this week targeted for removal from office by unhappy constituents.
Under the new law, Tucker's base legislative pay as speaker will go from $32,000 a year to $71,250, the same amount Senate President Joel Chaisson II, D-Destrehan, will get.
(Excerpt) Read more at nola.com ...
Pelican State ping
He should have seized the moment to pledge a veto right off the bat.
Now, he's tarnished any way he flops.
Dumb.
Leni
Well. There’s an argument to be made that paying a more reasonable amount of money will get you better legislators as some people who cannot afford to take the job otherwise would be able to run.
I would also like to see a requirement that no person be compensated by the state for more than ONE position.
I wish we had laws like these in NJ. It would cut down on the corruption.
Garde la Foi, mes amis! Nous nous sommes les sauveurs de la République! Maintenant et Toujours!
(Keep the Faith, my friends! We are the saviors of the Republic! Now and Forever!)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)
True. But such a large increase during a time when the state is in a finacial crisis looks a bit unseemly.
Politicians are the same the world over. Scum.
It all depends on how well he can spin his decision. Yes, either way he’s tarnished. But he can recover more easily from saying “I tried to do what I thought the people wanted (or something like that), but I should have known better.”
If he does that, he may recover. If he doesn’t, the bright hope will be a footnote in the history books.
Just my $0.02.
I’m not so sure. Jindal’s watching voters go after those who brought the issue to the legislature. This will give them the opportunity to make their case before the people, rather than just sneak it in. They may have a good case, but they need to explain that to the voters.
Some incumbents went down in primaries.
Democrat Governor Ed Rendell signed it, then said he shouldn't have and got re-elected easily.
Jindal has a hot potato on his hands. That kind of pay raise (over 100 percent) probably would have brought out the pitchforks here in Pennsylvania.
Republicans got most of the wrath here in PA (lost control of one house of the legislature) and that's something Bobby Jindal should be thinking about.
He shouldn't let himself be tricked into thinking this is a deal and everyone will stand united behind it. When the wrath of the people comes elected officials will be thrown over the side and the guilty will pretend they never supported the idea.
The rats will run and Jindal may get the fatal swat from the angry people.
I used to buy into that spiel, but have seen almost everyone one of them abuse their office. Very few are motivated to "Public Service" as a duty like in the past. Considering all the perks they voted for themselves and the connections they can make in office that will come in handy when they are finally booted out or retire, a pay raise is the last thing they need.
Take a look at their pension plans, medical coverage, etc., all funded by the taxpayer.
If they don't like the pay, let them get a real job.
For those who don’t know HELLER was AFFIRMED, 5 to 4, the individual right to keep and bears arms has been upheld. Even more so than Bush administration had hoped for. Sorry for the highjack, there is a thread that is covering it but had to scream it from the rooftops.
Does anyone have a state by state comparison of what legislators are paid. I’ve looked but have not found one in a table format that would be easy to post for comparison purposes.
From an article in the Morning Advocate a few weeks ago the following gives an example of their current base pay plus add ons.
.....
Currently, legislators receive a $16,800 annual base salary, a $6,000 expense allowance and a daily per diem payment of $143 for every day they are in session or in committee.
Totaled, legislators can make from more than $35,000 a year to more than $50,000 annually for what is officially a part-time job, not counting other perks.
.....
http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/18883809.html
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.