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Pa. court splits its decision on raises (Lawmakers wrong but don't have to repay-BYE RENDELL!?)
Phila Inquirer ^

Posted on 09/15/2006 7:06:47 PM PDT by hipaatwo

HARRISBURG - In a decision that is renewing public anger, the state Supreme Court yesterday ruled that the legislature violated the state constitution by allowing lawmakers to take midterm pay raises last year.

But the court stopped short of requiring House and Senate members who accepted the extra money to reimburse the state, ruling that they "acted in good faith" that the law was constitutional.

Separately, the court reinstated the raises for 1,000 members of the state judiciary - including its own - that ended when the legislature repealed the pay hikes amid an outpouring of public outrage in November.

In effect, it was a split decision on one of the most contentious issues to hit Harrisburg in decades, one that already has claimed at the voting polls one Supreme Court justice and 17 legislators.

"It's vindication," said Gene Stilp, a Harrisburg activist who brought one of the pay-raise suits that was ruled on yesterday. "The legislature owes a joint resolution of apology for the way they acted and the way they stole the citizens' money."

The court found that the legislature wrongly used "unvouchered expense" accounts to pay its members the higher salary immediately as a way of sidestepping a constitutional ban on midterm raises.

In all, 158 House and Senate members took at least a portion of the pay raise. About 40 have not voluntarily returned the money.

(Excerpt) Read more at philly.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: Pennsylvania
KEYWORDS: elections; payraise; pennsylvania; rendell; swann
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1 posted on 09/15/2006 7:06:51 PM PDT by hipaatwo
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To: hipaatwo
They gave themselves an illegal pay raise! That's wrong! If the rest of us did that, we would go off straight to prison.

(No more Olmert! No more Kadima! No more Oslo! )

2 posted on 09/15/2006 7:09:04 PM PDT by goldstategop (In Memory Of A Dearly Beloved Friend Who Lives On In My Heart Forever)
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To: Mo1; Tribune7; smoothsailing; Doctor Raoul; Gondring; Sergeant Tim; rightwingintelligentsia

Ping a ling!


3 posted on 09/15/2006 7:09:51 PM PDT by hipaatwo (Vote for your life. Every vote for a Democrat is a vote against victory.)
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To: goldstategop

And Bob Casey Jr. signed the checks!


4 posted on 09/15/2006 7:10:29 PM PDT by hipaatwo (Vote for your life. Every vote for a Democrat is a vote against victory.)
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To: hipaatwo

When a judge calls himself MASTER - he is calling you his SLAVE

We are now back under the british monarchy system where the elite lawyers and judges rule by Fiat - aka oligarchy - and BOTH parties march merrily along ignoring it hoping they can be the Masters's house slaves and live in the mansions also.


5 posted on 09/15/2006 7:22:07 PM PDT by TimesDomain (www.timerealms.com)
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To: hipaatwo

We need to get rid of all these thieves. I hope the ones responsible will be drummed out of office, made to pay back the money they illegally stole and then sent to jail.


6 posted on 09/15/2006 7:30:13 PM PDT by freekitty
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To: hipaatwo
"But the court stopped short of requiring House and Senate members who accepted the extra money to reimburse the state, ruling that they "acted in good faith" that the law was constitutional."

Don't you just love the gones of poeple who feed at the public trough ?

7 posted on 09/15/2006 7:30:25 PM PDT by patriot_wes (Infant baptism - the foundation of an unbelieving and unsaved church.....)
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To: hipaatwo
And Bob Casey Jr. signed the checks!

I see a campaign commercial :0)

8 posted on 09/15/2006 7:30:40 PM PDT by Mo1 (Think about it .. A Speaker Nancy Pelosi could be 2 seats away from being President)
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To: hipaatwo

Yes, I think this will hurt Casey more than it will Rendell.


9 posted on 09/15/2006 7:40:33 PM PDT by the Real fifi
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To: freekitty

I believe that a message would be sent if the House would impeach one of these scumbags. Especially one of these judges that feels he/she should "reform" a repeat pedophile, instead of putting them away; permanently. Maybe then judges will check their opinions at the door.


10 posted on 09/15/2006 7:43:58 PM PDT by Bi-ped Carbon Unit ("...Hindsight alone is not wisdom, and second guessing is not a strategy." GWB)
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To: hipaatwo

Won't hurt Casey or Rendell at all - the legislature was Republican.


11 posted on 09/15/2006 7:48:24 PM PDT by oldbill
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To: Mo1

I hope so. You should read the comments on the Inkies page. People are mad!


12 posted on 09/15/2006 7:52:25 PM PDT by hipaatwo (Vote for your life. Every vote for a Democrat is a vote against victory.)
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To: oldbill

Won't hurt Casey or Rendell at all

Rendell should have vetoed it not signed it in the middle of the night.


13 posted on 09/15/2006 7:53:14 PM PDT by hipaatwo (Vote for your life. Every vote for a Democrat is a vote against victory.)
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To: hipaatwo

Of course the Dems are in control in PA


14 posted on 09/15/2006 7:55:41 PM PDT by Dustbunny (The BIBLE - Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth)
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To: Abram; albertp; AlexandriaDuke; Allosaurs_r_us; Americanwolf; Americanwolfsbrother; Annie03; ...
Libertarian ping.To be added or removed from my ping list freepmail me or post a message here
15 posted on 09/15/2006 7:56:29 PM PDT by freepatriot32 (Holding you head high & voting Libertarian is better then holding your nose and voting republican)
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To: oldbill

Lots of RINO's in PA


16 posted on 09/15/2006 7:57:09 PM PDT by Dustbunny (The BIBLE - Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth)
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To: the Real fifi
Rendell was the "godfather" of this whole payjacking scheme. He offered it to them on a silver platter and signed it in the dead of night, hot off the floor.

Casey is his sock puppet. It's hard for me to comprehend that anyone could be stupid enough to vote for such swine.

17 posted on 09/15/2006 7:58:07 PM PDT by Sisku Hanne (*Support DIANA IREY for US Congress!* Send "Cut-n-Run" Murtha packing: HIT THE ROAD, JACK!)
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To: oldbill

And Casey was the guy who should have opposed it as unconstitutional, but didn't act until after the legislature repealed it.


18 posted on 09/15/2006 8:00:41 PM PDT by CharlesWayneCT
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To: oldbill
Won't hurt Casey or Rendell at all - the legislature was Republican.

OUCH!!!
19 posted on 09/15/2006 8:05:52 PM PDT by no dems ("25 homicides a day committed by Illegals" Ted Poe (R-TX) Houston Hearings 8/16/06)
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To: Owl_Eagle; brityank; Physicist; WhyisaTexasgirlinPA; GOPJ; abner; baseballmom; Mo1; Ciexyz; ...

ping


20 posted on 09/15/2006 8:27:14 PM PDT by Tribune7
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