Legislature pay raise: It's only a million and a half a year

The California Legislature was recently given a pay raise by an independent commission. Before each of our 120 reps was getting $99,000 per year. In the future, they might get $110,880 per year. That works out to just $1.44 million, a mere drop in the bucket.

Now, as for that $70 million that Gov. Schwarzenegger wants to spend on a special election, that's real money, and it's right for the California Nurses Association to oppose that waste of money.

Continuing with the mockery:

In his speech before about 2,000 state business leaders, Schwarzenegger said he had been willing to consider the idea that legislators deserve a raise after seven years of no increases.

"So I sat down and started thinking about it," he said in a mocking voice, relating how former Gov. Pete Wilson, Davis' predecessor, left the state a surplus. "They have spent all of that money and they went and created a $22 billion debt. And They continue to spend more than we have. And they have chased businesses out of the state and jobs out of the state. They took the economy right down into the toilet and almost made the state go into bankruptcy.

"Yes, they deserve a raise! That's fair!" he said, drawing laughs from the crowd. "Under any normal circumstances, they would be fighting to keep their jobs, and keep their salaries."

California · Wed, 05/25/2005 - 11:20 · Importance: 1