I have a notion to collect some of the funniest, weirdest, most ridiculous comments made by Pennsylvania legislators about the 16 percent pay raise they gave themselves this summer, and the clearly unconstitutional “unvouchered expenses” they plan to take until the pay raise kicks in Jan. 1, 2007.
I’m going to scour the Web and try to come up with comments from as many of the state’s 253 lawmakers as I can. If nothing else, it will be an exercise in trying to keep the issue in front of voters until May 2006, when we’ll have our first opportunities to start voting these bums out of office.
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and its Harrisburg reporter, Brad Bumsted, have done a good job writing about the pay raise and how it’s been funded.
I’m sure I’ll find more bizarre things, but here’s an amusing anecdote from the Trib:
“Rep. Will Gabig, R-Carlisle, who voted against the pay raise on July 7. He’s one of nine lawmakers who first agreed to take his raise immediately as unvouchered expenses on Aug. 1 and then rescinded that decision.
Legislative leaders came up with the notion of dubbing the extra money “unvouchered expenses” to enable lawmakers to take the raise right now, rather than wait until they are re-elected. The state constitution prohibits lawmakers from raising their salaries during their term of office.
Gabig said he checked with the House comptroller on what happens to the money he already collected if it is returned. He was informed the money goes into the surplus accounts controlled by leadership.
“I said to myself, these are the guys who were architects of this pay raise,” Gabig said.
When Gabig was asked whether he was turning back the money he already had taken as unvouchered expenses, he said, “Give it to who — John Perzel?” ”
Perzel, for those who don’t know, is a Philadelphia Republican who also is the state House Speaker. He controls a lot of the “mad money” that gets thrown around Harrisburg.