Pay raise fallout: Revolutions can't be won overnight

After a 2½-month vacation, the Pennsylvania legislature is back in session. Hold on to your wallets and purses.

Both chambers of the House of Lords reconvened Monday for the first time since the Great Pay Grab of 2005. The contrast between what was happening inside the golden dome of the Capitol building and the steps outside couldn’t have been any wider.

Inside, the political aristocracy went about business as usual, wasting the people’s money, pocketing some of it and stroking their egos. Outside, about 2,000 Pennsylvanians — young and old, Democrats, Republicans and independents — braved the rain to rally against the pay raise, shouting "Repeal, Repay or Resign!"

The number of people who showed up for the rally is not important. The fact that every newspaper in the state carried a story about the rally on its front page the next day is a victory for taxpayers. The fact that television stations — who have ignored the biggest story in the state for 2½ months — finally carried news of the protest is a victory for taxpayers.

Revolutions begin with small skirmishes. The American Revolution was considered an isolated uprising in New England before it spread to all 13 colonies. And we all know how the Revolutionary War ended. While we’re on the subject, I just finished reading David McCullough’s outstanding book, "1776," about the first year of America’s battle for independence. It’s a fascinating account of the first days of what would end up being a seven-year struggle to overcome British oppression.

Those participating in the people’s revolution of 2005 in Pennsylvania can take heart in reading McCullough’s book. The early days of a revolution are often the most difficult.

The year 1776 was the "low point of our fortunes, not just in war, but in the whole history of the country. The prospects of there even being a United States were never more bleak," McCullough said in an interview. The Continental Army, disorganized and ill equipped, suffered a string of military defeats throughout 1776. There was little hope of breaking the tyranny of the British.

But the revolution survived its first year. Thanks to the courage and fortitude of George Washington and others, the cause of liberty was kept alive. So take heart, Pennsylvanians. The struggle to regain independence from the tyranny of the Harrisburg aristocracy and re-establish Democracy in Pennsylvania is an uphill climb, but victory can be won.

There are many Pennsylvania taxpayers feeling a sense of disillusionment today. I’m sure some thought that the House of Lords would repeal the pay raise before breaking for lunch on Sept. 26. Anyone familiar with the type of people who populate the halls of the state Capitol knows better. Pennsylvania lawmakers are professional lawbreakers. They hold Ph.D’s in pilfering. Most of them have decades of practice in picking the pockets of taxpayers. And they’ve gotten away with it time and time again.

The people’s revolution to retake their state government will not be won in a few months. It’s going to take years. We need candidates — honest, civic-minded Pennsylvanians — to run against the professional politicians in the May 2006 primary.

Do we have the fortitude to fight the war? The politicians are prepared to wait us out. They’ve fattened their bank accounts with our money. They are prepared for siege warfare. They can wait in their golden palace until we grow weary and retreat. If we do, tyranny triumphs. They will continue to rob us, our children and grandchildren blind. They will continue to live a life of luxury while the rest of us struggle to feed and clothe our families in one of the most heavily taxed states in the country.

So what’s next? First, continue to flood your state senator and representative with phone calls, e-mails and letters. Demand that they support bills to repeal the pay raise and eliminate the practice of unvouchered expenses. The special legislative session on tax reform called by Gov. Ed Rendell is a diversion to take our attention away from the pay grab. Don’t fall for it.

Legislators have been told for 30 years that Pennsylvania taxpayers need relief. They’ve ignored our pleas for decades. Do you think they’re going to come up with tax relief in the next 30 days? Keep hammering away at the pay-jackers. Confront them daily. Remind them that you are a witness to their crimes. Remind them that they work for you. Remind them that you pay their enormous salary. Remind them that you hold a powerful weapon — a vote they will never get unless they start looking out for you instead of their own selfish interests.

While Rendell and the larcenous legislators won’t face the voters until 2006, two names will be on the ballot in just six weeks. Russell Nigro and Sandra Schultz Newman are seeking retention for another 10 years on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. You can send a clear message to Rendell and the other Harrisburg Hogs that taxpayers will not stand for the pay grab by voting Nigro and Newman out on Nov. 8.

The legislature has repeatedly violated the Constitution because it knows state judges allow them to do so. And don’t forget the pay-jackers shared their ill-gotten gain with judges by giving them pay raises on July 7. Pennsylvania now has the highest paid state Supreme Court justices in the country to go along with the most expensive state legislature in the nation.

By voting "no" to keep Nigro and Newman in office and voting "no" again in November 2006 when two other Supreme Court justices will be on the ballot, you have an opportunity to change the majority of the state Supreme Court within the space of one year. That would be a huge victory for the people’s revolution of 2005.

E-mail Tony Phyrillas at tphyrillas@pottsmerc.com