'Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus -- if you're in the Pennsylvania state Legislature'

Citizen activist Bill McIntyre quoted in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in a story about efforts to repeal the annual COLA pay raise for Pennsylvania lawmakers:

"This Capitol is one of the most expensive places in Pennsylvania," Mr. McIntyre complained. "It really gets my ire up. Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus -- if you're in the Pennsylvania state Legislature."

Reporter Tom Barnes says McIntyre has joined a small group of fellow fed-up Pennsylvania taxpayers (Gene Stilp of Taxpayers and Ratepayers United, Dick Schirato of Pennsylvania Citizens for Legislator Accountability and Dennis Baylor of the Pennsylvania Accountability Project) to support a bill by state Rep. Barbara McIlvaine Smith, D-Chester County, to repeal the annual pay raise.

Since 1995, Pennsylvania legislators, the governor and his cabinet, and judges have received an annual pay raise on Dec. 1.

With so many Pennsylvania residents losing their jobs and homeowners struggling to pay their property taxes, it's unseemly for some of the highest paid "public servants" in the country to receive automatic pay raises every year.

From Barnes' story:

Ms. McIlvaine Smith, who will start her second term in January, unveiled her anti-COLA bill last week. It's inappropriate for officeholders and others to take raises, she said, because the state faces a 2008-09 revenue shortfall that could reach $2 billion.

"Our constituents are losing their jobs and everyone is struggling to pay their bills," she said. "Thousands will not see their salaries or wages increased in the coming year, so why should we?"

The 2.8 percent salary increase for legislators will hike rank-and-file pay to $78,315, with top leaders as high as $122,000.

Read more about the effort to repeal the COLA program at the newspaper's Web site.