But the Delaware County Daily Times had no problem finding ways to save taxpayers some money. Start by cutting the size of the Pennsylvania Legislature, the most expensive in the nation.
From a recent editorial:
More than “looking at reducing the size of the Legislature,” cutting the number of lawmakers and their support staffs should be the first order of business.Read the full editorial, "Cutting size of Legislature a smart move," at the newspaper's Web site.
None of the following facts are news. Pennsylvania has 253 legislators — more than any of the largest states in the nation, including California and New York. The one state with more elected officials, New Hampshire, doesn’t really count since its 424 legislators earn $200 for a two-year term with no per diems.
Each of California’s 120 legislators earn more than Pennsylvania’s, but California’s salary total is still less than this state’s. On top of salary, our legislators’ benefits include per diem fees, health care, car rental, and, perhaps the most important perk about to hit Pennsylvania taxpayers in their pocketbooks — pensions.
Districts across Pennsylvania face massive increases in contributions to public school employees’ pension plans, starting this year.
In 2001, lawmakers wanted to hike their pensions by 50 percent. You read that correctly — 50 percent. In order to help that deal fly, legislators made a pact with school unions and boosted their employees’ pensions by 25 percent.
Now taxpayers are left holding the bag. Workers who lost jobs or pensions or watched employer-matched 401(k)s drop in half, Social Security recipients who will see no monetary increase for two years, employees still working but with pay cuts and health-care cost hikes — all will be responsible to refill the pension coffers of those already supported by taxpayer dollars.
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