Reform Candidate Tells the Residents of Pennsylvania’s
29th Senate District
– Don’t Be Fooled!
(Tilden Township, PA) – Today, citizen activist Dennis Baylor announced that he will tour the 29th district dressed as WAM-MY, (an oversize cardboard check, on roller-skates), to urge Pennsylvania’s taxpayers not to be fooled by the costliest legislature in the nation’s claims that there is a less agonizing way to fund their reckless spending. Mr. Baylor said “Harrisburg has got to wake up to the fact that the ‘gilded-age’ of state government is long past, and has got to quit trying to hoodwink the public into believing that there is some less painful way to pay for the most extravagant state government in America.”
WAM-MY’s tour will begin at 8:00 am outside the Pocono Record, 511 Lenox St., Stroudsburg, and proceed as follows:
9:15 am Rep. Argall ‘s District office, West Broad Street Tamaqua
10:00 am Senator Jim Rhoades’ 1 West Centre Street Mahanoy City
11:00 am Pottsville, at the corner of Routes 209 and 61
12:00 noon 61 North 3rd Street Hamburg
2:30 pm 5th and Penn Streets Reading
Note: All times are approximate, and the event is subject to cancellation should the weather be unsuitable.
DON’T BE
FOOLED!
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In a nutshell, our constitution provides that the members of the general assembly receive a base salary and mileage as provided by statute. However, members also receive, as compensation for their services, a vehicle allowance, or fleet automobile, gas, per diems for days in Harrisburg, pension, health benefits, other insurance coverages, meals and other forms of compensation. Certain members who hold leadership positions receive additional amounts in salary. Our constitution does not provide for any of the additional perks.
The general assembly also retains unspent money from one year to the next, which over time accumulated to over $135 million dollars to which the leaders have exclusive access to. At the end of last year it was reported that the House Democrats alone had paid out roughly $1.9 million dollars in bonuses, which are under investigation by a grand jury for the alleged connection to campaign work.
This has been widely reported on. A sampling includes the comment “The legislators’ perks, postage, pensions, pay raises and perpetual cost-of-living increases mock the law they solemnly swore to obey and defend.” Editorial, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, July 13, 2006. As reported by Tony Phyrillas, per diems cost taxpayers $2.7 million a year. WEBCommentary, April 28, 2006. Some Members collected over $46,000 in per diems in a two-year period. Id. This is in addition to the base salary of $72, 187. Id.
Consider former Senator Brightbill, who as the majority leader collected a salary of $104, 590. Bumsted, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, April 30, 2006. This was not enough, even though he only lived 26 miles from the Capitol, he collected another $18,000 in per diems over a two-year period. Id. Add to that the unreturned unconstitutional unvouchered expenses he took, and you can see how his pension calculation was greatly inflated.
It was reported taxpayers pay an average of $8,711 for each member’s health insurance. Bumsted, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, January 4, 2006. Taxpayers also pay another $2,927 for each member’s prescription coverage. Id. Counsel for Senate Republicans admitted these perks are not provided by statute. Id. Instead they are taken as part of the 21st century concept of salary. Id. The cars are a modern day version of mileage. Id.
. . . . . So when your legislator tells you that they know a less painful way to meet your tax burden, tell them to “cut the fat first!”
