{"id":406972,"date":"2010-03-09T08:33:44","date_gmt":"2010-03-09T13:33:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/papundits.wordpress.com\/?p=32316"},"modified":"2010-03-09T08:33:44","modified_gmt":"2010-03-09T13:33:44","slug":"referendum-judges%e2%80%99-budget-indefensible","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/406972","title":{"rendered":"Referendum, Judges\u2019 Budget, Indefensible"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>By <strong>Tim Potts<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:center;\"><strong>More Support for the Referendum<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>More (Pennsylvania) lawmakers  and candidates have signed the petition for a referendum this fall,  joining the 72% of voters who support a Constitution convention. The  lawmakers (still no state senators) are:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Rep. <strong>Scott  Conklin<\/strong>, D-Centre, who also is a candidate for lieutenant governor.<\/li>\n<li>Rep.  <strong>Mario Scavello<\/strong>, R-Monroe.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The candidates are:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Michael  Slipp<\/strong>, Bristol Township, who is among four Democrats seeking the  seat being vacated by retiring Rep. <strong>Tony Melio<\/strong>, D-Bucks.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Mark  Stevens<\/strong> is running to replace Rep. <strong>Barbara McIlvaine-Smith<\/strong>,  the first lawmaker to sign the petition.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Fred Baldwin<\/strong> is  the sole Democrat running to replace Rep. <strong>Will Gabig<\/strong>,  R-Cumberland, who is not seeking re-election.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The highest  profile support for a convention (although not yet the petition) comes  from Auditor General and gubernatorial candidate <strong>Jack Wagner<\/strong>.  Appearing on Pittsburgh&#8217;s KD-PG television program yesterday morning,  Wagner said, <em>&#8220;I am fighting the status quo as a candidate for  Governor. I want to change the status quo&#8230;.After more than 40 years,  it is time for another constitutional convention in order to directly  involve the public in bringing these and other fundamental reforms to  state government.&#8221;<\/em> <span style=\"text-decoration:underline;\"> <a href=\"http:\/\/democracyrisingpa.com\/go.cfm?t=73511&amp;d=JSU5MDU3TSwgCg==\" >Click here<\/a> <\/span> for the full interview. KD-PG is a joint production of KDKA-TV and  the Pittsburgh <span style=\"text-decoration:underline;\">Post-Gazette<\/span>.\u00a0\u00a0 &#8230;\u00a0\u00a0 <span id=\"more-32316\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:center;\"><strong>Judges Suffer from Pay  Raise Excess<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>There is good news and bad news about the  budget for the judiciary. The good news is that the Supreme Court is  talking openly about its budget problems. The bad news is that the  justices apparently don&#8217;t recognize this as a problem partly of their  own creation.<\/p>\n<p>In 2006, the judges ruled that the Pay Raise of  2005 was unconstitutional &#8211; except for themselves. Now they lament a  $20 million budget shortfall that arises entirely from the higher  salaries they decided to pay themselves.<\/p>\n<p>The raise of about  $15,000 per judge is going to 1,058 judges. That&#8217;s $15,870,000. Since  they have all received the higher amount for four years, compounded by  annual COLAs (except last year)&#8230;well, you get the picture.<br \/>\nIn a  pithy editorial, the <span style=\"text-decoration:underline;\">Altoona Mirror<\/span> takes justices to task for  seeking more money without being willing to cut costs. One idea that  Justice <strong>Max Baer<\/strong> rejected in budget hearings was for judges to  pay 1% of their health care costs. Senators and staff currently pay 1%  while Representatives, like the judges, pay nothing toward their  top-of-the-line health care benefits.<\/p>\n<p>As the <span style=\"text-decoration:underline;\">Mirror<\/span> points out, there are many people making far less money than judges who  pay far more for health care that isn&#8217;t nearly as good. <span style=\"text-decoration:underline;\"> <a href=\"http:\/\/democracyrisingpa.com\/go.cfm?t=73512&amp;d=JSU5MDU3TSwgCg==\" >Click here<\/a> <\/span> for the editorial.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration:underline;\">Reality Check:<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Years  since the Pay Raise of 2005: 4.5<\/li>\n<li>Number of laws enacted to  prevent another midnight pay grab: 0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align:center;\"><strong>Defending  the Indefensible<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The Bonus Scandal trial plods along, and  the strategy of defense attorneys reveals some startling notions.  Perhaps the most startling is the contention that campaigning at  taxpayer expense is really just another form of legislative business.  Attorney <strong>Dan Raynak<\/strong> suggested that since lawmakers&#8217; job is to  vote on legislation, and since they can&#8217;t vote on legislation without  being elected, it&#8217;s OK to use tax-funded staff, equipment and services  for their political campaigns.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration:underline;\"> <a href=\"http:\/\/democracyrisingpa.com\/go.cfm?t=73513&amp;d=JSU5MDU3TSwgCg==\" >Click here<\/a> <\/span> for a column by the Pittsburgh <span style=\"text-decoration:underline;\">Post-Gazette&#8217;s<\/span><strong> Ruth Ann  Dailey<\/strong> expressing appropriate outrage.<\/p>\n<p>As an incumbent  protection strategy, this one is hard to beat. Once elected to office,  incumbents could use the unlimited resources (in their minds) of  taxpayers to stay in office. No one but the super-rich could hope to  compete with people who already have a surplus of at least $180 million  at their disposal while they debate what programs to cut that serve  ordinary citizens.<\/p>\n<p>But that&#8217;s not all. Once you use the  &#8220;anything-I-do-is-public-business&#8221; defense, it&#8217;s hard to imagine  what&#8217;s out of bounds. With this defense, Watergate isn&#8217;t even a  third-rate burglary. It&#8217;s just another way of staying in power to do the  people&#8217;s business. How about hacking your opponent&#8217;s computers? How  about filing fraudulent nominating petitions?<\/p>\n<p>Better yet, how  about obeying the law and keeping campaigning separate from governance?<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration:underline;\">Reality  Check:<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Years since the Bonus Scandal investigation  began: 3<\/li>\n<li>Number of laws passed to prevent future scandals: 0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align:center;\"><strong>A  New Reality<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>We don&#8217;t have to settle for whatever  government lawmakers, judges and governors want to give us.<\/p>\n<p>1.  <span style=\"text-decoration:underline;\"> <a href=\"http:\/\/democracyrisingpa.com\/go.cfm?t=73514&amp;d=JSU5MDU3TSwgCg==\" >Click here<\/a> <\/span> to sign the petition for a referendum on a Constitution convention.<br \/>\n2.  Forward this edition of <span style=\"text-decoration:underline;\">DR News<\/span> to others and ask them to sign  the petition.<br \/>\n3. <span style=\"text-decoration:underline;\"> <a href=\"http:\/\/democracyrisingpa.com\/go.cfm?t=73515&amp;d=JSU5MDU3TSwgCg==\" >Donate<\/a> <\/span> to keep the pressure on.<\/p>\n<p>A new reality is up to us,  because only we can keep democracy rising!<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:center;\"><em>Thanks!<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a rel=\"tag\" href=\"http:\/\/www.democracyrisingpa.com\/\" >Democracy Rising Pennsylvania<\/a> P.O. Box 618, Carlisle, PA 17013<\/p>\n<p>Filed under: <a href='http:\/\/papundits.wordpress.com\/category\/politics\/conniving-politicians\/'>Conniving Politicians<\/a>, <a href='http:\/\/papundits.wordpress.com\/category\/states\/pennsylvania\/pa-constitution\/'>PA Constitution<\/a>, <a href='http:\/\/papundits.wordpress.com\/category\/states\/pennsylvania\/pa-government\/'>PA Government<\/a>, <a href='http:\/\/papundits.wordpress.com\/category\/states\/pennsylvania\/pa-government\/pa-judicial-branch\/'>PA Judicial Branch<\/a>, <a href='http:\/\/papundits.wordpress.com\/category\/states\/pennsylvania\/pa-government\/pa-legislative-branch\/'>PA Legislative Branch<\/a>, <a href='http:\/\/papundits.wordpress.com\/category\/states\/pennsylvania\/'>Pennsylvania<\/a>, <a href='http:\/\/papundits.wordpress.com\/category\/politics\/political-prostitutes\/'>Political Prostitutes<\/a>, <a href='http:\/\/papundits.wordpress.com\/category\/politics\/'>Politics<\/a> Tagged: <a href='http:\/\/papundits.wordpress.com\/tag\/democracy-rising-pa\/'>Democracy Rising PA<\/a>, <a href='http:\/\/papundits.wordpress.com\/tag\/ed\/'>Ed<\/a>, <a href='http:\/\/papundits.wordpress.com\/tag\/tim-potts\/'>Tim Potts<\/a> <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/feeds.wordpress.com\/1.0\/gocomments\/papundits.wordpress.com\/32316\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/feeds.wordpress.com\/1.0\/comments\/papundits.wordpress.com\/32316\/\" \/><\/a> <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/feeds.wordpress.com\/1.0\/godelicious\/papundits.wordpress.com\/32316\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/feeds.wordpress.com\/1.0\/delicious\/papundits.wordpress.com\/32316\/\" \/><\/a> <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/feeds.wordpress.com\/1.0\/gostumble\/papundits.wordpress.com\/32316\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/feeds.wordpress.com\/1.0\/stumble\/papundits.wordpress.com\/32316\/\" \/><\/a> <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/feeds.wordpress.com\/1.0\/godigg\/papundits.wordpress.com\/32316\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/feeds.wordpress.com\/1.0\/digg\/papundits.wordpress.com\/32316\/\" \/><\/a> <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/feeds.wordpress.com\/1.0\/goreddit\/papundits.wordpress.com\/32316\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/feeds.wordpress.com\/1.0\/reddit\/papundits.wordpress.com\/32316\/\" \/><\/a> <img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/stats.wordpress.com\/b.gif?host=papundits.wordpress.com&#038;blog=174708&#038;post=32316&#038;subd=papundits&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1\" \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Tim Potts More Support for the Referendum More (Pennsylvania) lawmakers and candidates have signed the petition for a referendum this fall, joining the 72% of voters who support a Constitution convention. The lawmakers (still no state senators) are: Rep. Scott Conklin, D-Centre, who also is a candidate for lieutenant governor. Rep. Mario Scavello, R-Monroe. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4200,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-406972","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/406972","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4200"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=406972"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/406972\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=406972"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=406972"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=406972"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}