Morning Call: Editorial about the bigger picture and real reform Legislature owes state real reform, not just distractions from their follies
In the waning days of the Roman Empire, the caesars placated the angry populace with circuses and bread. They diverted people's discontent with bloody spectacles at the Coliseum. None of it fixed any of the corruption that was consuming the republic from within.
There's a modern day group of little caesars who consider the state capitol their palace. And, it is a magnificent building, with a rotunda that is resplendent with classical architecture and gold leaf. Its denizens have been whiling away the days of summer hoping that angry Pennsylvanians will forget their greed. But Pennsylvania's plebeians aren't forgetting.
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Legislature owes state real reform, not just distractions from their follies
In the waning days of the Roman Empire, the caesars placated the angry populace with circuses and bread. They diverted people's discontent with bloody spectacles at the Coliseum. None of it fixed any of the corruption that was consuming the republic from within.
There's a modern day group of little caesars who consider the state capitol their palace. And, it is a magnificent building, with a rotunda that is resplendent with classical architecture and gold leaf. Its denizens have been whiling away the days of summer hoping that angry Pennsylvanians will forget their greed. But Pennsylvania's plebeians aren't forgetting.
While summer ends for most of us after the Labor Day weekend, the caesars don't return to work in Harrisburg until the last week of September. And they wonder why the public is upset about the 16 to 34 percent pay hikes (plus COLAs and perks) they gave themselves in the wee hours of July 7.
This has caused a problem for them. They want to make everyone forget about the pay grab before they run for re-election next year. So, there's now speculation that they'll try to enact popular legislation in the coming months to appease the public.
Like trying to fix Act 72's failed property tax relief.
Like raising the state minimum wage from $5.50 an hour to $7.15 an hour.
Like approving insurance benefits for National Guard troops serving in Iraq.
We think this would be an insulting and condescending approach, not unlike the original caesars' bread and circuses. It doesn't really address the reasons Pennsylvanians are upset. In fact, it actually perpetuates the flawed kind of thinking behind a pay raise that benefitted all branches of the state government, even the judicial, in a way intended to compromise any official condemnation. It's the mentality of the payoff — give everybody a little of the loot and nobody will complain. Except that the loot is the public's tax dollars.
Russ Diamond of Operation Clean Sweep, a grassroots effort aiming to defeat lawmakers who voted for the pay raise, observed, ''If they do something to make Pennsylvania a better place, that's great,'' but ''they wouldn't be doing this if they thought we had fallen asleep like they expect us to.''
It will be interesting to see if legislative leaders pick up on Gov. Rendell's cue that he would support a bill repealing the ''unvouchered expense'' checks that enable lawmakers to get their pay raise before they're re-elected. Or if lawmakers actually fix the slots law to eliminate provisions allowing them to have 1 percent interests in any slots-related business. Or if they propose meaningful lobbyist disclosure legislation — and pass it. Or if they make their expense records readily accessible and transparent. Or if ... you get the idea.
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