Wouldn't you just love to walk into your boss' office and tell him that you are giving yourself a raise? And that if he doesn't like it, too freakin' bad. Well, welcome to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, where, at 2:00 a.m., lawmakers - who supposedly work for us - remembered to vote themselves a salary bump of up to 34%. A minimum of $11,400 each. Over $16 million total.
Your tax dollars at work. Pennsylvania now has the highest-maintenance 253 legislators in the country. If you don't remember anyone asking you if the raise is OK, the ol' memory isn't failing. No one did, boss.
The raise technically doesn't go into effect until Dec. 1, 2006. But our esteemed public servants remember how to be clever. Make that devious. Many are slithering through a loophole that allows them to collect the raise now, disguised as "unvouchered expenses".
Since the bosses apparently have no swag here, one would hope that the courts would remember the constitution and put an end to this arrogant practice. But the pay raise also goes to more than 1000 state judges. In fact, State Supreme Court Chief Justice Ralph J. Cappy already branded criticism as "knee-jerk". Cappy's salary increased from $154,448 to $176,800.
Fortunately, there are some Men of Honor in government. Local pols Rob Wonderling and Paul Clymer are among those who reject the expense loophole. Even Governor Rendell is now opposing the piracy he himself signed. As for those who take the money and run, we will certainly remember at election time.
Were you outraged by the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision allowing governments to take private property through eminent domain and just give it to another private party? The idea sounds so unAmerican, but at the same time so necessary.
The court ruled that the economically depressed city of New London, Connecticut, had the right to condemn the homes of fifteen residents, and hand them over to a developer, to make way for a huge revitalization project. It is all justified by the increased jobs and taxes that will result.
Fortunately, Pennsylvania's leaders took time out from lining their pockets and actually remembered their constituents. Two bills are awaiting action in Harrisburg that would bar, or limit, governments from taking property from one owner and giving it to another.
Massive use of eminent domain is a two-edged sword. On the one hand, homeowners need to be assured that they can invest in their houses, and form bonds with their neighbors, without fear of having everything bulldozed for a politically-connected developer to get rich building an office tower or shopping mall.
But, on the other hand, cities should not have to watch themselves helplessly decay, only able to begin the rebuilding process when no one cares to remain. One of the Pennsylvania proposals would at least allow the homeowners to share in the bonanza, paying them what the property is worth to the new developer rather than what it's worth now.
If memory serves me correctly, we are involved in this seemingly endless war in Iraq because 1) Saddam had weapons of mass destruction which threatened other countries; 2) Saddam was a dictator of the worst order who quashed all freedom in his country; 3) America has been the nation of choice to bring democracy to the world.
We know now that there was nothing behind door number one. Number two is a mixed bag, given that almost 2000 of our soldiers have been killed by Iraqis, and their sympathizers, who aren't all that thrilled with the new freedoms. But number three - that was always a given. What nation, allowed the choice, would opt for anything but democracy?
If you said Iraq, you have just won a beautiful, hand-scribed copy of the Quran. You are going to need it if you want to keep up with that country's politics. No separation of church and state for the citizens we are dying to protect. The draft of Iraq's new constitution states "Islam is the official religion of the state and is the main source of legislation. No law that contradicts with its rules can be promulgated".
Short of Saddam's return to power, this is our worst nightmare. American politicians, particularly one named Bush, had hoped Iraq would become the shining beacon of western democracy in an Arab sea of clerics, sheiks, and Ayatollahs. Looks like our intelligence of their politics was no better than our intelligence of their weapons.
Peter Charles Archibald Ewart Jennings never graduated from high school. But he was a fixture in many American living rooms, and in many American minds, for four decades. As the standard-bearer for ABC News, Jennings informed us, educated us, and helped shape public opinion. Sixteen Emmys and every possible award for television journalism. He was honest, tough, and authoritative. We believed him religiously because we trusted him.
Perhaps you didn't remember that Peter Jennings was Canadian. Obviously, it didn't matter. The man's credibility had nothing to do with his home. He never lived in Iraq, or Vietnam, or behind the Iron Curtain, or in the American south during the civil rights era. Most journalists did not. But we still believed the man when he reported the news each night from those places.
Just a little something to remember when you hear Quakertown borough council president Ray Fulmer whine that writers who don't live in Quakertown aren't qualified to comment on council's shenanigans.
P.S. Remember the court hearing that Richland supervisor Mike Zowniriw denied would happen? For his failure to comply with his agreement to allow his neighbors access to their own well? It's set for September 6 at 9:30. We will remember.