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EDITORIAL: Just 10 nays to pay raise among the 132-member Wisconsin Legislature(Wisconsin State Journal, The Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Feb. 7--In your face, Wisconsin. Nine out of 10 state lawmakers took a 5.3 percent pay hike last week. They're taking the extra cash just as the rest of state government braces for service and job cuts to fix a record $5.7 billion budget deficit. Thousands of state workers face possible layoffs. Tens of thousands of state employees will be lucky to receive any pay raise at all this year. But not Wisconsin lawmakers. Our fearless leaders -- fearless, apparently, of public outrage at their arrogance -- are mostly accepting higher full-time pay for what most of them acknowledge is a part-time job. According to the chief clerks of the Senate and Assembly, 122 of the state's 132 lawmakers started receiving a $2,530 annual raise in their monthly paychecks from taxpayers last week. That boosts each member's annual pay to $49,943. On top of that, each lawmaker receives an average of $11,500 in daily allowances for expenses each year. They also are reimbursed for mileage to and from the Capitol if they live outside Dane County. Even before the raise, Wisconsin was among the 10 states with the highest legislative pay. But our complaint is not with how much lawmakers are paid. It's with their lack of leadership during tough financial times. Let's give credit to the 10 lawmakers who showed leadership by returning their pay raise: --Sen. Alberta Darling, R-River Hills --Sen. Jon Erpenbach, D-Waunakee --Sen. Ted Kanavas, R-Brookfield --Sen. Dan Kapanke, R-La Crosse --Sen. Joe Leibham, R-Sheboygan --Sen. Dale Schultz, R-Richland Center --Rep. Steve Hilgenberg, D-Dodgeville --Rep. Dan Knodl, R-Germantown --Rep. Margaret Krusick, D-Milwaukee --Rep. Keith Ripp, R-Lodi The self-sacrifice of these 10 public servants will save the state money and, more significantly, reassure the public that we're all in this together. Well, all of us except for the 122 lawmakers who took the extra money. All of those lawmakers are listed below. Senate Majority Leader Russ Decker of Weston set the wrong tone early on by declaring he planned to take his raise. Assembly Speaker Mike Sheridan of Janesville eventually took his pay raise, too. The State Journal first called on the Legislature in September to return its pay raise scheduled to start last week. The 5.3 percent raise is for two years. So lawmakers can't get another hike until at least 2011. Yet even on an annual basis the raise is higher than what most people in Wisconsin are likely to receive this year -- assuming they keep their jobs. Some lawmakers say they'll give their pay raise to charity. But that won't help the state budget shortfall or offset any of the state's pending service cuts. If state leaders couldn't be persuaded to return their pay by now, it's unlikely they'll change their minds. But we'll be sure to remind readers of their decision when they ask others to sacrifice in the coming weeks and months. Voters also should remember who took the money on Election Day next year. Those who took the money: Sens. Timothy Carpenter, D-Milwaukee; Spencer Coggs, D-Milwaukee; Rob Cowles, R-Green Bay; Russ Decker, D-Weston; Michael Ellis, R-Neenah; Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau; Glenn Grothman, R-West Bend; Dave Hansen, D-Green Bay; Sheila Harsdorf, R-River Falls; Jim Holperin, D-Conover; Randy Hopper, R-Fond du Lac; Robert Jauch, D-Poplar; Neal Kedzie, R-Elkhorn; Pat Kreitlow, D-Chippewa Falls; Alan Lasee, R-De Pere; Julie Lassa, D-Stevens Point; Mary Lazich, R-New Berlin; John Lehman, D-Racine; Mark Miller, D-Monona; Luther Olsen, R-Ripon; Jeffrey Plale, D-South Milwaukee; Fred Risser, D-Madison; Judy Robson, D-Beloit; Jim Sullivan, D-Wauwatosa; Lena Taylor, D-Milwaukee; Kathleen Vinehout, D-Alma; Robert Wirch, D-Pleasant Prairie. Reps. Joan Ballweg, R-Markesan; Peter Barca, D-Kenosha; Chuck Benedict, D-Beloit; Terese Berceau, D-Madison; Penny Bernard Schaber, D-Appleton; Garey Bies, R, Sister Bay; Spencer Black, D-Madison; Ed Brooks, R-Reedsburg; Fred Clark, D-Baraboo; Pedro Colon, D-Milwaukee; David Cullen, D-Milwaukee; Chris Danou, D-Trempeleau; Brett Davis, R-Oregon; Kristen Dexter, D-Eau Claire; Jason Fields, D-Milwaukee; Jeff Fitzgerald, R-Horicon; Donald Friske, R-Merrill; Phil Garthwaite, D-Dickeyville; Mark Gottlieb, R-Port Washington; Tamara Grigsby, D-Milwaukee; Scott Gunderson, R-Waterford; Mark Gundrum, R-New Berlin; Gary Hebl, D-Sun Prairie; Gordon Hintz, D-Oshkosh; Kim Hixson, D-Whitewater; Mark Honadel, R-South Milwaukee; Ann Hraychuck, D-Balsam Lake; Mary Hubler, D-Rice Lake; Michael Huebsch, R-West Salem; Andy Jorgensen, D-Fort Atkinson; Dean Kaufert, R-Neenah; Samantha Kerkman, R-Genoa City; Fred Kessler, D-Milwaukee; Steven Kestell, R-Elkhart Lake; Joel Kleefisch, R-Oconomowoc; Bill Kramer, R-Waukesha; Daniel LeMahieu, R-Cascade; Thomas Lothian, R-Williams Bay; Cory Mason, D-Racine; Dan Meyer, R-Eagle River; Nick Milroy, D-Superior; Louis Molepske Jr., D-Stevens Point; Phil Montgomery, R-Green Bay; Jeffrey Mursau, R-Crivitz; John Murtha, R-Baldwin; Stephen Nass, R-Whitewater; Tom Nelson, D-Kaukauna; Lee Nerison, R-Westby; Scott Newcomer, R-Hartland; John Nygren, R-Marinette; Alvin Ott, R-Forest Junction; Jim Ott, R-Mequon; Joe Parisi, D-Madison; Sandy Pasch, D-Whitefish Bay; Kevin Petersen, R-Waupaca; Jerry Petrowski, R-Marathon; Mark Pocan, D-Madison; Sondy Pope-Roberts, D-Middleton; Don Pridemore, R-Hartford; Mark Radcliffe, D-Black River Falls; Kitty Rhoades, R-Hudson; Jon Richards, D-Milwaukee; Roger Roth, R-Appleton; Kelda Roys, D-Madison; Marlin Schneider, D-Wisconsin Rapids; Donna Seidel, D-Wausau; Mike Sheridan, D-Janesville; Gary Sherman, D-Port Wing; Jennifer Shilling, D-La Crosse; Christine Sinicki, D-Milwaukee; Jeff Smith, D-Eau Claire; James Soletski, D-Green Bay; Richard Spanbauer, R-Oshkosh; Tony Staskunas, D-West Allis; John Steinbrink, D-Pleasant Prairie; Jeffrey Stone, R-Greendale; Pat Strachota, R-West Bend; Scott Suder, R-Abbotsford; Gary Tauchen, R-Bonduel; Barbara Toles, D-Milwaukee; John Townsend, R-Fond du Lac; Robert Turner, D-Racine; Terry Van Akkeren, D-Sheboygan; Karl Van Roy, R-Green Bay; Robin Vos, R-Racine; Amy Vruwink, D-Milladore; Leah Vukmir, R-Wauwatosa; Annette Williams, D-Milwaukee; Mary Williams, R-Medford; Jeffrey Wood, I-Chetek; Leon Young, D-Milwaukee; Josh Zepnick, D-Milwaukee; Ted Zigmunt, D-Francis Creek; Bob Ziegelbauer, D-Manitowoc; Rich Zipperer, R-Pewaukee. To see more of The Wisconsin State Journal, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.wisconsinstatejournal.com. Copyright (c) 2009, The Wisconsin State Journal Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. |