Anti Pay Raise Rally Monday
Monday September 26, 2005 12:12am
Harrisburg (AP) - Anti Pay Raise Rally at 1:30pm at The State Capitol, Harrisburg
A diverse coalition of political outsiders and government reformers will be on hand in Harrisburg to great lawmakers Monday That's when the General Assembly reconvenes for the first time since its unpopular July Seventh vote to boost members' salaries by as much as 54 percent.
Organizers are hoping for a big and boisterous crowd at 1:30pm to underscore public disenchantment over the raises - and the clandestine way in which the legislation was handled, with a vote in the middle of the night.
Participants will be urged to visit their legislators and ask them to sign pledges of support for a bill to repeal the pay raises. For first-time visitors, green-shirted marshals will help them find their elected representatives.
Meanwhile, talk about shrinking the state Legislature is bubbling up from under the Capitol dome. Historically, the prospect of reducing the Legislature hasn't gotten serious consideration until the public's ire is aroused. In this case, it's happened when lawmakers voted to fatten their pay by 16 percent to 54 percent.
The obstacles to downsizing are enormous. It takes a constitutional amendment, which requires approval by the same lawmakers who risk losing their jobs.
Still, there have been more than a half-dozen proposals from Democrats and Republicans - some already submitted as legislation. One would reduce the 253-member Legislature by half, another eliminates one legislative chamber, and yet another calls for a constitutional convention.
For more information on the Rock The Capital Rally, go to our homepage and click on the link under the newslinks banner.
Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press.
Source: http://www.abc27.com/news/stories/0905/263183.html
Vice Chairman of Voter Education
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http://www.InformedPA.com
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