Save Our Legislators' Salaries!!!

On Saturday, the Dispatch revealed plans for the Ohio House of Representatives, controlled by the Democrats, to support the Governor's plan to get rid of the income tax cut and increase taxes on all Ohioans.

In addition, the House Dems announced plans to cut legislator pay by 5%.

The pay cut would reduce the base salary of a lawmaker from $60,584 to about $57,555, saving the state $379,000 per year. Most legislators earn more than the base through committee and caucus leadership positions.

The humanity.

This pay cut, if it stays at this level for the next ten years(yeah, right) will save Ohio a grand total of $3.79 million.

For the sake of Ohio's legislators, there has to be a way to save them from this drastic pay cut.

After all, Ted Strickland's biennial budget is increasing by 7.9% from FY09. In that $4,200,000,000 in new spending there is just bound to be a way to carve out nearly $4 million.

After all, it's for the legislators.

Let's see here, hmmm....

Well, the budget for Air Quality jumps from $12 million to $78 million. Ohio is done with e-check so there has to be a way to cut 4 mill. DO IT FOR THE SPEAKER!

Or what about Jobs and Family Services? Their budget increases 11%, or $2 billion. We could cut......oh wait, after the job Jello Ted has done on Ohio's economy maybe we should keep that where it is.

Ah, I found it!

[click to enlarge]

The budget for the Treasurer of State jumps from $39.3 million to $66.1 million in just one year.

Now, I know Kevin Boyce is new and a little wet under the ears, but is a 68% jump in funding for his office really that necessary?

How about we increase it by just half that, 34%, and give the rest to our well-deserving legislators.

Congrats, Mr. Speaker. I just scored each member of Ohio's General Assembly a $100,000 bonus for all this year's hard work.

You're welcome.