State taxpayers aren’t getting money’s worth

When an employee of a company fails to perform his or her duties in the way necessary, misses timetables for work completion or hinders production by failing to cooperate with other employees, that worker faces disciplinary action or the prospect of being fired. That is as it should be. Now take note of what happened Dec. 1 in Harrisburg, where state lawmakers got a raise despite their ongoing lackluster legislative performance, their inability to complete all of their annual budget work on time and their frequent unwillingness to compromise with House members and senators on the other side of the legislative aisle, hindering progress on proposals, important ones as well as some that are not so important.

The bottom line is that state taxpayers aren’t getting their money’s worth for the confidence and tax revenue that they’ve invested in those whom they’ve sent to Harrisburg to represent their best interests.

And, especially on the budget front, there might be some unpleasant “surprises” not too many years hence, when lawmakers’ penchant for kicking the proverbial can down the road rather than making responsible, courageous budget decisions will end up costing Pennsylvania residents much more than if lawmakers had made the right choices now.

It’s true that the raise lawmakers began receiving Dec. 1 isn’t excessive. It amounts to only about 0.8 percent, and the figure is tied by state law to the year-overyear change in the consumer price index published by the U.S. Department of Labor for urban consumers in the midAtlantic region.

But considering the General Assembly’s lackluster performance — including opting for recesses when important, time-sensitive work remains unfinished — it’s reasonable for state residents to conclude that lawmakers do not deserve any pay increase at this time, no matter how small.

Some state residents say neither does Gov. Tom Wolf. However, the governor, who is wealthy, doesn’t pocket his state salary.

The law requires him to accept the salary, which will be $194,850 with a raise of about $1,500 factored in for the coming year.

Wolf donates the salary to charity.

Because of their less-than commendable legislative performance, lawmakers should donate the amount of their new raise to charities.

After all, Pennsylvania lawmakers, the second-highest-paid legislators in the nation, also receive per-diem pay for the time they’re at the state capital.

They’re well compensated, even when they don’t do their jobs — unlike what would happen to them in private industry.

It’s important to note that more than the governor and the 253 state legislators will be receiving the pay hike in question.

The increase also applies to more than 1,000 judges and several dozen top executive branch officials.

Unlike the lawmaker raises, the judicial and executive branch raises take effect on Jan. 1.

It’s not the goal of this editorial to reflect on the judicial and executive branch pay increases. Those state employees aren’t caught up in the kinds of ineffectiveness seen so often in the House and Senate chambers.

Still, it’s true: If lawmakers’ performances in the business world matched some of their performances under the Capitol dome, they might be standing in an unemployment line rather than collecting a pay increase.

And that outcome would be deserved.

Pennsylvania lawmakers, the secondhighest-paid legislators in the nation, also receive per-diem pay for the time they’re at the state capital.