Pensions for these Austin elites are untouched while those of the rank-and-file are continually assailedU.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, a Republican, gets her state pension of $23,774 based on her service as a two-term legislator and state treasurer. U.S. Rep. John Carter, also a Republican, receives a pension of $76,458 based on his 20 years as a state judge.
[S]tate Rep. Tom Craddick, a Republican who took office in 1969, is guaranteed a $125,000 pension — more than 17 times his $7,200 salary. Another 58 state lawmakers are guaranteed pensions of more than $40,000, USA Today found.Send your comments and questions to the Watchdog article or click on the "comments" here at the bottom of the story
Texas Watchdog | Sept 26 2011 | By Steve Miller
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The USA Today cover story on Friday regarding state legislator pensions is a heady journalistic stew of policy analysis, numbers crunching and dialing.
It exposed the hundreds of thousands of dollars taxpayers around the U.S. pay to their elected officials in their retirement and how those officials betray their trust by basing their pensions on things like expenses and stipends.
For our fair state, we get this: Lawmakers (in Texas) haven't raised their pay since 1975. They convene every other year and get a $7,200 annual salary. But because of a law they passed in 1981, their pension is based on whatever the lawmakers decide to pay Texas trial judges . . . Since 1981, Texas lawmakers have nearly tripled a judge's salary — and, by extension, their own pensions — raising the pay from $42,500 to $125,000.
10 comments:
So what else is new, a Texas legislature heavily populated with Republicans fleecing the taxpayers to feather their own nests, no less in Big Texas grand style. All the while they chant no new taxes no new services no more government. It is pathetic and so are the people who keeping voting these pigs into office.
The Texas Legislature was heavily populated with Democrats when the pension formulas were passed. Nice try Anon 1.
Very old news. Big deal. Texas politicians of both parties are devious and corrupt. La-de-da.
Anonymous 2: I don't hear Republicans complaining. In 2005 they voted increases to judges salaries and upped their pension percentage of judges salaries from 60 percent to 100 percent. Who is greedier? If Republicans practice what they preach, why don't they stop or rollback this self enrichment scheme courtesy of the tax payers? Got an honest answer?
Anonymous 3: You are a deadbeat voter, if you even vote.
Back to TEENY Tex: Ooooh, I'm "a deadbeat voter" ooooh. How can I ever live with that.
It's the hypocrisy of the Republicans that is the real sleaze exposed in this article.
Isn't it the Republicans who are slashing budgets for everyone - yet they give themselves fool proof inflation adjusted salaries?
Old news or not, at least the Democrats are much more in the habit of sharing their tax funded wealth with the middle class.
At the Texas state lavel the Republicans slash forestry budgets in the middle of a drought - resulting in a dangerous lack of fire protections.
And the US Congressional Republicans refuse to fund disaster relief for national tornado and flood victims - unless the Republicans can get their greedy ideological budgets approved as offsets.
Republican voters should be ashamed of their elected representatives for their callous and inhumane budgeting priorities.
It might be old news to some (not for me) but it is very relevant today because it points out the hypocrisy of the Republicans.
On one hand they fire teachers, cut the state's firefighting budget, complain about unaffordable union pensions, and on the other hand they keep fattening their own pensions on the taxpayer's dime.
If there is any old news, it is unending hypocrisy. So now the Republicans and not the Democrats are first in line at the public feed trough. I'm sure they'd like to keep it that way. Talk about wannabe socialists.
They should set their pensions at the same amount as the average social security retiree and nothing more.
Republicans and their tea party pit bull guard dogs want to destroy government, make it rotten to the core so that in the end they are the only ones permitted to be on the public dole. They are programmed to be that way.
We need to look at the records of all the people running and most importantly VOTE IN EVERY ELECTION. You can moan and groan about corrupt and greedy politicians but if you do not vote then you get the government you deserve! Calling each other names will not solve the problem but honest and open debate can clear the air and lead to solutions.
Grow up "gentlemen" and talk to each other like grownups.
Proud Voter is both positive and naive.
We also get what we vote for. I take the stance that by voting for the "lesser of two evils," you get the lesser of two evils.
That is not the government I want.
But Proud Voter is correct at least about my complaining, even though the labels I use are accurate.
I will try to be more constructive. But is very difficult in a deconstructive and dysfuncitonal national, state and local political mindset (which I do contribute to as well).
But Proud Voter is correct. Accurate criticism means nothing if one has no solutions to offer.
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