WOOD TV8 in Grand Rapids has been soliciting viewer advice on the Michigan budget crisis, and apparently the public is more than willing to take out their frustration on the Legislature.
Albin: The number one question we get asked is, "Why don't lawmakers take a pay cut to help with the budget problem?"
Rick goes on to break down the numbers for us-
This year's deficit: $940,000,000.
Lawmaker's salary: just under $80,000.
Number of lawmakers: 148.
Total budget for their salaries: $11,840,000.
Total budget deficit without lawmakers salaries: just over $928,000,000.
Not enough. Need more.
Albin: But what if you just eliminated the Legislature altogether; their staff, their retirement, their salaries, their offices, their health care, everything.
* insert vision of Craig DeRoche packing up his office in plain brown boxes, security standing at his door with their arms folded, waiting impatiently for him to get the hell out... let me savor this for a second... *
Albin: The House Fiscal Agency, which, by the way, wouldn't be funded under this scenario, says that all costs of the Legislature run in excess of $116 million dollars. If all of that were eliminated, the state would still be $820 million dollars in the red.
This could be the new running joke in Michigan- after all, the Legislature is the old running joke in Michigan...
Q: What do you call 148 lawmakers on the unemployment line?
A: A good start.
Yes, I'm being snarky. In truth, I don't really begrudge these guys their salaries or their benefits or anything, until they start suggesting that other people, such as teachers or state employees or whoever, should cut their pay. Then I start to get a little perturbed. I also would like to see them address campaign finance reform, but I don't notice them rushing to cross that bridge anytime soon.
We are like a bunch of dogs fighting over the last scrap of meat in this state, and it's a disturbing trend. "Cut his pay, take away his benefits, go tax someone else, just not me!"
When we run around trying to hurt each other, nobody wins.
So, let the Legislature have their bennies. As Albin pointed out, eliminating them doesn't save all that much, and we might need them someday to stop Governor Cox from implementing his nefarious plans.
But, if we do decide to go the elimination route, I'll be more than happy to help DeRoche pack.
UPDATE 2/24: This fun fact from the Freep-
At $79,500 a year, Michigan legislators are the second-best paid among states with full-time lawmaking bodies, topped only by California. The Council of State Governments says that with adjustments for inflation, state legislators now make 13% more than their counterparts did in 1975. A council survey found lawmakers in other states, including New York, Wisconsin, Illinois and Ohio, lost ground over that period.
Something to keep in mind.