Penn's Woods, Gimme A Break.

       Today I'd like to talk about the great state of Penn's Woods. Once upon a time little Billie was given some lands in the "New World", I suppose because he was a good little boy. It's gone downhill a little since then. Today I read in the local paper about two things that makes me wonder. On the front page was an article that tells of our legislators taking $2 million in expenses. And of the $2 million, they had to account for $2000,000.
       The rest they took as "per-diem" payments. That means they don't have to say what that money was spent on. Like a trip to one of our new gambling establishments or Hershey Park with the grandkids. Who knows, they don't have to say.
       Then buried in section "D", the "Perspective" section near the letters to the editor, a small article explaining that the 74,000 state employees expenses will rise an estimated 9%. That's an average of $7,300 each for a total of around $540 million, which includes benefits. So as a state, and knowing you've got this tremendous increase in costs, wouldn't you think it might be time to require everyone to justify their reimbursable expenses. Hey, even if the state could save just one million, it would be a help. But in actual practice, what happens is a legislator hands in a slip of paper that basically says gimme some money. That's what's called per-diem.
       So I've got to wonder how it is that Pennsylvania's workers and management personnel are getting an increase of 9%? And I've also got to wonder how it is that our legislators get to just say gimme, gimme, and they get it with no questions asked. I mean 9% seems high in these currently hard economic times. Lots of people aren't getting any raise or very little. And if you've been unemployed for more than half a year, you're about to get a 100% cut in income. You could extent that unemployment compensation indefinitely on 9% and an extra million.
       Don't get me wrong, I don't begrudge those 74,000 state employees getting a nice bump, and I do understand legislators have expenses just like the rest of us, except we don't get reimbursed for our expenses. But then there are those long term unemployed that are about to get the screws.