| abstract | - Some say it was a good thing, others say it was a bad thing, and nearly everyone knows it was ugly. It was good because:
* The media has started asking serious questions about how the General Assembly operates.
* Pennsylvanians have been at the water coolers discussing how our state government should be reformed.
* Without it, the career politicians would be unopposed again in their primary elections. It was bad because:
* The General Assembly passed it in the middle of the night when no one was looking, and gave themselves “unvouchered expenses” to skirt the prohibition against a pay raise in their present term.
* They did not follow normal General Assembly procedures of having public committee hearings and floor debate.
* They can do this again at any time with any bill. It was ugly because:
* Our career politicians still think that they are not answerable to the tax-paying citizens, and that they do not have to take responsibility for their decisions and actions.
* The legislators tried to blame the media and non-profit organizations for the public outcry against the pay raise.
* They thought that they were untouchable, and that their gerrymandered districts guaranteed their re-election.
* They resisted giving the expenses back, and even tried to use it as a type of illegal campaign contribution by giving it to charities when they knew it was against the PA House rules.
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