Price of corruption is taxing
Tuesday - June 17, 2014 / By Eric Heyl
Published: Saturday, June 14, 2014, 9:00 p.m.
Corruption doesn't come cheap.
That harsh reality must be acknowledged.
If Pennsylvania wants to maintain its lofty status as one of the nation's most unethical states, taxpayers are going to have to continue to pony up for the privilege.
We can draw that conclusion by synthesizing results of two recent studies providing ample evidence that the state gets quite a return on its considerable investment in dishonest elected officials.
Public Administration Review is pored over by public-sector management enthusiasts as eagerly as is Us magazine by Gladys in the checkout line.
In a study that should make every Pennsylvanian proud, the scholarly journal found the Keystone State consistently ranks among the top 10 states in public corruption cases.
To even casual observers of Harrisburg, who have seen former House speaker after former House speaker shuffle off to the penitentiary, this finding is unremarkable. But it does beg the question: Is there any tangible benefit to being such a dirty state, beyond the obvious bragging rights?
You bet.
The study found that states with consistently high public corruption convictions have the higher taxes that most of us enjoy paying.
Turns out that elected officials with even a modicum of integrity ? a distasteful word, I realize ? are less likely to award grossly overinflated contracts in exchange for campaign contributions and kickbacks.
To put it more succinctly, honest politicians would save you money.
Be thankful there are so few of them in Pennsylvania, or the resulting bulge in your wallet quickly would cause wear marks on your pants pockets.
The downside to all of this splendid news is the relatively high price we pay to lure the unscrupulous to Harrisburg.
Stateline, the Pew Charitable Trusts' daily news service, found that Pennsylvania pays its legislators the second-highest lawmaker salaries in the nation.
This finding undoubtedly will startle anyone who wondered why our lawmakers recently failed to march in solidarity with McDonald's workers protesting their low wages.
Pennsylvania legislators make a base salary of $84,012, and receive a $157 per diem when the Legislature is in session, ostensibly to cover travel and lodging expenses.
That's second only to California lawmakers whose base salary is $90,526 but whose per diems are a relatively paltry $141.
Why do we pay our lawmakers such exorbitant salaries, per diems and annual cost-of-living increases?
Because it's necessary to first recruit only the most deceitful characters to Harrisburg and then to keep them there.
If we don't want to lose our most unprincipled elected officials to, say, New Jersey, we have to be willing to fork over $35,000 more a year to our legislators than the $49,000 that the Garden State pays its lawmakers.
It's not an inexpensive investment, but consider this carefully.
If Pennsylvania wants to be in the conversation about the nation's most corrupt and excessively taxed states, is it really such a high price to pay?
Eric Heyl is a Trib Total Media staff writer.
Reach him at 412-320-7857 or eheyl@tribweb.com.
Matthew 23:28 ~ "Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity."
Tuesday - June 17, 2014 / By Eric Heyl
Published: Saturday, June 14, 2014, 9:00 p.m.
Corruption doesn't come cheap.
That harsh reality must be acknowledged.
If Pennsylvania wants to maintain its lofty status as one of the nation's most unethical states, taxpayers are going to have to continue to pony up for the privilege.
We can draw that conclusion by synthesizing results of two recent studies providing ample evidence that the state gets quite a return on its considerable investment in dishonest elected officials.
Public Administration Review is pored over by public-sector management enthusiasts as eagerly as is Us magazine by Gladys in the checkout line.
In a study that should make every Pennsylvanian proud, the scholarly journal found the Keystone State consistently ranks among the top 10 states in public corruption cases.
To even casual observers of Harrisburg, who have seen former House speaker after former House speaker shuffle off to the penitentiary, this finding is unremarkable. But it does beg the question: Is there any tangible benefit to being such a dirty state, beyond the obvious bragging rights?
You bet.
The study found that states with consistently high public corruption convictions have the higher taxes that most of us enjoy paying.
Turns out that elected officials with even a modicum of integrity ? a distasteful word, I realize ? are less likely to award grossly overinflated contracts in exchange for campaign contributions and kickbacks.
To put it more succinctly, honest politicians would save you money.
Be thankful there are so few of them in Pennsylvania, or the resulting bulge in your wallet quickly would cause wear marks on your pants pockets.
The downside to all of this splendid news is the relatively high price we pay to lure the unscrupulous to Harrisburg.
Stateline, the Pew Charitable Trusts' daily news service, found that Pennsylvania pays its legislators the second-highest lawmaker salaries in the nation.
This finding undoubtedly will startle anyone who wondered why our lawmakers recently failed to march in solidarity with McDonald's workers protesting their low wages.
Pennsylvania legislators make a base salary of $84,012, and receive a $157 per diem when the Legislature is in session, ostensibly to cover travel and lodging expenses.
That's second only to California lawmakers whose base salary is $90,526 but whose per diems are a relatively paltry $141.
Why do we pay our lawmakers such exorbitant salaries, per diems and annual cost-of-living increases?
Because it's necessary to first recruit only the most deceitful characters to Harrisburg and then to keep them there.
If we don't want to lose our most unprincipled elected officials to, say, New Jersey, we have to be willing to fork over $35,000 more a year to our legislators than the $49,000 that the Garden State pays its lawmakers.
It's not an inexpensive investment, but consider this carefully.
If Pennsylvania wants to be in the conversation about the nation's most corrupt and excessively taxed states, is it really such a high price to pay?
Eric Heyl is a Trib Total Media staff writer.
Reach him at 412-320-7857 or eheyl@tribweb.com.
Matthew 23:28 ~ "Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity."
