2% Bounus to be Paid State Constitutional Officers (attorney, tenant)

[Editorialist]

State Senator Obenshain sent me a report on the state budget, which listed the appropriations that need to be approved by the General Assembly to make the budget official.

One item that caught my eye was an item on page 5 that calls for a 2% bonus (fancy word in my opinion for "raise") to be paid to all constitutional officers in our state. I assume that means at least the governor, lieutenant governor, Attorney General, judges to name a few.

You can find that item by clicking on the following link:

http://www.markobenshain.com/budget/1.pdf

I don't think it is fair nor right that any form of a raise should be paid our state officials, constitutional or not, when most of us can't get a raise either in our pay check or Social Security check and they are trying ways to cut the budget.

If you agree call your state senator or delegate and tell them you want that item removed from the budget. While at it you might find some other items you feel as a taxpayer should not be in the budget.

[frank90]

If this is legit, then I am outraged. Bob McDonell and his goons are bold for even suggesting a pay raise while they are suggesting state employees taking a cut for the VA Retirement System.

The average governor’s salary is $128,735, according to the Sunshine Review, a web-based nonprofit government transparency group. In Virginia, while McDonnell’s pre-5 percent pay-cut salary is in the top 10 of the nation’s governors, it is still lower than several people who work for him.

I believe McDonell is the 3rd highest paid Governor in the US.

A special report on Virginia employees salaries | TriCities.com

[Pruzhany]

Well first Federal employees got their raises in 2010 from our Democrat president.

Obama Issues Order Implementing 2010 Pay Raise - GovCentral.com

Then after they got their raises a freeze was announced.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/30/us.../30freeze.html

Then our Republican governor at the end of 2010 gave out 3% bonuses (its not a pay increase according to them).

Fox: Virginia Governor Gives 3 Percent Bonus to 117G State Employees | Katy Pundit (http://katypundit.com/news/fox-virginia-governor-gives-3-percent-bonus-to-117g-state-employees/ - broken link)

And now this bonus.

They're doing magic with their accounting principles.


So the buzz word now is that its a "Bonus" and in no way a pay increase.

[car54]

A bonus is a one-time payment, a raise is a permanent increase in salary. A bonus does not change salary, so they don't affect pension calculations.

Not saying this should be done...but a bonus is not a raise.

[Pruzhany]

A bonus is a one-time payment........but a bonus is not a raise.

What other neat tricks can government learn from Wall Street?

[UVACOMMONSENSE]

You do realize that ALL other state employees got a 3% bonus in 2010 and these people got 0% since December 2006.