How was your Christmas? Did Santa leave a bag o’ cash under your tree? Me neither. However, Santa stopped in Albany and dropped a big bag o’ cash in the legislature. That’s right, as a Christmas present, actually, the legislature gave itself a $32,000/yr, or 29%, increase for EACH legislator! If I have my math reasonably close, the legislature picked our pockets to the tune of $6.8M, just on the INCREASE! Or, about $30M per year.

What are we getting for that increase? We have increasing business regulation. We have increased personal regulation and reduction of our freedoms. We have high taxation and cost of living to the point that renting a U-Haul or Penske truck can be a challenge because a convoy of trucks continues to leave the state. Congressional representation has been reduced because of the loss of population to free states. And the list goes on.

Despite all that, Democrats in general, and specifically, local representatives State Senator Hinchey, Assemblywoman Barrett and outgoing Assemblyman Cahill (Christmas present for those he left behind), all voted to give themselves the $32,000/yr increase. What value will we get for our pockets being picked? Already, there is talk of outlawing such things as gas stoves. Maybe we will get back to cooking on wood-burning stoves like our forefathers. By the way, local outgoing Republicans, State Senator Serino, Assemblyman Lawler, and Assemblyman Schmitt, all voted against the 29% increase. Just sayin’….