John Perzel: "Philadelphia Tattoo Artists Make Way Too Much Money"

[SamTheEagle]

http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/ne...06-671424.html

HARRISBURG, Pa. - House Speaker John M. Perzel defended last year's ill-fated pay-raise legislation by telling a public-television program that some state lawmakers are having money problems and by comparing their salaries with those of tattoo artists.

"We have roughly 30-some members who can't apply for a credit card because their credit's so bad," Perzel said on WITF-TV's Smart Talk program Thursday. "And I know a lot of people out there watching this show have the same exact problem."

His spokeswoman Beth Williams said Friday that Perzel was repeating "anecdotal information" given to him by a senior House official. She declined to identify the official and said Perzel did not know the names of legislators with supposed credit problems.

Perzel described lawmakers as board members of a $25 billion corporation - the approximate size of the state budget - whose pay should be tied to congressional salaries.

"When I see that a tattoo artist in the city of Philadelphia makes more than a legislator, I think there's a problem," said Perzel, R-Philadelphia. "I thought the members of the General Assembly were worth one-half of what a member of Congress makes."

Most state lawmakers currently are paid $72,187, with annual cost-of-living increases and generous fringe benefits. Perzel is among the legislative leaders who make more than the base salary - nearly $109,000 last year in his case.

A Philadelphia tattoo artist on Friday said the job typically pays about $30,000 in the city.

"To suggest that we make more than a lawmaker, it's kind of like saying that a musician makes more than him," said Noah Webster with Moo Tattoo on South Street. "Maybe Coldplay makes more than him, but a panhandler on the street playing the trumpet doesn't."

Perzel's remarks echoed comments he made in September - and for which he was ridiculed - that cow-milkers in Lancaster County make as much as $55,000.


Under pay-raise legislation passed in July, lawmakers' base salary would be $81,050. Four months later, lawmakers repealed the pay-raise law in the wake of heated public criticism.

Just three states paid their legislators more than Pennsylvania as of November, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures: Michigan, New York and California.

The average yearly pay for a Pennsylvania worker was about $38,000 in 2004, based on the latest state Department of Labor and Industry figures.

The pay raise furor has been widely credited with the defeat of a sitting Supreme Court justice in November and of 17 sitting lawmakers - mostly Republicans - during last month's primary.

Political scientist Terry Madonna said Perzel's comments Thursday can only hurt incumbents worried that the issue may still have potency.

"This keeps the pay hike alive at a time when I think most legislators would love to see it go away," said Madonna, director of the Center for Politics and Public Affairs at Franklin & Marshall College. "It fans the fires and adds fuel to the critics who say there needs to be reform in the way Harrisburg does business."

Perzel also said Thursday it was not fair to pay nearly all representatives and senators the same amount. He named a Democratic representative who was recently elected to fill a vacant seat - Rep. Shawn Flaherty of Allegheny County - to make his point.

"He's there now one month," Perzel said. "I have at least 25 members who have been there 25 years. They get paid this month the exact same amount of money that Shawn Flaherty makes."

Flaherty won the seat vacated when former Republican Rep. Jeffrey Habay resigned in February after being sentenced to jail for having staff campaign on state time.

"Ask him how much does he want me to give back," Flaherty joked Friday. "Tell him I'll take less if he thinks I deserve less."

This is solid gold.