Archive: Opinions

The Syracuse Post-Standard recently reported that Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton of Ithaca supports a pay raise for herself and the other 212 members of the State Legislature.  I have to speak out against yet another out-of-touch action by Lifton, who's supposed to be representing our interests, not her own.

As Assemblywoman, Barbara Lifton makes a base salary of $79,500 which is then boosted with so-called "lulus" for serving on committees. According to SeeThroughNY.org, her pay package for 2013 was $94,500 – and that doesn't include "per diem" payments of up to $165 per day that legislators can collect for every day they're in Albany. According to Newsday, Barbara Lifton collected an additional $10,286 in 'per diem' payments in 2012!

Let's not forget that New York classifies the State Legislature as a part-time position. Seems like a pretty good deal to make more than $105,000 per year for part-time work. Most of us would take that deal.

Here's why…our communities are struggling in many ways. According to Federal Bureau of Economic Analysis, the 2011 average personal income in New York State was $51,126. In Tompkins County it was $36,262, and in Cortland County it was $31,972. Yet Barbara Lifton isn't satisfied with bringing home $79,500. Or $94,500. Or $105,000. She wants a raise on top of it all!

This madness has to stop. Our so-called leaders need to focus on helping us, not lining their own pocketbooks.

I don't doubt that serving in the Assembly is a tough job. It must be quite a challenge to deal with the dozens of indicted backroom dealers that populate the State Legislature these days. But Barbara Lifton seems to do just fine navigating those waters. After all, she voted for Sheldon Silver (who's currently under Federal investigation, by the way) as Speaker of the Assembly every single year of her term – including yet again just this month.

Sometimes I wonder: Who do our representatives work for? It certainly doesn't feel like they work for us – their constituents, whose tax dollars pay their salaries. They take and take and take, and rarely do we see anything of substance in return.

I am an educated, middle-class citizen who would be very happy to serve the people of our community for a fair salary. Many of the readers of this publication probably feel the same.

So I propose that Assemblywoman Lifton step down from her office and allow regular people on both sides of the aisle to "sacrifice" for this part-time job that pays way more than most of our full-time jobs.

Maybe having to really earn a living in the real world (not the la-la land that  is Albany) would put Barbara Lifton back in touch with reality.

Say no raises for Lifton and the Legislature.

Submitted by,

Herb Masser
Enfield, NY
Tompkins/Cortland County
2014 Republican Candidate for the 125th Assembly
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