Lawmakers Fatten their Nest Eggs
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Neil Mellen
(803) 212-1051
Dan Cooper has been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. He and his big-spending friends in Columbia were trying to sneak themselves a pay hike, just as economists announced the state is strapped for cash.
The controversial bill includes annual increases, with more money for legislative pensions every year. Their lavish perks include payments over three times state employees’ and threaten to raise the retirement system’s debt to a whopping $2.4 billion.
“This is a shameless money grab,” explained Randy Page, President of South Carolinians for Responsible Government.
Cooper is also pushing for nearly $20 million worth of pork and “grants”
to special interests. The bills were introduced despite news that South Carolina is already running a $50 million deficit for the year. Money promoting tourism and economic development had to be stripped from the budget for “lack of funds.” Only once reporters published details of the pension bill did Cooper and others quietly return the legislation to committee.
“These fat cats have pushed for higher taxes and more spending every year. Now, as the money slows, they are still enriching themselves –and their friends– at the public’s expense.
Spending in Columbia is out of control. For years, government growth has outpaced wages and prices. Now, as government revenues begin to dip, selfish lawmakers are scrambling to expand and enshrine their own benefits. Voters will not forget this unapologetic greed in November.
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