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Marine59 
Legislators game the system to preserve daily expense payments.
How would you like to go to work at 9 a.m., wave to your boss and say "Hi, I'm here, Bye," and then immediately turn around, walk out the door and go home or play a round of golf? And here's the best part, you still get a paycheck instead of being fired. And, suppose to make it easier on you, you could just drive by your place of employment and check in at the curb?
This describes the work of a small minority of Californians - 120 luck folks - who, before every long weekend, go through this tedious routine to assure themselves of $567.84 in additional pay. And since the total obligation of time needed to collect this pay is about 5 minutes, it works out to about $6,814.08 if the rate is applied to a full hour of work.
So how do these 120 privileged individuals pull this off? Here's how: They are members of the state Legislature and they make their own rules.
Although lawmakers received a pay cut from the Compensation Commission at the beginning of 2010, they are still the highest-paid legislators in all 50 states and they know how to game the system to guarantee that the money keeps flowing.
Lawmaker abuse of these "check-in" sessions for the sole purpose of collecting their per-diem is just one of many stories that contribute to the public's disdain for our elected state representatives. Recent polls show the approval rate for the Legislature at a near all-time low of 16 percent. This means that 84 percent of Californians do not have a positive view of its performance.
Joh Coupal, President, Howard Jarvis Taxpayer Association
How would you like to go to work at 9 a.m., wave to your boss and say "Hi, I'm here, Bye," and then immediately turn around, walk out the door and go home or play a round of golf? And here's the best part, you still get a paycheck instead of being fired. And, suppose to make it easier on you, you could just drive by your place of employment and check in at the curb?
This describes the work of a small minority of Californians - 120 luck folks - who, before every long weekend, go through this tedious routine to assure themselves of $567.84 in additional pay. And since the total obligation of time needed to collect this pay is about 5 minutes, it works out to about $6,814.08 if the rate is applied to a full hour of work.
So how do these 120 privileged individuals pull this off? Here's how: They are members of the state Legislature and they make their own rules.
Although lawmakers received a pay cut from the Compensation Commission at the beginning of 2010, they are still the highest-paid legislators in all 50 states and they know how to game the system to guarantee that the money keeps flowing.
Lawmaker abuse of these "check-in" sessions for the sole purpose of collecting their per-diem is just one of many stories that contribute to the public's disdain for our elected state representatives. Recent polls show the approval rate for the Legislature at a near all-time low of 16 percent. This means that 84 percent of Californians do not have a positive view of its performance.
Joh Coupal, President, Howard Jarvis Taxpayer Association
Categories: Political Comments
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wildweaselmi
10 March 2010 - 09:05 PM
This is horrible, especially when so many people want to work for the money they receive but instead are forced out of a job that they poured there sweat and tears into. Very sickening that people get a "Free" ride.
You know they say that people who get stuff for free don't appreciate it as much as those who work there tails off to get what they have. I would like to believe that is true but I wouldn't mind taking that free ride for a ride to find out
You know they say that people who get stuff for free don't appreciate it as much as those who work there tails off to get what they have. I would like to believe that is true but I wouldn't mind taking that free ride for a ride to find out
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