Raise This

The B.C. Lieberal caucus has endorsed an independent panel's recommendation of a 29% pay raise for MLA's and a 53% pay raise for Premier Gordon Campbell.

Campbell says the proposed raises, which were immediately rejected by the New Democrats, are necessary to "attract good people to public life". This page is very concerned: for just over $100,000 a year, B.C. taxpayers currently have a Premier who slashed vital public services, tore up collective agreements, picked unnecessary fights with First Nations, lied to the Hospital Employees Union, was convicted of drunk driving in Hawaii, stuffed the 2010 Olympics with more pork than overtime at the sausage factory, and may yet be guilty of endorsing the double-dealing and political dirty tricks described so far in the Basi-Virk trial. If this is the Premier's idea of "good people", we should all be scared of what $65,000 a year more is going to buy British Columbia.

It's bad enough for public sector workers to watch the Lieberals oinking at the trough after settling for "generous" settlements last year (which averaged about 2% per year after the zero, zero, and zero of Campbell's first term). It's even worse for working people in the private sector who haven't seen any real wage increases, despite B.C's overheated and overhyped economic performance.

$22,000 by 45 Lieberal MLA's, plus $65,000 for the Premier equals a Million Dollar Shovel that hopefully these self-serving bastards can finally bury themselves with.