Editorial: Senator succumbs to capitol sickness

Friday, July 31, 1998 | 11:21 a.m.

The latest outbreak has been discovered in Washington, where Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, proposed Wednesday evening to boost the pensions of senators, representatives and other top federal officials. But fewer than 24 hours later, Stevens came to his senses and withdrew his plan after it appeared no one else would support his proposal.

It's not as if the pensions for legislators aren't already healthy. The Associated Press reports that some long-serving members of Congress receive annual pensions of nearly $100,000, dwarfing the annual earnings of all but the wealthiest of working Americans.

Stevens obviously didn't ask how pension increases have played elsewhere in the nation. If he had, he might have found out that the 1989 Nevada Legislature voted to boost legislators' pensions by 300 percent. Even though the hike was subsequently repealed by legislators after a public outcry, voters weren't forgiving. Many legislators lost their re-election bids.

What is most remarkable about this episode is that Stevens would introduce a pension hike during an election year. But it's almost as if the longer legislators are in Washington or in Carson City, the more their immunity seems to weaken when it comes to goofy ideas. And in Stevens' case, he's been away from home for three decades, making him more vulnerable than most to dumb ideas.