Letter: People should vote on raising lawmakers’ pay

Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2003 | 9:08 a.m.

After reading about the recent congressional approval of their pay increases for the coming year, I felt it necessary to comment on a statement justifying this increase by Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Ted Stevens, R-Alaska. "This is not a pay raise. This is an increase that's required by law," Stevens said.

Maybe it is a law that mandates it, but Congress could also nullify it by saying no to the increase. It was also said that they really deserve this increase for all the hard work they do. Ha! I haven't seen much good coming to the people of this country. The only thing they have done is protect the president and vice president from being investigated about their connections to the Enron affair and spend billions of dollars on a war with no end in sight.

I believe the only way to curb these automatic pay raises is for the American people to get a referendum on a national ballot requiring that any future pay increase for politicians -- i.e., president, vice president, congressional and other political positions -- must be approved by popular vote of the people. This way no politician can vote on his own pay raises.

This should actually go all the way down to state, county and city levels. And another thing -- the law requiring this increase was written into law by none other than our elected officials. Need I say more?

GEORGE E. LEFEBVRE