Attention Pennsylvania DUers

[bleedingheart]

Recently I was looking at the state government site and I was taken aback at how many state representatives we have. Our state has 200 representatives in the State Assembly.

The last I heard they make 61,900 a year and with 200 of them that comes to a whopping 12,380,000 and that doesn't include staff salaries and office expenses...etc

Personally I don't think we need 200 representatives in our state, it seems like a huge waste of money.

So the question is... how can something like this be fixed???

[tigereye]

1. and many of them are to the right of Genghis Khan, too

n/t

[bleedingheart]

5. I think its the perfect time to push this issue because the right-wing

loves to talk about how they will "save" us money... well they can prove it by slimming down the legislature...and I don't mean by a few here or there.

I mean carving off half of them.

Its absolutely ridiculous that PA has about half as many reps to legislate as the entire US Congress has combined.

[Redneck Socialist]

2. Only 200?

You slackers! We have 400 in the house alone, but then we only pay them $100. Guess they are cheaper when you buy in bulk.

[bleedingheart]

6. Hell if we could pay them $100 then I wouldn't care but we pay them

well, plus they get loads of perks and they maintain offices...its absolute Pork...

[zbdent]

3. Usually, it's done by the census

but right now, you're screwed until 2010.

(I left in 1985, went to Ohio)

[bleedingheart]

4. I am not talking about federal reps which are controlled by census

of those we only have 22...

I am talking about the state assemblypeople.

Pennsylvania's Legislature has ...

200 representatives
50 senators...

this for a state...not the entire country.

[tigereye]

7. weird I never knew the leg was that big

we need to get rid of the RW half - some of those people are insane. Well some of the guys on our side, I'm sorry to say, are a little out there too. They have proposed some bizarre legislation as I recall. Although, I don't think they are as "out there" as the Leg, as Molly Ivins would say. Maybe we need to find more sane people to run!

[srpantalonas]

8. the problem is the expense accounts...

virtually limitless. Ed Rendell spent 75k on food last year. At your expense.