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Keller @ Large: Another Politician Pay Raise? Take Care Of Truly Needy First

BOSTON (CBS) - They're holding a public hearing at the State House Thursday on whether or not to award large pay raises to our legislators and statewide elected officials.

It's at noon in room A-1 if you want to show up and share your opinion.

In the meantime, here's mine - no way!

Look, serving as an elected official at any level of government can be a tough, demanding job. Senators, reps and constitutional officers oversee a multi-billion dollar budget and make crucial decisions that affect all of us. The vast majority of them are honest, hard-working people who probably are underpaid compared with their private-sector counterparts.

But the same commission that recommended those big salary bumps for them a couple of years ago pointed out that their existing salaries are not out of line with what they pay in other states. And the current system, approved by the voters 19 years ago, that ties their pay to changes in the median household income, has worked well. Just last month they got a more than four-percent pay raise.

How big a pay raise did you get last year?

The base salary for our legislators right now is $62,547. Their work schedule is part-time, and many of them hold other jobs. So, no, they're not getting rich in this line of work, nor should they be.

There are many state-paid workers who should be getting a raise before these politicians do - home care aides, nurses who care for severely disabled kids, and others who care for the truly needy.

My advice to Beacon Hill - take care of them first, and then, maybe, we'll talk.

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