Now I may question whether the raises for Teachers and Nurses were a little high (but I do think they deserve raises). I think we can all agree on one thing, anyone who votes themselves a 25% pay raise, is truly the definition of Chutzpah. Back in 2006 Ontario MPP’s did this exact thing.
For those of you not up on your Yiddish let me give you the definition first:
chutz·pa –noun Slang.
1. unmitigated effrontery or impudence; gall.
2. audacity; nerve.
Also, chutzpah, hutzpa, hutzpah.
Ontario MPP’s voted themselves a 25% pay increase to end the year 2006 off, and want to make sure that they make 75% of what their Federal counterparts make. Don’t you wish you could vote yourself a 25% raise? Maybe MPP’s are underpaid (not as underpaid as Nurses or Teachers, mind you), but a 25% raise?
Try to use the word Chutzpah in your day to day discussions, keep yiddish alive! Oi vay!
well 25% is low considering family incomes increase 3.1% year over year since 1996 which is the last time the politicians got a raise.
Factor that in and they should actually get 36% to keep up with the public.
Pat
I’m a bit torn on this one, I think that politicians should get raises like the rest of us, but the 25% in one shot was a pretty big raise.
To what extent this is true but I was under the impression the took a cut a few years ago and had their salaries frozen. Maybe this 25% brings them in line with cost of living?
So voting it all at once is justified? What about Doctors then? How about Nurses, Teachers and Custodians who are all in the same predicament? They also do not have the luxury of honouring themselves by raising their own salaries. I thought in public life you were supposed to set examples? So now when every union in Ontario goes for renewal of their contracts with the government, what might they post as their example of fiscal confusion? Maybe MPPs deserve a raise, everyone does, but, the fact that it was this large all at once is what leaves a bad taste in my mouth. They have also now said they should be paid 75% of their Federal counterparts, and thus can claim they have no control of this either? Not right (in my opinion of course).