Tennessee pension hikes raise suspicions
By Kirstin Ellison
Posted on Fri Jun 02, 2006 at 02:57:39 PM EST
Tennessee state lawmakers this weekend voted to increase their own pensions by about 3% per year. The Nashville City Paper is suspicious of their timing and motive:
In fairness, perhaps a pension increase was needed.
But let's be blunt. Any move of this type is best done early into the legislative process, say, March, when folks are fully focused on matters at hand. Under such a scenario, more public and media input/scrutiny can be offered and legislators can best explain the need for the hikes.
Did our state leaders really think a vote to provide additional pension pay -- quietly passed on a Saturday and after the budget process, when few, if any, media members or general citizenry were paying attention -- wouldn't raise eyebrows?
Common Cause Tennessee concurs:
Dick Williams, state chairman of the government advocacy group Common Cause Tennessee, questions how the Legislature handled the matter.
In an interview with this paper, Williams said pension hikes "adds to the suspicion" that lawmakers are more concerned with themselves than the public. Hard to argue.
Tags: Tennessee, In the States (all tags)
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