No offense to the Kansas House GOP staff, which no doubt works hard for its money, but what were the chamber’s GOP leaders thinking in doling out four- and five-figure bonuses in the midst of a state budget crisis? As the Lawrence Journal-World reported this week, four top staffers for House Speaker Mike O’Neal of Hutchinson, House Majority Leader Ray Merrick of Stilwell and House Speaker Pro Tem Arlen Siegfried of Olathe each received one-time payments ranging from $2,308 to $20,000 shortly before the current session opened in January, on top of salaries ranging from $48,000 to $90,000 a year. Note that these targeted bonuses were made as O’Neal and other GOP leaders were sternly calling on then-Gov. Kathleen Sebelius to make across-the-board budget cuts.
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20 Comments
Something smells here.
I dunno, if they are State Civil Servants, what does the state law say about merit raises and bonuses?
If it is part of the Civil Service system, then it would be up to the Executive branch to halt the payments, if that is even legal.
Were other branches of Kansas government paid bonuses?
Or is this yet another narrowly focused biased article?
No mention of the (D) senators in the federal senate?
Color me shocked.
SolDevVB
Posted May 6, 2009 at 1:20 pm | Permalink
No mention of the (D) senators in the federal senate?
Color me shocked.
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It’s easier to color you a non-native since Kansas hasn’t sent a D to the US Senate since 1932 or so (it’s pretty well known among the natives).
They did the exact same thing in the US congress with their staffers. Note, those were handed out at a time when congress had an approval rating that fluctuated between 9 & 18%. Dem leadership approved these bonus’ at a time when they were screaming about AIG/etc bonus….yeah, I’m sure this paper’s editorial staff wrote something along that line then too….
It’s easier to color you a non-native since Kansas hasn’t sent a D to the US Senate since 1932 or so (it’s pretty well known among the natives).
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pedant is a buffon. She doesn’t know this is about the state senate.
I am non-native to Kansas. I am a displaced Texan in the Great White North.
My comment was reflective of the Democratic Party in stark contrast the thread header.
#
fleettwood
Posted May 6, 2009 at 1:25 pm | Permalink
It’s easier to color you a non-native since Kansas hasn’t sent a D to the US Senate since 1932 or so (it’s pretty well known among the natives).
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pedant is a buffon. She doesn’t know this is about the state senate.
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I think there is too much Lib caterwauling going on.
IDOTS
fleettwood
Posted May 6, 2009 at 1:25 pm | Permalink
It’s easier to color you a non-native since Kansas hasn’t sent a D to the US Senate since 1932 or so (it’s pretty well known among the natives).
____________________________________________
pedant is a buffon. She doesn’t know this is about the state senate.s was your question, “No mention of the (D) senators in the federal senate?”
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2025 and not a day later.
lol
Sol, Barbara Boxer doesn’t vote in the Kansas House. Hence the reason Democrats in other states aren’t mentioned. Is the conservative’s excuse that if a Democrat in a different state gets a pay raise then it’s okay for Republicans to give themselves a pay raise on a state level?
Nice grade school mentality, jump off that bridge with the rest of your friends.
Amazing how the CONs aren’t in a frenzy to defend the Republic Party legislators’ money grab.
Perhaps they actually have a modicum of shame after all!
What I’d like to know is what the legislature has done during the last year that’s so over-and-above what they were elected to do that warrants us paying them bonuses? Can anybody think of anything?
Congress got a cola raise (built into the system), not a bonus. A bonus is a little something extra you get (or in the case mentioned, give yourself).
Where’s the outrage?
Guess the bonus was for blind persistence on getting the sunflower coal plant and holding up just about any other non-essential legislation. Good work, if you can get it.
I’d like to see their Sunflower bonuses.
We’re in the midst of the bush Great Recession with a budget shortfall, and what’s the repub answer, why give yourself a performance bonus.
That’s for those staunch toe-the-party-line idiots. Isn’t that fantastic that they do this right after the coal plant gets the nod?
Also, FU to ONeil and his goons who tried to cut the salary of state employees. You cons really need to vote him and his posse out of office now.
This shows the normal position of the republicans in the Kansas house.
With their hands unashamedly in our wallets.
When they can do something productive, like pass the seat belt law, they wimp out. But show them the money, and its Kati bar the door. And you moronic cons complain about the Democrats?
Frikin nitwits.
Once again the Republicans bring out the Grand Old Phrase “Do as we say, not as we do”.
Were other branches of Kansas government paid bonuses?
Or is this yet another narrowly focused biased article?
it’s so easy for a repuke to shift the attention to the democrats.
it’s been going on for decades.
soon kansass may be one of the few places where repukes are elected to any office.
remember…
point and say in your loudest lumbaugh voice… hey whatta bout them huh.