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Lehigh, Berks County, PA April 24, 2012 Election
Smart Voter

Reining in an Out-of-Control Legislature

By Joseph M. Haas

Candidate for State Representative; Pennsylvania State House of Representatives; District 187; Democratic Party

This information is provided by the candidate
Pennsylvania has the second largest state legislature in the country and one of the most expensive to maintain. State Representatives are paid a salary of $79,613 per year, and this figure does not include the significant expense of health benefits, pensions, travel reimbursements, and staff. While so many Pennsylvanians lack access to affordable medical care, many State Representatives and State Senators leave office eligible for lifetime health care benefits. This wildly out-of-touch system of compensation has contributed to a culture of corruption+in just the last three years, several high-ranking legislators on both sides of the aisle have been convicted of corruption and abuse of power, including the illegal use of taxpayer money for political campaigns.

Since Rep. Gary Day was elected in 2008, he has collected nearly $400,000 in taxpayer funded salary and benefits while Pennsylvania has struggled to stay afloat in our troubled economy. Quite simply, we have not gotten our money's worth.

Joe will be a strong advocate for shrinking the legislature, reining in our obscene compensation packages, and challenging a system of lifelong politicians who grow out of touch with their districts each and every day they spend in Harrisburg. A supporter of term limits, Joe pledges to serve no more than 4-terms (8 years) as a State Representative, and will donate a portion of his salary each year to our local school districts and state system public university.

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pa/state Created from information supplied by the candidate: March 31, 2012 09:02
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