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BIDLACK | In politics, we get what we pay for – coloradopolitics.com

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Hal Bidlack


When George Washington became commander of the nascent American military, he was offered a salary, extravagant at the time, of $500 per month. Washington, a successful landowner, nobly declined the salary, insisting instead that he would work for expenses only. And Washington was meticulous about he record keeping, only billing the Continental Congress for the exact amounts he spent in service to his country.

As it turns out, there were a lot of expenses…

Washington billed, over the course of the roughly seven years the American revolution, just under half a million dollars. He billed the Congress for lots of mutton, as well as for beef, cabbage, beets, lobster, and veal. He also claimed the cost of refitting his “chariot,” referring to his carriage, and he billed the US for a broom, though it was quite a deal at only 6 pence. In today’s dollars, Washington billed expenses in excess of $14 million. But he won the war, so it all turned out OK.

When he was elected our nation’s first president, Washington again offered to work for expenses, but the Congress declined his magnanimous proposal and insisted instead on a salary of $25,000 per year (by the way, if presidential salaries had kept up with inflation, the current president would make over $775,000 per year, rather than the $400,000 he now gets).

I thought of old George when I was reading a Colorado Politics story this morning that reported on the expenses paid to our state legislators during 2021. It seems some of our elected officials claimed per diem monies for days that the legislature was not, in fact, in formal session. Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle are represented in all the various groups: those who took lots of per diem and those who took very little. And given the political climate in our nation right now, I suspect that many readers may already be ready to call for the recall, if not the imprisonment, of the aforementioned legislators. 

The per diem available to our elected folks comes in two varieties: a rate of $45 per day for those that live within 50 miles of the State Capitol, and a rate of $219 for those who live outside of the 50-mile radius. The article notes that quite a few of the members claimed per diem for days the legislature was not in session and that seems to imply some shenanigans, but that’s not the full picture.

The article does note that 2021 was a particularly strange year, with a partial session followed by a COVID break, then more session, and lots and lots of online meetings and events. We pay our members of the state House and Senate a tad over $40,000 per year. Now, for lots of folks, that isn’t too bad.  It’s about what I made as a captain during my military career. Many of the folks reading this missive might well make closer to the national average of roughly $31,000, and who therefore can’t imagine why the legislators would need per diem on top of that salary. 

But here’s the thing: folks on the Democratic and the Republican side of the aisles, in both houses, work very hard. And is it really realistic to ask a representative from, say, Delta County or from Lamar to drive home every night? Should a person serving from Durango or Fort Morgan be expected to just suck up the cost of driving to work in Denver? Knowing a few of these elected folks as I do, I can personally vouch for the hard work of, well, all of them, Dems and GOPers; and that work is not limited to only the session days. 

And as it turns out, when you rent an apartment in Denver to serve in the legislature, the landlord does not charge you only for the days the House and Senate are sitting in session. Oh, and the restaurants still charge for meals on weekends. Look, no one goes into politics to get rich. Heck, I even believe that the single worst member of the U.S. Congress, our own Lauren Boebert, likely thinks she is serving a noble goal and is not in Congress to get rich. 

So please let me offer a thought: we way underpay our elected officials, and that’s a bad thing for democracy. In politics, as in buying washing machines, one thing is true: you get what you pay for. If we were to institute a system where in we only paid our elected officials, say, a dollar a year, we might think that we are forcing money grubbers out and will then elect noble people who only want to serve. But here is the problem: we are also creating a system wherein only the rich can serve. Do you really want the legislature to be made up of only wealthy people? Would you really feel represented by such a legislature?

People complaining about what our elected officials are paid is as old as, well, Washington. But even the man who couldn’t tell a lie about chopping down a cherry tree (spoiler: didn’t happen) worked the system. We need the good people of both Denver and Delta counties to be able to serve. We want folks from Westcliffe and Campo to work with people from Cortez and Rangley. And to get people of quality we need to make sure they can afford to serve. 

While it may be great fun to complain about legislative salaries and per diems and such, it remains vital that the best and the brightest be able to afford to work on behalf of the people of Colorado. George might even agree.

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‘Disgraceful:’ N.S. Tory leader slams school’s request that military remove uniform

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HALIFAX – Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston says it’s “disgraceful and demeaning” that a Halifax-area school would request that service members not wear military uniforms to its Remembrance Day ceremony.

Houston’s comments were part of a chorus of criticism levelled at the school — Sackville Heights Elementary — whose administration decided to back away from the plan after the outcry.

A November newsletter from the school in Middle Sackville, N.S., invited Armed Forces members to attend its ceremony but asked that all attendees arrive in civilian attire to “maintain a welcoming environment for all.”

Houston, who is currently running for re-election, accused the school’s leaders of “disgracing themselves while demeaning the people who protect our country” in a post on the social media platform X Thursday night.

“If the people behind this decision had a shred of the courage that our veterans have, this cowardly and insulting idea would have been rejected immediately,” Houston’s post read. There were also several calls for resignations within the school’s administration attached to Houston’s post.

In an email to families Thursday night, the school’s principal, Rachael Webster, apologized and welcomed military family members to attend “in the attire that makes them most comfortable.”

“I recognize this request has caused harm and I am deeply sorry,” Webster’s email read, adding later that the school has the “utmost respect for what the uniform represents.”

Webster said the initial request was out of concern for some students who come from countries experiencing conflict and who she said expressed discomfort with images of war, including military uniforms.

Her email said any students who have concerns about seeing Armed Forces members in uniform can be accommodated in a way that makes them feel safe, but she provided no further details in the message.

Webster did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

At a news conference Friday, Houston said he’s glad the initial request was reversed but said he is still concerned.

“I can’t actually fathom how a decision like that was made,” Houston told reporters Friday, adding that he grew up moving between military bases around the country while his father was in the Armed Forces.

“My story of growing up in a military family is not unique in our province. The tradition of service is something so many of us share,” he said.

“Saying ‘lest we forget’ is a solemn promise to the fallen. It’s our commitment to those that continue to serve and our commitment that we will pass on our respects to the next generation.”

Liberal Leader Zach Churchill also said he’s happy with the school’s decision to allow uniformed Armed Forces members to attend the ceremony, but he said he didn’t think it was fair to question the intentions of those behind the original decision.

“We need to have them (uniforms) on display at Remembrance Day,” he said. “Not only are we celebrating (veterans) … we’re also commemorating our dead who gave the greatest sacrifice for our country and for the freedoms we have.”

NDP Leader Claudia Chender said that while Remembrance Day is an important occasion to honour veterans and current service members’ sacrifices, she said she hopes Houston wasn’t taking advantage of the decision to “play politics with this solemn occasion for his own political gain.”

“I hope Tim Houston reached out to the principal of the school before making a public statement,” she said in a statement.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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Saskatchewan NDP’s Beck holds first caucus meeting after election, outlines plans

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REGINA – Saskatchewan Opposition NDP Leader Carla Beck says she wants to prove to residents her party is the government in waiting as she heads into the incoming legislative session.

Beck held her first caucus meeting with 27 members, nearly double than what she had before the Oct. 28 election but short of the 31 required to form a majority in the 61-seat legislature.

She says her priorities will be health care and cost-of-living issues.

Beck says people need affordability help right now and will press Premier Scott Moe’s Saskatchewan Party government to cut the gas tax and the provincial sales tax on children’s clothing and some grocery items.

Beck’s NDP is Saskatchewan’s largest Opposition in nearly two decades after sweeping Regina and winning all but one seat in Saskatoon.

The Saskatchewan Party won 34 seats, retaining its hold on all of the rural ridings and smaller cities.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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Nova Scotia election: Liberals say province’s immigration levels are too high

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HALIFAX – Nova Scotia‘s growing population was the subject of debate on Day 12 of the provincial election campaign, with Liberal Leader Zach Churchill arguing immigration levels must be reduced until the province can provide enough housing and health-care services.

Churchill said Thursday a plan by the incumbent Progressive Conservatives to double the province’s population to two million people by the year 2060 is unrealistic and unsustainable.

“That’s a big leap and it’s making life harder for people who live here, (including ) young people looking for a place to live and seniors looking to downsize,” he told a news conference at his campaign headquarters in Halifax.

Anticipating that his call for less immigration might provoke protests from the immigrant community, Churchill was careful to note that he is among the third generation of a family that moved to Nova Scotia from Lebanon.

“I know the value of immigration, the importance of it to our province. We have been built on the backs of an immigrant population. But we just need to do it in a responsible way.”

The Liberal leader said Tim Houston’s Tories, who are seeking a second term in office, have made a mistake by exceeding immigration targets set by the province’s Department of Labour and Immigration. Churchill said a Liberal government would abide by the department’s targets.

In the most recent fiscal year, the government welcomed almost 12,000 immigrants through its nominee program, exceeding the department’s limit by more than 4,000, he said. The numbers aren’t huge, but the increase won’t help ease the province’s shortages in housing and doctors, and the increased strain on its infrastructure, including roads, schools and cellphone networks, Churchill said.

“(The Immigration Department) has done the hard work on this,” he said. “They know where the labour gaps are, and they know what growth is sustainable.”

In response, Houston said his commitment to double the population was a “stretch goal.” And he said the province had long struggled with a declining population before that trend was recently reversed.

“The only immigration that can come into this province at this time is if they are a skilled trade worker or a health-care worker,” Houston said. “The population has grown by two per cent a year, actually quite similar growth to what we experienced under the Liberal government before us.”

Still, Houston said he’s heard Nova Scotians’ concerns about population growth, and he then pivoted to criticize Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for trying to send 6,000 asylum seekers to Nova Scotia, an assertion the federal government has denied.

Churchill said Houston’s claim about asylum seekers was shameful.

“It’s smoke and mirrors,” the Liberal leader said. “He is overshooting his own department’s numbers for sustainable population growth and yet he is trying to blame this on asylum seekers … who aren’t even here.”

In September, federal Immigration Minister Marc Miller said there is no plan to send any asylum seekers to the province without compensation or the consent of the premier. He said the 6,000 number was an “aspirational” figure based on models that reflect each province’s population.

In Halifax, NDP Leader Claudia Chender said it’s clear Nova Scotia needs more doctors, nurses and skilled trades people.

“Immigration has been and always will be a part of the Nova Scotia story, but we need to build as we grow,” Chender said. “This is why we have been pushing the Houston government to build more affordable housing.”

Chender was in a Halifax cafe on Thursday when she promised her party would remove the province’s portion of the harmonized sales tax from all grocery, cellphone and internet bills if elected to govern on Nov. 26. The tax would also be removed from the sale and installation of heat pumps.

“Our focus is on helping people to afford their lives,” Chender told reporters. “We know there are certain things that you can’t live without: food, internet and a phone …. So we know this will have the single biggest impact.”

The party estimates the measure would save the average Nova Scotia family about $1,300 a year.

“That’s a lot more than a one or two per cent HST cut,” Chender said, referring to the Progressive Conservative pledge to reduce the tax by one percentage point and the Liberal promise to trim it by two percentage points.

Elsewhere on the campaign trail, Houston announced that a Progressive Conservative government would make parking free at all Nova Scotia hospitals and health-care centres. The promise was also made by the Liberals in their election platform released Monday.

“Free parking may not seem like a big deal to some, but … the parking, especially for people working at the facilities, can add up to hundreds of dollars,” the premier told a news conference at his campaign headquarters in Halifax.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.

— With files from Keith Doucette in Halifax

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