Hi!
As you know, I’m not particularly enamored of our “bought and paid for” legislators, which rarely receives a retort to the point, but often complaints that I am against government, which I’m not.
Obviously government can be useful to us.
I do get tense over an attitude that emerges that we are here as creatures of the government (or the community) rather than that the government (or the community) is a servant of ours designed to make things easier.
These Congressional “Walruses and Carpenters” tell us of how they are serving us, but I am better served by the guy at 3 am in a cherry picker hovering in mid-air repairing the power lines.
Anyway, the European Parliament has learned how to board the gravy train.
Add 50% to the pounds below to get dollar figures.
At least they will have a merry Christmas.
Harry
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
EURO-MPS GET 30PC RISE WITH NO LOSS OF PERKS
BY AMBROSE EVANS-PRITCHARD IN BRUSSELS
(Filed: 18/12/2003) Telegraph UK
Euro-MPs awarded themselves a 30 per cent pay rise yesterday with no
loss of their office perks.
Pay for British MEPs is to jump from £55,000 to £72,000 overnight,
severing the link with their Westminster colleagues for the first
time.
The new formula harmonises MEP salaries towards the highest level,
whether they come from rich or poor countries.
Spain's MEPs will double their salaries. Hungarian or Latvian MEPs
will rise into the top tier of Europe's elite when they join the EU
next year while their national colleagues must limp along on £6,500
and £7,600 a year respectively.
Each MEP receives a tax-free £108,000 a year for staff expenses - used
by almost half the British delegation to pay spouses, children and
immediate kin, often doubling the family income.
A further £32,000 is wired into their accounts annually for "general
expenses". Earmarked for paperclips, stamps, and such, it is in
reality an extra bonus since the European Parliament's twin sites in
Brussels and Strasbourg already provide free offices and computers.
MEPs also receive an attendance fee of £185 a day for showing up. Many
amass £925 a week extra in cash.
********************************************
Henry George School of Social Science
of Los Angeles
Box 655 Tujunga CA 91042
Tel: 818 352-4141 -- Fax: 818 353-2242
http://haledward.home.comcast.net
********************************************
---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.552 / Virus Database: 344 - Release Date: 12/15/2003
