Solons' perks won't cover SQ 744
Tulsa World
By World's Editorial Writers
Published: 10/26/20102:19 AM
Last Modified: 10/26/20104:48 AM
One of the talking points used by proponents of State Question 744 has been that the cost of the proposed massive increase in state funding for public schools could come out of the fat in the state Legislature.
With references to high-cost legislative junkets and overly high lawmaker salaries, they suggest we can just cut back on money sloshing around inside the state Capitol and pay for the whole thing.
Bunk.
State records show the Legislature spent $9.2 million a year on salaries and less than $1.5 million on travel.
If you reduced legislators' paychecks to nothing and made the solons stay at home for the first three years of implementing SQ 744, you'd have $32.1 million.
The best estimate on the cost of implementing SQ 744 in that same three years is $1.3 billion.
Well, only $1.268 billion to go... FULL ARTICLE
Posted on
Tue, October 26, 2010
by Crystal Drwenski