Paterson: no pay hike for lawmakers
 The Legislature has worked hard enough and effectively enough to deserve a raise, but the state is too strapped for money to give them one, Gov. David Paterson said in an interview today.
“In this climate, I just don’t see how we can do it,’’ he said.
Lawmakers, whose base pay is $79,500 a year, last had a raise in 1999. All 61 senators and about three-quarters of the 150 members of the Assembly get extra payments that boosts the average pay to more than $90,000.
The lawmakers were widely expected to return to the Capitol after the November elections and vote a pay hike for the new Legislature that will be seated in January.
Paterson’s comments are also bad news for judges, whose pay has traditionally been tied to that of lawmakers. Judges are suing lawmakers to try to get pay hikes. They also have gone without raises for almost 10 years.
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Are you kidding me. They don’t deserve a pay raise. In the real world if you don’t do your job. You loose it. These guys deserve to get thrown out.
They work less than 80 days in an average session year with health insurance and retirement and they WANT A RAISE???????? GET REAL.N THEY MAKE BASE SALARY OF 79,500.00. AND NY STATE IS IN THE WORST SHAPE EVER.
No raises! If they need more money, let them double their efforts to steal it, rob it, and make side-deals with vested interests like they normally do.
Give them what the average college educated New Yorker makes. About $50K per year with basic health care and NO PENSION!!