a penny saved is a penny to be stolen by the farm teams

With a solid liberal majority in the provincial legislature, there was never any doubt that McGirlieman and his now merry band of thieves would pass his 25% raise increase for MPP’s, but what should be a shocker is how complacent John Tory and his Conservatives played along with McGirlieman’s grand larceny of the public purse. The Toronto Star carries the details:

The Liberals and Conservatives in the Ontario legislature have voted to give themselves a 25 per cent raise, just four days before Christmas. The New Democrats were the only ones to vote against the $22,000 increase in base pay, which raises the minimum salary for all members to $110,000 a year. The legislation also gives cabinet ministers a $31,000 increase to $157,633 a year, while Premier Dalton McGuinty gets a $39,000 raise to $198,620.

For the record, count this as the straw that broke this taxpayer’s back. Since the provincial Tories have shown themselves to be as cavalier with the public purse as the Liberals, they will have to make do without my vote come election time. And to the CPC provincial membership, I would say this is what comes from choosing a Red Tory to lead you.