State lawmakers recently gave themselves a 2 percent pay raise that will accompany their automatic 2.9 percent cost of living allowance.
First, why do they get a 2.9 percent COLA when Social Security recipients only got a 2.1 percent COLA in January?
And second, why do our lawmakers think they deserve an additional 2 percent raise when they haven’t even allowed disabled people who receive the maximum Aid to the Aged, Blind or Disabled grant (a modest $97.51) a COLA for at least 10 years? Not only that, but state lawmakers decided a couple of years ago that disabled adults receiving such grants would no longer qualify for optometric and dental services under Medicaid.
Maybe that’s how our lawmakers are funding their raises–by taking money away from the disabled.
