Have you gone without a raise for a while?  Has your salary been cut?  Has your medical insurance increased?  Have you lost your job? The way the economy has been going, there is a pretty good chance you have answered yes to at least one of these questions.  The economy is tough, and we're all feeling the effects.  Well, maybe not everyone.

     If you work for the General Assembly, you didn't have to worry about a pay-cut, you probably received a raise...a substantial raise.  Of the 560 people working in the legislature, 109 received raises.  One of them was Kyle Fellela, son of state representative Deborah Fellela, who received a 20% raise.  If a 20% pay increase jumps out at you, there are several others with large increases.

     Of course, we will hear the familiar excuses about positions being combined and positions being left open.  My favorite was Senate spokesman Greg Pare's reason:  "Following changes in the Senate leadership earlier this year, the Senate's staff was reorganized and professionalized. Several staff members received additional responsibilities as a result of the transition process, and their salaries were adjusted accordingly."   The office was professionalized?  Wasn't it "professional" enough before?

     Each pay raise needed to be approved by House Speaker William Murphy.  Keep that in mind if any taxes or fees are raised.