This is not the year for state lawmakers to look for a raise.

The idea was brought up recently by New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, who noted that legislators and commissioners haven’t had a pay increase in 13 years.

That certainly is a long period of time for anyone to manage without a raise, when inflation has boosted prices for most everything. But, frankly, the best pay increases are based on merit — and New York legislators, for the most part, haven’t earned one.

The Empire Center for Public Policy reported in 2007 that New York lawmakers received the third-highest base salary in the United States, behind only California and Michigan. That’s not unexpected, as New York is one of the most populous states, as well as a focal point of the nation, thanks to New York City.

The annual base pay for the New York Senate and Assembly is $79,500, though many receive more for committee assignments and other duties. For example, Sen. Betty Little, the Queensbury Republican who represents our area, gets an extra $12,500 for chairing the Local Government Committee.

Our opposition to a raise isn’t based on our local representation. Little and Assemblywomen Janet Duprey and Teresa Sayward are a hard-working trio of women who usually make decisions with the North Country’s best interest at heart.

This is, instead, an indictment of the State Legislature as a whole…..

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