Pennsylvanian lawmakers repeal pay raise

Back on September 11th, I wrote a little blurb on Pennsylvanian lawmakers decision to give themselves pay raises:

I'm not sure how big of an issue this will be in Pennsylvanian politics, but it seems a little crass to claim to be more important than a certain sector of workers in order to justify spending taxpayers money, especially from the conservative sector who wants to yell and scream about the government spending your money.

Since then, voter backlash has risen and been credited in the defeat of a judge running for re-election in the state, which local groups warned was a warning shot to lawmakers. Recent poll numbers showed more than half the state would not vote for those in the general assembly who approved the pay raise.

Looks like lawmakers in Pennsylvania have finally gotten the message:

After bringing four months of abuse down on their heads, Pennsylvania lawmakers Wednesday repealed a pay raise they gave themselves in the middle of the night.

Gov. Ed Rendell signed the repeal legislation less than three hours after the state Senate approved it 50-0. It passed the House 197-1 on Monday.

The question now is will it be enough, or will voters still be bitter come 2006, and what effect will it have on the state races, including Ed Rendell's bid for re-election. Stay tuned.