Nebraska Greed, take a read:)

Its called amendment one on the ballot which we vote on may 9 they have proposed to give themselves a $9,000 raise with a 4% yearly increase. Remember this is work for 2-4 months only, Nebraska legislature is only in session for 2-4 months out of each year. Most Nebraskans only make $29,000 for an entire year of work, and all these legislatures have full time jobs, most if not all are well off, well above what Average Nebraskans make. No one made them serve, only their ambition guided them to accept this job.

Read some more facts I got from NE taxpayers for freedom, and pass this on
NEBRASKA TAXPAYERS FOR FREEDOM ISSUE PAPER:NO PAY RAISES FOR STATE SENATORS.
BACKGROUND. This session, the Legislature passed LR 12CA, a constitutional amendment that would raise state senator annual pay from $12,000 to $21,000, a 75% pay hike! Not many Nebraskans win such a pay hike in 1 year. Liberal State Sen. Chris Beutler, who wants to terminate term limits, believed that the original increase amount of $24,000 was insufficient. Sen. Ernie Chambers declared that a needed pay raise would improve the dignity and stature of the legislature, to which he never has contributed. Sen. Don Pederson stated that this pay hike would give respect to the office. He earned an NTF rating of 47.25% in the 2004 Legislature, hardly worthy of respect!
LR 12CA. This constitutional amendment would raise state senator salaries to $21,000 annually, with yearly pay hikes equal to the rise in the Consumer Price Index not exceeding 4%. Senators passed LR 12CA by a 44-0 vote, more than the 40 votes necessary to place it on the primary ballot. Because our state constitution sets pay, a constitutional amendment ratified by voters must pass. Supporters include the teachers union and liberal Common Cause.
TALKING POINTS.
Incumbents know the salary when they run for the office, and many run again.
State senators should not vote to set their own salaries in this citizen legislature.
State senators receive a per diem for expenses and mileage during sessions and payment for travel expenses when not in session. The average totaled $7,733 for food, housing like renting apartments in Lincoln, and travel expenses in 2004. Sen. Adrian Smith of Scottsbluff collected more in expenses than his salary in 2003, almost $13,840.
Liberal legislators complain that their service does not entitle them to health insurance or a pension. Most if not all senators have access to health insurance through their regular jobs, spousal employment, self-employment, or government care like Medicare. Part-time work does not merit a pension.
The average Nebraska yearly salary was $29,448 in 2002.1 Voters should not pay $21,000 for only several months work.
South Dakota pays its state legislators only $12,000 per 2-yr. term plus $110 per diem. Wyoming pays legislators $125 per legislative day plus $80 per diem expenses. Calculating for a Unicameral 90-day session, this salary totals $11,250 annually. Kansas pays its legislators $78.75 per session day plus $85 per diem. Calculating again for our longer 90-day session, this salary equals about $7,087.2
Proponents argue that low salary makes senators more vulnerable to manipulation by special interest groups. Examining the legislation passed since the last pay raise, it is easy to understand that senators still are beholden to these groups.
Proponents allege that Nebraskans “get what we pay for” with low legislative salaries, that we deserve and must attract a better quality of senator. They used this same argument during the last pay hike campaign in 1988. Since that time, we have gotten the same High Taxers and Big Spenders as before.
Proponents argue that low salaries will dissuade candidates from filing, yet the substantial number who already have filed for the 2006 races, a record number, demonstrates that candidates understand the current salary and per diems and wish to run regardless.
Nebraskans should encourage those motivated only by public service to run for legislature. We are supposed to have a citizen legislature, not one filled by career politicians.
Senators purposely placed the amendment on the primary ballot, knowing that fewer vote in primaries, thus increasing the opportunity for passage.
The CEO of the University of Nebraska Foundation and the chancellor of UN-Kearney lead the campaign to pass LR 12CA. Interesting that the university system is one of the leading causes of egregiously increased budget spending, and administrators continually whine for additional appropriations. This ploy seeks to ingratiate the university administrations with state senators.
CONCLUSION. We must fight senator pay hikes, until they offer us relief from spiraling taxes and spending. From 2004 to 2005, Nebraska rose from 14th to 8th highest taxed state in the nation.2 Since 1988, NE per capita personal income has risen by almost 100%.3 Yet, since FY 1988-89, total state appropriations have more than tripled. Nebraska in 2004 ranked next to the highest among all adjacent states in appropriations per $1,000 of personal income and per capita. If the legislature was a private business, it would have gone bankrupt long ago. Citizen legislators should offer public service, even at financial sacrifice, for only a few years and then return home to live under the same laws they themselves passed for others.
TAKE ACTION NOW. If this egregious pay raise passes at the May, 2006 polls, state senators will only have more incentive to continue taxing and spending like wastrels. To counter the propagandizing of voters by well-financed self-interested proponents, use the above talking points to do the following: 1) write editorials to your local newspaper; 2) call in to your local radio talk show; 3) show your friends and neighbors our 2005 NTF Legislative Voting Record. After they see how their senator and other state senators voted, they surely will vote NO on pay hikes.
Research, analysis, and documentation for this issue paper done by NE Taxpayers for Freedom. This material copyrighted