Masterson: Pay Raise for Me, Not Thee

Some nerve. I think I've got my nominee for Kansas hypocrite of the year.

Kansas State Representative Ty Masterson wants a pay raise--and a majority of the House Appropriations Committee agrees. He thinks that he and other legislators should be paid at a rate above the annual federal poverty level. And that amount should be adjusted for family size. (Materson has a wife and six children). And this for a part time job.

Serving the legislature is a part-time job. Presently legislators are paid $84.80 per day when they are in session, plus $99 per day for expenses. That adds up to about $17,000 per session in salary and expenses. Masterson would get $34,750 under his proposal.

But Masterson thinks it okay for other Kansas workers to live under the poverty level.

Kansas has a $2.65 an hour minimum wage. Masterson voted against raising it as did 62 other state reps.

But that's not the depth of Masterson's hypocrisy. He thinks $2.65 an hour is too much. He actually voted along with 54 others to abolish the Kansas minimum wage.