http://www.democraticunderground.com/10595052
Also, for what it is worth, the strib recommends YES, too.
http://www.startribune.com/vote-yes-on-pay-amendment-for-minnesota-legislature/397982441/
For nearly two decades, the Legislature has done the politically expeditious thing. It has not raised its own pay since 1997. Compensation for legislators has been stuck at a lean $31,140 a year, though legislators are also eligible for per-diem payments of up to $86 for senators and $66 for House members, and lodging reimbursement of up to $1,200 a month for those who must move to St. Paul during sessions.
That salary is not sufficient to attract the caliber of candidates this state’s government needs to fill a job that is billed as part time, but in reality is full time during sessions and part time for the rest of the year. Low compensation is complicating candidate recruitment, operatives in both parties confide. Over time, it risks populating the Legislature with people of independent means and/or those young enough — or desperate enough — to settle for a low-income job.
That’s not just our opinion. It’s the considered judgment of the bipartisan, purely advisory Minnesota Compensation Council, which in 2009 — after 10 years of unheeded calls for a salary boost for legislators — warned, “If elected public servants aren’t fairly compensated, we may not be able to attract highly qualified candidates who are broadly representative of Minnesota’s citizenry.”
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