Memorial Day weekend open thread

Soldier on, Garth.

Jim Cox wants to prevent Pennsylvania from being deprived of public servants like Jim Cox

Jim Cox is one of the more colorless figures in Berks County politics. He's a Spring Township Republican who's been in Harrisburg for three terms, representing the 129th District, and he used to be chief of staff to teabagger Sam Rohrer. Cox wants to repeal the property tax -- as well as the estate tax -- but when you Google "Rep. Jim Cox accomplishments," this is the best you come up with on Vote-Pa.org, from a questionnaire submitted to the solon, "(significant accomplishments, awards, achievements) no response."

Today, Cox will receive an annual pay raise of $2,400, bringing his salary to a hard-to-scrape-by-on $82,026.

Unlike many of his colleagues, in a state where teachers and other public employees have been asked to forego pay raises, Cox has zero intention of returning the extra cash to the Pennsylvania treasury

Cox had this to say:

The last thing anyone wants is a private sector individual never exploring public office because they can't afford it.

The "last thing"? Really? There are plenty of private-sector individuals, here and in other states, who would gladly explore public office for significantly less compensation. And if a salary less than 80G would dissuade lawyers and other 1%ers from taking the plunge, that would not be such a terrible thing.

But, hey, Jim Cox is a job creator. The Pennsylvania House employs 617 legislative assistants, 363 district office managers or constituent outreach specialists, 95 research analysts, 50 custodians, two archivists, an editor, an asset manager, and a proofreader.