Who says dishonesty doesn't pay?

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BEHIND THE LINES A White House commission is recommending pay increases of up to 50 percent for congressmen/women, federal judges, and top-level government officials. Congressional salaries would jump from $89,500 to $135,000. U.S. District judges would get the same.

The payoff for cabinet members would jump from $99,500 to $155,000, the vice president and the chief justice would come in for a boost from $115,000 to $175,000 —and finally, the president's annual salary would leap from $200,000 to $350,000.

Unless Congress takes action against the White House commission's recommendations, the pay raises will go into effect in 1993.

Don't bet on a congressional protest against these increases in wasted taxes. But there is a catch they won't like. The pay-raise recommendation includes a total ban on "honoraria" (payments by special-interest groups to lawmakers for speeches or writings). These payments are more often than not a disguised form of bribery and a reward for services rendered.

Take a look at the extra loot the looters have been raking in for "lecturing." Such "luminaries" as ex-Attorney General Edwin Meese, ex-Education Secretary William Bennett, ex-White House Chief of Staff Howard Baker, and ex-Director of Office and Management James Miller are receiving $15,000 to $25,000 a shot flying around the country speaking to corporate groups and trade associations.

Donald T. Regan, former White House chief of staff, was paid $100,000 for a week of lectures in Japan shortly after leaving his Whiie House job.

These are the type of people you should pay to not move into your neighborhood—if you had enough money. If they did move in, you should increase your home security. Yet here they are, making fortunes in pay-offs by opening their big mouths to bankers and corporate owners.

Of course, in a way, it is owed to them. They enthusiastically played the role of Robin Hoods-in-reverse for their class—they really put their hearts into taking from the poor and giving it to the rich.

Money to thieves

So, for some, the belief is that if you just throw more money at the crooks it will make them less crooked (they call it "ethics violations"). At least, that's what the White House commission tells us. We know better. Throwing money to thieves is like throwing meat to a shark—it just whets their appetite.

Instead of letting them pass legislation siphoning public funds to giant corporations and giving them a bigger cut through raising their salaries, why not use that money to give jobs to the jobless, homes to the homeless, and food to the hungry?

All of those former big-business toadies who are flying all over the world speaking as experts are experts, first and foremost, in the robbery of the world's working class. They have nothing to say as experts in what's good for the people.

Do the lectures of former Secretary of Education William Bennett speak of the fact that 69 HOME percent of the teachers nationwide said poor health of students was a problem in their schools? Or that 68 percent reported problems with undernourished children in their classrooms? Or that 89 percent of the teachers reported neglected or abused children in their schools?

Freezing to death

Neither do these people lecture on how to stop and reverse the problem of accelerating homelessness-and a doubling of people freezing to death in the streets in the last 10 years. Nor are they getting out the word on the tragedy of whole families, especially those of single mothers, becoming an increasing proportion of the homeless, and how it must be stopped.

They have nothing to say about the fact that while over 20 percent of the homeless hold full-time jobs, they cannot afford living space. According to these experts, it's a mystery why people "choose" to live in cars and cardboard boxes when there are such wonderful public "shelters" available.

It doesn't occur to these gentlemen to call attention to the skyrocketing costs of housing-in large part due to their systematic "urban renewal" programs, which mean leveling existing housing for the poor and subsidizing new housing for the affluent.

It's as if they didn't understand the elementary capitalist law of supply and demanddecreasing housing for the poor is driving prices beyond the means of ever-more working people.

Paying off those bums in Washington is not the way to go. What the working class has to do is kick the bums out—not pay them off.