Just when I thought that I was out they pull me back in.

I really want to stop writing about the pay raise fiasco, but this is unbelieveable:

Fifteen House Democrats who voted against the controversial legislative pay raise were stripped of their committee leadership positions in an unusual midterm shake-up that some members viewed as payback for their "no" votes.

In a letter to House Speaker John Perzel (R., Phila.) last week, House Minority Leader H. William DeWeese announced changes in 16 House committees. Committee assignments are routinely made at the beginning of a new session, not mid-session.

.....

"What Democratic leadership said to members was: If you vote for the pay raise you will get [$4,050], if you don't you won't," said Rep. Greg Vitali (D., Delaware), who voted against the pay raise and was demoted to secretary from his position as chairman of the subcommittee on energy.

Vitali said the move raises legal questions.

"They are using tax dollars to entice a legislator to vote one way or another," he said. "It's not about the money, it's about leadership acting within its legal authority. My gut feeling is they have exceeded it."

In all, 12 subcommittee chairmen and three committee vice chairmen who voted against the raise were removed or demoted to secretary. One was stripped of leadership in two subcommittees. Democratic lawmakers who voted for the pay hike were moved into the higher-ranking and higher-paid positions.

The Pennsylvania Democratic Caucus. Wonderful.