SPEAKOUT

I HEARD OUR politicians just got a large raise, or it was just implemented very recently? Please print if this is so, and if they did, when was it passed, who was it passed by, how much is it, to whom, and when do they start getting it? Also, there has been a lot of earthquake activity around the world since Dec. 1. I would like to know every quake, the magnitudes, where, and all the details on each one, please. Part of this information was reported in your Dec. 9 Speak Out, but that's the only place I've seen it, and I know there have been a lot more since then. Your paper hasn't reported on either of these two questions in any news items that I've seen. I wonder why. Maybe it's that Browning wasn't so wrong after all, and the USGS doesn't want to look stupid, so they're censoring the news. Maybe it's not good politics to publish articles about politicians' raises since the public has just been taxed by them again. They only know how to spend and get raises. Please answer each of these truthfully. I feel like it's very newsworthy and I, for one, would like some of this news for a change. Thank you.

We'll gladly provide you information about pay raises for federal officials, if that's what you're asking about, but we must refer you to the Center for Earthquake Studies for information on all other earthquakes that occurred around the world during December. We were happy to inform a caller of the earthquakes that occurred during the first week of December, when interest in them was particularly high, but we prefer that Speak Out not become a column for simply recording everyday events such as earthquakes. The center's number is 651-2168. The USGS does not and is not censoring news pertaining to earthquakes. Articles previously have been published in this newspaper and others about federal pay raises. The Ethics Reform Act, which was signed by the president Nov. 30, 1989, gave a 7.9 percent pay increase last February to U.S. House members, federal judges and senior officials in the executive branch of government. It gave senators a 9.9 percent pay increase last February. It will give House members, federal judges and executive-branch senior officials a 25 percent pay increase effective Jan. 1. Also effective Jan. 1, House members are banned from accepting honoraria, but senators may continue to do so. Senators will not get the 25 percent pay increase next year. The maximum amount of honoraria a senator may receive next year is the same amount senators and House members can receive this year: $26,850. Next year, House members will receive a salary of $120,750 and senators will receive a salary of $101,900. The salary of House members his year is $96,600 and the salary of senators this year is $98,400. All federal employees and senators get a 4 percent cost-of-living adjustment Jan. 1; House members do not receive that adjustment.

I'VE BEEN wondering why none of the politicians have brought up the fact that Congress has given themselves another 35 per cent raise effective Jan. 1. Ralph Nader was on "Inside Edition" and he said the Republicans and Democrats both had signed a pact that if anyone running against an incumbent brought this out before election they would not receive any money. This is really a sad state of affairs when our government can use strong-arm tactics to keep someone from telling the truth. You can call 1-900-786-4040 if you wish to register a complaint. The call costs $2. Thank you.