<rant>
This problem is not the sole property of American Legislature...
Canadian politicians have been doing the same thing for as long as I can remember, and much like American politicos, the frequency with which it occurs is increasing. What burns me is that our 'new' government in BC not gave themselves a 'raise' soon after the election, they instituted a two-stage minimum-wage, due to pressure from the business lobbyists. They had initially raised the minimum to around 8.50 to 9.00 p/hr ( remember, this is $Canadian, not $US). But bowing to business pressures, they brought about the two-stages part, whereby the employer 'only' has to pay (roughly) 7.75 for the first six months as a probationary period, then after that the wage immediately goes up to the 'recommended' minimum. Gee, what are the chances anyone will be employed for more than six months?...not to mention that minimum wage rarely is properly indexed to the cost of living...
</rant>
Allenb's right, there is a Catch-22, in that reducing government salaries begets temptation, but there's gotta be a way...

zaddikim