You could say that Santa Claus made a pre-season stop to Pennsylvania's state government chambers in Harrisburg on Thursday. But the gift to state lawmakers, an automatic pay raise, is one lawmakers gave themselves.

Thanks to a law written in 1995 and thanks to Philadelphia's Consumer Price Index, the highest in the state, members of the General Assembly received an automatic 3 percent pay raise, bringing the salary for most lawmakers to $82,026 — and to $128,048 for leaders.

It is a generous holiday gift amid the economic difficulties many of the lawmakers' constituents currently are experiencing. But in many lawmakers' minds, who more than they deserve a bump-up in pay?

However, consider the view of John Baer, a Philadelphia Daily News columnist, as he reflected on the impending raise.

“After all, they're often in session two or three days a week, 25 weeks a year,” Baer said.

“It's unrelated to merit or performance.

“It's not tied to reforms or progress.

“It has nothing to do with passing budgets on time or actions to lower unemployment.

“It's automatic. And it's based on Philly's Consumer Price Index because that's always the highest in the state.”

Baer acknowledges that some of the lawmakers have pledged to give back their raises or donate them to charity. Nevertheless, the extra money still will boost their pensions, and they'll be able to claim the charitable giving on their federal income tax return, lowering their tax obligation.

Baer points out that Pennsylvania's lawmakers aren't the highest-paid in the nation, just the second-highest paid, behind California's $95,291. However, the Golden State has only 120 lawmakers, compared with the Keystone State's 253, the nation's largest “full-time” Legislature.

Pennsylvania taxpayers were furious about the July 2005 middle-of-the-night pay raise vote that eventually was repealed due to that furor. Considering the difficult economic times many state residents continue to experience, this automatic raise merits anger also — even if Santa had delivered the gift.

Those who enjoy the Butler-Freeport Community Trail no doubt experienced great satisfaction with the news that a proposed 26-mile trail will link Butler-Freeport to a 10-acre park at Pittsburgh's Aspinwall Marina.But more important than a link to the park is that the proposed trail represents the missing link for Butler-Freeport Trail users to travel from here to Washington, D.C., if they choose.The trail segment that is in the planning stages would follow the Allegheny River and run between Millvale and Harrison, where it would connect to Butler-Freeport.At its Millvale end, the trail would connect to 22 miles of Pittsburgh trails.“That connection is huge for Butler,” said Chris Ziegler, president of the Butler-Freeport Community Trail Council.As reported in an article in the Nov. 30 Butler Eagle, bicycle riders currently must start in Pittsburgh if they plan to ride to Washington.“I'm glad to see they finally have a plan,” Ziegler said. “From what I understand, there is a realistic plan.”Ziegler said it was her understanding that, for safety reasons, the trail would have to be routed around railroad tracks still in use along the river. She said an ideal route for the trail would be a mix of shared roads with cars and converted railroad lines, taking into consideration the rights of private property owners along the river banks.The missing link has been a long time coming, but Butler-Freeport trail users are understandably excited about the opportunities that the trail link will present.The Friends of the Riverfront, the group that acquired the marina recently, merits praise for its efforts on behalf of resolving the missing link.

The many people — including Santa Claus — who attended Butler’s first Christmas Light-Up Night on Nov. 26 were treated to a memorable event that they hope will be repeated in 2012 and beyond.Not only did the three-hour event attract a large crowd due to the amount of entertainment that was available, but attendance also was enhanced by comfortable temperatures not always present at this time of the year.The one somber aspect of the occasion was that former Main Street Manager Becky Smith, who helped create the event, did not live to see the enjoyable product of her work. She died in a car crash in September.But the celebration was a tribute to her hard work and enthusiasm, and to her confidence in the city’s future.While one light-up attendee expressed puzzlement as to why Main Street wasn’t closed off for the event, the celebration was not deterred from being a successful event because of the traffic flowing through the business district at that time.In fact, some of those who passed through the downtown might be encouraged enough by what they saw to consider coming to next year’s event.To its credit, the light-up celebration included ample entertainment not only for children, but also for adults. And the businesses that participated deserve praise for showing not only the spirit of the holidays but also the kind of spirit needed for a vibrant downtown.Indeed, Butler Light-Up Night should remain an annual event.