While salaries for lawmakers have remained frozen at $31,140.90 for a decade, legislators have found other ways to boost their take-home pay. They have boosted their daily allowances, known as per diem, by $40 in the Senate and $21 in the House during the last 10 years. Hamline University Professor David Schultz, an expert in government ethics, said this amounts to a backdoor salary increase.

"They have basically come up with a sort of subterfuge, kind of a hidden way of supplementing their income, which is basically by using the per diem," he said.

Some legislators claim upwards of $35,000, outpacing their annual salary. Lawmakers receive per diem seven days a week during the legislative session. They are also eligible for per diem during a special session and outside of session on days they attend a committee meeting. 

You can look up your legislator's earnings at the Post-Bulletins' database. Here are the per diem earnings of our three DFL SD45 legislators. Keep in mind that they are only about 20 miles from the Capitol and live in a first-ring suburb of Minneapolis.

Rep. Lyndon Carlson (D) 45-B

• 2009: $14,443.79 (he knows we're watching! -Ed)
  
• 2008: $18,491.21
• 2007: $19,808.72

Rep. Sandra Peterson (D) 45-A:

• 2009: $10,179.94
• 2008: $8,826.30
• 2007: $11,525.23

Sen. Ann Rest (D) 45:

• 2009: $17,996.20
• 2008: $20,775.06
• 2007: $25,590.23

At the start of the 2009 legislative session, I received Sen. Ann Rest's Weekly Update e-mail. At the time, the projected state deficit was $4 billion. Today, it's $7 billion. Herein are my deficit reduction ideas.

FIFO: First In, First Out - an accounting term to quantify inventory control, whether finished goods or raw materials. This accounting protocol has a cousin named LIFO: Last In, First Out.

I believe the Legislature needs to employ this technique - LIFO - whereby all increased spending over the last three years needs to experience a line item veto by either the Legislature or the governor.

We had a $2.2 billion budget surplus at the start of last year's session, but due to the recession and the Legislature's insistence to spend money, we are now faced with a $7 billion deficit.

First, all new spending programs instituted during the past three years need to be eliminated. We can no longer afford them. Those programs that were last added in the budget need to be the programs first cut out of the budget. Second, simply employ an across the board spending cut of 10 percent.

This will achieve a balanced budget very quickly. If help is needed in identifying which programs to eliminate, I will be happy to serve. Then, once fiscal stability is reached, we need to ensure that future spending generates a return on investment; if not, then that expenditure needs to be eliminated.

Election 2010 is right around the corner.