No connection?

Excuse us if we seem a little skeptical today, but do you think the reason the meeting on pay raises for legislators and other officials was cancelled could have anything to do with (a) the Republican blockage of a minimum wage increase or (b) lack of action on state employee bargaining contracts?

Both are generating a lot of heat, and it might seem just a tad insensitive for lawmakers to raise their own pay when they won't raise anyone else's.

Not at all, Speaker John Gard's staffer told the AP. Just one of those darned scheduling conflicts.

Gard himself had another version for the Journal Sentinel:

"State Assembly Speaker John Gard (R-Peshtigo), co-chairman of the Committee on Employment Relations, said he wanted to talk about the pay raises with all Assembly Republicans before proceeding. While other state officials got pay raises over the past two years, the $45,569 pay of legislators has not been changed since January 2003, Gard noted."

The minimum wage of $5.15 an hour has not been changed in seven years, but Gard did not note that.