At least you can say legislators didn't go spend-crazy by giving Huntsman and two dozen top executives 3.5 percent raises this year — another bill killed Wednesday. That should save some cash.

And Legislators didn't selfishly vote themselves a pay raise this year, either.

You see, several years ago legislators passed a law that says the Legislature automatically gets any pay raise suggested by the Legislative Compensation Commission unless a bill is passed lowering or denying those raises.

And since no bill was passed in the 2006 Legislature doing either, come the first of the year lawmakers will get a modest $10-a-day raise.

It may be true that there are two things you don't want to see — the making of sausage and the making of laws.

But I think you might understand the reasoning behind sausage-making. Good luck comprehending the decisions of the Utah Legislature.

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Deseret Morning News political editor Bob Bernick Jr. may be reached by e-mail at bbjr@desnews.com