The residents of the commonwealth of Pennsylvania were victorious this week.

On Wednesday, the General Assembly voted to repeal the controversial midterm pay raises that were passed on July 8, which would have increased the pay of about 1,300 judges, lawmakers and senior officials, including Gov. Ed Rendell.

The Legislature took a thrust at the sensibilities of the people of Pennsylvania, and immediately after the increase, the people offered their retort: There was an outpouring of popular sentiment against the increase. Signs across the commonwealth proliferated, saying "Remember the pay hikes."

Newspapers served a volley of editorials on this topic and it is refreshing that people's inclinations to petition the government for redress still has power to alter the course of legislation.

The Legislature's effort to increase pay during the middle of the term was especially offensive because of the hasty manner with which the Legislature moved the increase through its chambers.

After its passage in July, the Legislature adjourned for a two-month recess, ostensibly hoping that the residents would forget about the maneuver.

As a further affront to the people of the commonwealth, a majority of the 253 legislators began collecting the pay raise before the scheduled 2006 date by using "unvouchered expenses," according to the Associated Press. This premature collection violates a section in the Pennsylvania Constitution, which prohibits legislators' collecting pay raises they may have passed before the start of a new term.

The notion of an increase in payments for public service should not be undertaken without some canvassing of the very public the Legislature represents. There was little public debate for this measure before its proposal and subsequent adoption.

Wednesday's action by the chambers was an attempt at recompense, an attempt at appeasing the will of Pennsylvania's residents.

It is reprehensible, however, that so much time passed between the passage of the increase, the legislators' collecting of state monies and the repeal.

It seems that the lawmakers wanted to pass the pay raise as a way to test the proverbial waters of public opinion. Unable to stay afloat upon that premise, the lawmakers were compelled by public opinion to reverse their initial action.

These funds are now free to be allocated toward other projects that must be addressed in the commonwealth.

It is simply unfortunate that this pay raise issue, which resulted in a clear loss of trust between voters and lawmakers, occurred at all.