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Can we all agree?

Texan

Well-known member
Surely we can all agree that it's disgusting for Congress to get another raise?

Why don't Congressional 'leaders' show some leadership and stop this? They seem to be worried about everyone else's salaries, so why aren't they concerned that they are WAY overpaid?

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With economy in shambles, Congress gets a raise
By Jordy Yager
Posted: 12/17/08 05:41 PM [ET]

A crumbling economy, more than 2 million constituents who have lost their jobs this year, and congressional demands of CEOs to work for free did not convince lawmakers to freeze their own pay.

Instead, they will get a $4,700 pay increase, amounting to an additional $2.5 million that taxpayers will spend on congressional salaries, and watchdog groups are not happy about it.

“As lawmakers make a big show of forcing auto executives to accept just $1 a year in salary, they are quietly raiding the vault for their own personal gain,” said Daniel O’Connell, chairman of The Senior Citizens League (TSCL), a non-partisan group. “This money would be much better spent helping the millions of seniors who are living below the poverty line and struggling to keep their heat on this winter.”

However, at 2.8 percent, the automatic raise that lawmakers receive is only half as large as the 2009 cost of living adjustment of Social Security recipients.

Still, Steve Ellis, vice president of the budget watchdog Taxpayers for Common Sense, said Congress should have taken the rare step of freezing its pay, as lawmakers did in 2000.

“Look at the way the economy is and how most people aren’t counting on a holiday bonus or a pay raise — they’re just happy to have gainful employment,” said Ellis. “But you have the lawmakers who are set up and ready to get their next installment of a pay raise and go happily along their way.”

Member raises are often characterized as examples of wasteful spending, especially when many constituents and businesses in members’ districts are in financial despair.

Rep. Harry Mitchell, a first-term Democrat from Arizona, sponsored legislation earlier this year that would have prevented the automatic pay adjustments from kicking in for members next year. But the bill, which attracted 34 cosponsors, failed to make it out of committee.

“They don’t even go through the front door. They have it set up so that it’s wired so that you actually have to undo the pay raise rather than vote for a pay raise,” Ellis said.

Freezing congressional salaries is hardly a new idea on Capitol Hill.

Lawmakers have floated similar proposals in every year dating back to 1995, and long before that. Though the concept of forgoing a raise has attracted some support from more senior members, it is most popular with freshman lawmakers, who are often most vulnerable.

In 2006, after the Republican-led Senate rejected an increase to the minimum wage, Democrats, who had just come to power in the House with a slew of freshmen, vowed to block their own pay raise until the wage increase was passed. The minimum wage was eventually increased and lawmakers received their automatic pay hike.

In the beginning days of 1789, Congress was paid only $6 a day, which would be about $75 daily by modern standards. But by 1965 members were receiving $30,000 a year, which is the modern equivalent of about $195,000.

Currently the average lawmaker makes $169,300 a year, with leadership making slightly more. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) makes $217,400, while the minority and majority leaders in the House and Senate make $188,100.

Ellis said that while freezing the pay increase would be a step in the right direction, it would be better to have it set up so that members would have to take action, and vote, for a pay raise and deal with the consequences, rather than get one automatically.

“It is probably never going to be politically popular to raise Congress’s salary,” he said. “I don’t think you’re going to find taxpayers saying, ‘Yeah I think I should pay my congressman more’.”



http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/with-economy-in-shambles-congress-gets-a-raise-2008-12-17.html
 

alice

Well-known member
I'd say their timing is pretty crappy. One would think they would put their money where their mouth is and graciously forgo a raise this year...like my husband's company, and I'm sure many others, is going to have to do.

Those sanctimonious b'tards.

Alice
 

fff

Well-known member
Can we agree? I don't know. Tell me how many hours of spending in Iraq the raise equates to, then I'll decide. :mad:
 

Mahoney-Pursley Ranch

Well-known member
Washington DC needs to set an example to the rest of the nation. The politicians expect everyone else to cut back. It needs to start there. They should all work for $1.00 a year as far as I'm concerned. They sure don't need the money.
 

kolanuraven

Well-known member
Faster horses said:
:agree:

only not with Kola

:disagree:

:lol2: :lol2:

:help:

:gag:

:stop:

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:


Woman, you know that AHOLE blames Clinton for EVERYTHING that has ever happened.....or will ever happen.

Frankly, I think the boy has the hots of ol' Billy :wink:
 

Mahoney-Pursley Ranch

Well-known member
reader (the Second) said:
Mahoney-Pursley Ranch said:
Washington DC needs to set an example to the rest of the nation. The politicians expect everyone else to cut back. It needs to start there. They should all work for $1.00 a year as far as I'm concerned. They sure don't need the money.

I agree with your first point absolutely. I don't expect them to work for nothing because they do have to support families like everyone else and their jobs require a lot of travel and dressing up, but they should have known better. It's disgusting.


Yup they got families to support like everyone else and they do need to travel alot and look decent. The fact is most of them are filthy rich already and could afford to work for $1.00 a year.

The politicians going to give up the private jets and limos like they want GM,Ford & Chrysler CEO's to do ? I doubt it. Im not saying these CEO's or any others shouldn't cut back but it needs to start in Washington.
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
My My ain't it wonderful, we have the best government in the world that money can buy.
 

aplusmnt

Well-known member
kolanuraven said:
alice said:
VanC said:
It's gotta be President Bush's fault. :p

Nah, it's Clinton's!!!! :p

Alice


You are the echo of AHOLE....he blames Clinton for everything to his latest gas pain to the financial crisis of today.

I do blame Clinton for the financial problems, but I blame you for my gas problems! :wink:


Ps. If Clinton is the one that signed the legislation that led to the mess then I guess he has to share the blame! Guess if Clinton is the one that let the Muslim Terrorist attack us multiple times with no real attack on them then he has to share the blame for 911. Facts are Facts!

I place blame where it deserves, just like I blame Bush for big spending. You would think he was a Liberal the way it likes to spend us out of messes!
 

aplusmnt

Well-known member
fff said:
Can we agree? I don't know. Tell me how many hours of spending in Iraq the raise equates to, then I'll decide. :mad:

What a Rerarded answer! :roll: What does the cost of a war have to do with rather Congress deserves or should take a raise? You are the most partisan person to ever leave a message on this board! :roll:

Ps. Wonder how many of the Democrats voted for that war? Would that change your view on rather they deserve a raise? O yea I forget the gullible Democrats were so dumb to do their own research that Ole little Bush out smarted them and forced them to vote for it..........Stupid, ridiculous IDIOTS!
 
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