UFB! Another Pay Raise For Congress?

[stopbush]

Must be nice to not only have a job but to be able to vote yourself a raise EVERY F*CKING YEAR!!

From CBS News:

The House on Thursday approved a 2.2 percent pay raise for Congress — slightly less than average wage increases in private business but enough to boost lawmakers' annual salaries to about $158,000 next year. The House members decided to allow themselves a fifth straight cost-of-living raise after rejecting them for several years during the 1990s. Their annual pay has risen from $136,700 in 1999 to about $158,000 in 2004 (note: a 15% increase in only 5 years!!), if the legislation clears Congress and is signed by the president. Their salary this year is $154,700.

(snip)

Only one House member — Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah — voiced objections to the congressional increase during the debate.

(snip)

Without counting outside sources of income, the earnings of members of Congress rank within the top 5 percent of the nation.

(snip)

Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., who has contested congressional pay raises in the past, intends to oppose it again when it reaches the Senate floor, his office said.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/09/04/politics/printable571629.shtml

[whathappened]

1. wtf

is wrong with these people , the country is in the shitter and all they got on there minds is money for themselfs , dam this pisses me off big time

[NewJerseyDem]

2. not really

According to the law they get a small pay raise every year. However, they can decide not to take that pay raise. They decided against taking any action to stop the pay raise from taking place.

[Positron]

3. To be quite frank, $140,000 is really not a lot of money

..not when you have to maintain both your home district residence AND find housing in expensive DC. Plus these guys have workloads that would kill a mule. I think they probably earn it.

[NewJerseyDem]

4. I agree

I don't really understand why everyone wants congressmen to make less money. There are a lot of congressmen who aren't rich and they have to take care of their families. Living in DC and very possibly an expensive place like NYC or CT can cost a lot of money.

[lcordero]

6. that's garbage

They get reimbursed for all of work related costs, that includes housing, mileage and per diem.

[NewJerseyDem]

21. Housing? Per diem?

I really don't think that they get free housing or per diem. There was an attempt in 1999 to have per diem pay but the House decided against it. They don't get free housing. Some congressmen have big townhouses while others share apartments. You would think that it would be more even if the government was paying for it. They do get reimbursed for travel but many of them have to take plane trips back and forth across the country every weekend. That is very expensive even though they pay coach and fly first class.

[CWebster]

23. Then there are all those perks from lobbyists

We actually had a decent congressman who was brought down in that big investigation of congressional excesses--back in the days when they used to actually investigate the government.

[Clovis Sangrail]

5. BULLSHIT!!!!!!!

House them on a military base in DC and pay them the AVERAGE WAGE of their constituents.

I will NEVER understand how somebody who makes more than 3 times the average pay of their constituents, has the ULTIMATE retirement package, and has ZERO reason to be concerned about health care can be AT ALL REPRESENTITIVE of the people.

[lcordero]

7. 3 times?!?!?!?

Try 4 to 5 times what the average person makes.

[Clovis Sangrail]

8. I was saying 3 to be on the safe side

because I don't have the a source for numbers at hand, and to allow for fluctuations based on district.

[Positron]

12. Gotta be smart, man....Why would the best people in a district

give up successful careers to go to Washington and earn what a Wal-Mart associate makes? These people have families to support, too.

[lcordero]

13. well let them earn it in the private sector rather than out of MY paycheck

[sandnsea]

9. Poor babies

In 1955 Congressional salaries were $12,500, median income was $4300. Right about 3 times the median. Now the best I could find was median household income, which usually includes 2 earners these days, which is around $42,000. The $155,000 is coming close to being 4 times the median, 3 times would only be $126,000. Not to mention their health care and retirement plans and whatever else they get. They should have voted to reject this thing, they're asking everybody else to take cuts, including veterans and the military. Total bullshit.

[lcordero]

11. Don't forget all of the money laundering that they do with contributions

2 earners making $42,000 equals $21,000 for one person. Sad isn't it?

[ISUGRADIA]

10. Yes, they work so hard

compared to the workers at meat packing plants in Iowa who make $7 or $8 an hour with crappy insurance or farmworkers or a lot other underappreciated people in this country.

Members of Congress have great perks, great pensions, and are doing something they campaigned for. They could show a little restraint during a recession when a lot of people are losing their jobs or are getting no pay raises or even cuts to their pay, meager as it already is.

[AP]

17. They deserve more than a starting salary for a lawyer at a major law firm

If you want people smarter than first year lawyers, you have to pay them more than first year lawyers. I'm not saying that political power and the opportunity to good with it shouldn't be its own reward, I'm just saying that 140K is low, considering what you expect from these people.

[CWebster]

20. Big mistake

if you think that mega-bucks is the major indicator to attract the best people than you get corporate CEOs.

[ButterflyBlood]

14. Feingold is awesome on this

he won't even accept pay raises. every time Congress passes one he returns his share to the US Treasury.

[TheYellowDog]

15. So does

Ron Paul. Ron Paul also returns the money that he does not use for office maintenance to the treasury. Feingold is the only other rep/senator I can think of.

[sandnsea]

16. My Rep has a scholarship fund

I don't know what my Senators do, I'll have to check that out. But this amount of money is ridiculous and it keeps growing more than it should because it's percentages. This needs to be stopped.

[ET Awful]

18. My objection is this . . .

Didn't they just roll back the pay increase for the military and pretty much every other branch of governent (from a 3% increase back to 1% increase or some such).

So, they give themselves a regular raise, but cut back the raise to everyone else?

Doesn't sound right to me (okay, so it sounds RIGHT, just not the correct thing to do) :).

[CWebster]

19. While wages stay stagnant for the rest of us.

Now that is a question I would like to see asked in the debates-

Considering the current state of the economy and the fiscal crisis concerning the deficit, how did you, Kerry, Gephardt, Edwards, Graham, Kucinich vote concerning hiking your own salary at the tax-payer's expense?


What do you want to bet---10 to 1, that you won't get a straight answer?

Russ Feingold...again, is the only member worthy of Wellstone's mantle.

[killbotfactory]

22. They are doing a horrible job.

They need a pay cut.

[burr]

24. Are you a weirdo...another one of those American hating softees?

Trying making trouble? Republicans love America! Maybe you should leave just it. Congress was made by God fearing, christains who know the meaning of work not tax and spend Communism. They believe in churches, not bigamy or sodomy. Strength, not uppity havard lawisms! Guns , not buttery handouts for those who are befriending the terrorists! Bullets...not ballots, this isn't a Democracy dammit!

If you want a payraise ask for it, get off your rearend and EAARN IT... DON't whine when patriot christains get it. TIME ta kick some ass! :kick: