Congressional raises ONLY if a corresponding Minimum wage increase

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

Same percentage of increase. Who's with me on this?

[Mythsaje]

1. Not ONE thin dime for congressional pay

without reciprocal raises in minimum wage!

I'm with you.

[Atman]

2. Let's go one step further...demand the de-citizenship of corporations

Nothing will really get fixed in America until corporations are no longer given "human" status.

A PEOPLE PLANK FOR AMERICA

.

[TygrBright]

3. Not one thin dime for rises in Congressional pay...

....PERIOD.

Not until the minimum wage reaches 90% of the Federal poverty level for a family of three.

adamantly,
Bright

[bluestateguy]

4. Lamar Alexander was right 10 years ago

"Cut their pay and send them home"

Still for those term limits, Lamar?

[babylonsister]

5. As I recall, we weren't asked if we were in favor of the last

Congressional raises. So while I hate to be a downer, they'll do what they want regardless of who doesn't like it.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

7. But shouldn't we ask the question and embarrass all of them?

Senator/ and/or Congressman

You felt that the cost of living had increased enough that you felt compelled to increase your own publicly funded salary - why do you deny that the same need for increase is not felt by the most poorly paid among us?

[babylonsister]

11. I totally agree with the premise but feel we haven't been

listened to in far too long. I'm hoping that will change, and know Kennedy, among others, has been fighting to increase the minimum wage, which is long overdue.

[acmejack]

13. You may find these numbers kind of interesting then Phoebe

Their last raise was 66% of the minimum wage if you want break it out hourly. The Congresspeople were making $158,103 and raised it to 165,103 for a differential of $7097. I took minimum wage and figured 52 40 hour weeks which equaled $10,712. So Congress basically figured they were worth $3.41 an hour RAISE predicated on a forty hour week.

Think extended recess at the beginning of the year...

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

14. I do think those numbers are interesting

and I think we all know that they ARE NOT working 52 40 hour weeks. I don't know if anyone knows how many weeks they are actually in session, but it's a heck of a lot less than 52. Plus, don't they get housing and office allowances?

[babylonsister]

16. I think their full work days this year amount to 97 or 98

unless they have to carry anything pressing over (fat chance?). Can you imagine?

[acmejack]

6. I want Congresspeople's pay tied to the median pay in their district

To hell with this $165,200 stuff, lets make it similar to the people they are supposed to be REPRESENTING! I know it's a radical idea, but lets try it...

[MikeNearMcChord]

18. I like that idea!

especially let's see some of the loudmouth red district congressmen living in trailer parks. Also lets also throw an idea the Major General Smedley Butler advocated in his piece de resistance "War is a Rackett"
whenever there is a war, the congressmen get paid the same as E-1 privates.

[Cleita]

8. Also, make them buy their own health insurance.

You will see universal health care for all passed in a nanosecond if that becomes the case.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

9. Another great suggestion! They feed at the public trough -

why shouldn't their recompense be tied and similar to the experience of the general public? And maybe we should get rid of their "fixed benefit" pensions like all the corporations in the country have. Why shouldn't they have self-funded IRAs and 401Ks like the rest of us? Aren't they all (particularly the Repubs) just talking jive when they rail on and on about self-sufficiency and the "ownership society" when they will suck contentedly off the public teat for the rest of their lives?

[Cleita]

10. Exactly. It's time to make them feel what we feel.

Anything they want for their employee benefits, then need to provide for the public at large. Maybe it will sort out the true public servants from the corrupt trough feeders.

[babylonsister]

12. Won't happen. They are federal employees; if they do that

for Congress, I think it would have to apply to 100's of 1,000's of federal employees.

Having said that, I don't know if they have to pay premiums or if it's totally free.

[Cleita]

19. How many federal employees are elected?

I think there could be a distinction between those who are hired as civil service employees and those who are elected.

[babylonsister]

20. Good point, but again, who's voting?

Who oversees the votes Congress makes on their own behalf?

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

15. That idea fits in the "fat chance" catagory.

Like so many other good ideas. Expecting politicians to do anything that doesn't feather their own nests is right up there with publicly financed elections and kicking out the lobbyists.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

17. Until public outrage reaches a critical mass and we all realize

that an actual tottering and failing US threatens every single American. I think we are standing on the brink of another Great Depression. I really do. The US believes it can act with impunity for all its actions. Our greatest threat comes from within and it is called - COMPLACENCY.

We believe that because we were once great we will always be great. History has proven time and time again that past results are no predicator of future success.