Congress gets a raise

[oldhardhead]

Congress gets a raise

What, you know, with the good economy and all like that, I'm sure they think they deserve it.

This is just the kind of positive news that instills a great deal of respect for the (D) majority party in Congress.

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 [snip] “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,”

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.

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’.”

Yeah, you are correct Rep. Harry Mitchell, first-term Democrat. If they were doing a good job, I might be inclinded to pay them more. As it stands today....

they didn't even get your bill out of committeee, they had to work on the(ir) economy!


TheHill.com - With economy in shambles, Congress gets a raise

[Pineygirl]

Wonder if I'll get a $4,700 raise this year?
Or you?
Or anyone else who works for private companies that are streamlining costs?

Thank you, Democrats, for being soooooooo good with our money!

[proudrepub1]

But they have been so effective! I think Pelosi should be getting even more, I mean look at how many bills they have successfully passed...... Oh wait.... only a few token bills in the last year. Nevermind. Americans are IDIOTS, we deserve this screwing!

[SAdams]

You would think that this Congress, who gave billions of dollars to Wall Street after blaming the Bush Administration and are now pointing their fingers at the Auto Industry and making demands for fiscal responsibility would have stopped this raise. Go figure.

Isn't what this Democratic Congress tauted when the Dems took over control of the Congress? There would be finally fiscal responsibility and that they were not like the last party that controlled Congress?

Congress, past and present, has shown their colors and who they bow to. Let the "Special Interest" groups and Wall Street pay their salaries. All this money for salaries should be returned along with their benefits and perks. Let those who control this Congress pay their way.

Stupid move on their part IMO. Very easy to overturn this law they passed. But then again, it's all about them, isn't it? They make the hard decisions, right?

[Pineygirl]

Originally Posted by SAdams

Stupid move on their part IMO. Very easy to overturn this law they passed. But then again, it's all about them, isn't it? They make the hard decisions, right?

And they know that, even with an approval rating in the tens, they'll still get re-elected by their loyal party fans.

Their theme should be:

What...me worry???

[proudrepub1]

I would love to file a class action lawsuit against congress. Lets start with their base pay before the raise. We pay them what? for how many bills successfully passed? They are crooks and I want a refund!

[blockerhead]

congress won't even respond to Petitions for Redress, as stated in the 1st Amendment.

[oldhardhead]

Originally Posted by proudrepub1

I would love to file a class action lawsuit against congress. Lets start with their base pay before the raise. We pay them what? for how many bills successfully passed? They are crooks and I want a refund!

They've been piling on laws, restrictions, taxes, fees and spending for over 200 years. We need less, not more. I'd like to see them start repealing them. The one that says they get an automatic raise would be a good place to start.

There were (2005) 9,097,000 words in the Federal tax code, including regulations.

in 2005, it was 11 times as long as the bible, and it's growing.

The Tax Foundation - Number of Words in Internal Revenue Code and Federal Tax Regulations, 1955-2005

There are 783,137 words in the King James bible.
King James Bible facts

Just the income tax code was 1.2 million words.

Do they deserve a raise? You can send them an email:

Congress.org -