This one doesn’t really need much commentary from me. It kind of speaks for itself.
As Americans across the country grapple with one of the worst financial crises since the Great Depression, members of Congress quietly are getting a pay raise.
Each lawmaker’s annual salary is due for a $4,700 cost-of-living increase starting in January, which will amount to a cost to taxpayers of $2.5 million in 2009, infuriating watchdog groups.
Yup. I’m a little on the “infuriated” side too. But I’m a dumb conservative, grassroots hick. What the hell do I know? It’s good to know that there are some members of Congress looking to overturn this crap.
Earlier this year, Rep. Harry Mitchell, a first-term Democrat from Arizona, introduced legislation that would have stopped the automatic pay adjustments from kicking in for members next year. But the bill, which drew 34 cosponsors, died in committee.
Two other members of Congress, Rep. Dan Burton, R-Ind, and Rep. Gresham Barrett, R-SC, also tried to block the wages but didn’t get very far. Burton plans to return his pay increase to the Treasury Department.
“As we face the most challenging economic crisis in our history, and with many Americans and Hoosiers enduring personal financial hardships, I am opposed to any pay increase for members of Congress in 2009,” he said in a written statement. He said he’ll try again next year.
But I don’t hear a huge outcry from the rest of Congress. And you won’t hear much of an outcry from the public – this is stealth, people. I guess Congress got tired of the typical public votes for pay raises and finally decided to institute a recurring scheme in order to duck accountability. I’m sure the GOP was just as responsible as Dems for this BS. They’re all in it for the wrong reasons. That’s becoming more apparent everyday.
steveflesher
Philip
Mel Maguire
Mark Ciavola
Comments
Congress does not need to give itself a pay raise. The average wages of an American are regressing and not increase. Therefore, Congress does not deserve a pay raise.
In normal times, Congress should get a COLA based on the Employment Cost Index (ECI) minus 1/2%.
When the economy contracts, Congress does not get a raise.
We all knew they were corrupt. This just further proves the notion that they’re not in it for us.
This is great, Pelosi–way to run the most ethical Congress ever!
I hate it.
This pay raise thing doesn’t irritate me. If we want to talk about pay reform in Congress then lets start with this idea that a person who was elected in 2008 for the first time gets the same base pay as someone who has been on his or her Congressional job for 10 or 20 years.
I don’t know of any profession where a rookie right out of the gate earns as much as the guy or gal whose been at it for 20 years. Well some rookie pro atheltes earn it big early on.
FYI, my firm overall had a bad year. I however did well. Should I forgo my annual bonus?
Maybe some people in Congress did great work this year. Shouldn’t they be rewarded for that work?
My bent is this. If people can’t financially afford to hold office then only the wealthy will run for office. I was raised in a state where the state politicians were paid very little and the quality of these people reflected that. I remember one year where the winning candidate in a state House district had to file for bankruptcy and give up his elected seat so he could go out and get a job. Trust me, we don’t want leadership like that.