Congressman: We’re underpaid!

[spanone]

Virginia Democratic Rep. James Moran thinks members of Congress aren’t getting paid enough.

Moran and his colleagues make $174,000 a year, but he says that’s not enough money to live comfortably in the nation’s capital.

“Our pay has been frozen for three years and we’re planning on freezing it a fourth year. … A lot of members can’t even afford to live decently in Washington,” Moran told CQ Roll Call.

Moran is looking to do something about it. He plans to introduce an amendment to raise members’ salary to an unspecified figure, according to the report. He’s not optimistic the bill will go anywhere – “this is wholly quixotic,” he told the paper – but he hopes it will highlight what he sees as a hardship for elected officials.

http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/congress-underpaid-moran

[lostincalifornia]

1. I think it is time for moran and others like him to find another line of work.

[spanone]

2. i suggest they get the minimum wage at tops.

[lostincalifornia]

13. that is even better

[Xithras]

69. I'd be more generous. Fix it at 10x minimum wage. The numbers work.

Presuming a full time salary, that would give them a current wage of $146k a year, which is reasonable for a high level public employee.

If Congresscritters wants to make $200k a year, they'd just need to raise the federal minimum wage to $9.60 an hour. If they want $250k, they have to raise the minimum wage to $12 an hour. And so on...

[Voice for Peace]

86. ++++

[Wounded Bear]

83. This came to my mind also....

Great idea.

[onehandle]

3. I would agree to doubling their salaries if their campaigns were publically funded...

...and they were banned from lobbying after their terms.

[SunsetDreams]

4. Yeah it's really a hardship

to go there and sit on your dairy air.

[City Lights]

5. So live uncomfortably...like the rest of us.

Pinch pennies. Clip coupons. Make your meals at home.

[LuvNewcastle]

64. And they can commute, too, just like most Americans.

If Washington's too expensive (what he really means is the wealthy neighborhoods are too expensive), live in a cheaper fucking town. I'm sure there's some vestige of common sense left in his head.

[arcane1]

73. I would even support public housing for reps and senators

They can stay there for the duration of their term(s) and then make room for the next one.

[liberal N proud]

6. That must be why they have to take all the cash from the likes of the Koch's

[think]

38. So why not pay them more and MAKE it ILLEGAL to take corporate money?

We'll pay pro athletes, actors, and others millions of dollars each year to entertain us but we pay the people who oversee a 4 trillion dollar annual budget for our country only a 6 figure salary?

It's a disconnect that is surreal in my mind. No wonder the govt sucks and corporations are taking us to the cleaners.

Sure they should do the right thing out of loyalty and patriotism but it is very evident that they don't.....

[frylock]

43. why are athletes always held up as an example?

why do actors and entertainers get a free pass?

[think]

45. It's easier & quicker to find an example of a salary

of a high paid athlete on Google and I'm lazy....

[frylock]

50. here ya go..

http://www.forbes.com/celebrities/
http://www.forbes.com/athletes/

[think]

57. Thanks. Forgot about celebrities that aren't actors /nt

[think]

52. Post edited to pick on all entertainers rather than just pro athletes.

My apologies for being lazy...

Here's a list of top paid actors and actresses. Robert Downey Jr., Iron Man, tops the list making a cool $75 million in one year to entertain us:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/dorothypomerantz/2013/07/16/robert-downey-jr-tops-forbes-list-of-hollywoods-highest-paid-actors/

[LuvNewcastle]

67. We ought to quit paying them at all as long as they're taking money

from the Kochs, et al. If the rich are the only ones with access to them anyway, let the rich take care of them.

[geckosfeet]

7. What an elitist pos. Just so far out of touch it is staggering.

[Major Nikon]

8. Meanwhile all federal employees in DC are prohibited from having a higher salary than congressmen

[former9thward]

21. What?

Last edited Fri Apr 4, 2014, 12:02 PM - Edit history (1)

Hundreds of federal employees make more than Congressmen.

http://www.wikiorgcharts.com/stats/top1000/agency_0/perpage_500/

[Major Nikon]

31. There are a few eligible for special rates

The vast majority of federal employees are not in that situation.

The GS pay scale tops out at 157100.
https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/salary-tables/14Tables/html/DCB.aspx

Even the executive pay scale tops out at $201,700.
https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/salary-tables/14Tables/exec/html/EX.aspx

[former9thward]

42. Not sure what your definition of a "few" is.

Number 1000 on the list makes $216,000 a year -- far more than a Congressman -- and is an accountant. My list only goes to the top 1000 in salary. How many make more than 175,000 -- who knows. I say it is more than a "few".

[Major Nikon]

62. There are over 2.5 million civilian federal employees

Even if the number were 25,000 it would still be a fraction of a percent.

[pinboy3niner]

9. Get a Brain, Moran

You are seriously out of touch.

[sufrommich]

10. Sufrommich: No,you're not! nt

[Jamaal510]

75. +1

[JDPriestly]

11. Maybe the federal government should build some public housing for members of Congres and their

staffs?

Why not?

Sure would beat giving the deadbeats a raise.

Let them live in crowded, public housing. Maybe we could throw in a social worker or two to ease their discomfort and deal with their social maladjustment.

Imagine what would happen if members of Congress were paid the same amount as the average American working person and prohibited from using money beyond that salary. (I know this is not possible. Just asking what if.) We would have a very different crowd in Congress and get very different results.

[TexasTowelie]

12. I haven't read about any of them living in homeless shelters, going to food pantries or seeking

medical care at non-profit clinics.

Once I start reading such articles, then I'll actually believe their statements about not being able to afford live decently.

[surrealAmerican]

14. The median household income in DC ...

... is $86,680 - the highest of any city in the US. If we assume that members of congress are all the sole wage earners of their families, and that they have no income other than their salaries, they're still earning nearly twice as much as the average wage earning family.

Rep. Moran needs a serious reality check.

[think]

15. If you consider the amount of OUR money they oversee

yes, they are underpaid. And that is why corporations can buy so much influence.

We should pay them for performance and for working for US. Pay them like we pay CEOs and pro athletes.


No more "book deals", elaborate speaking contracts, and lobbying jobs for 5 years after leaving service.

Let's face it. You get what you pay for......

[closeupready]

16. Too fucking bad. Even $174,000 is too much for a do NOTHING Congress.

[Iggo]

17. No, Congressman....WE'RE underpaid!!!

[hobbit709]

18. How about we pay them piecework.

No legislation passed, no pay.

[undeterred]

19. How about we send them a power point presentation on making a sack lunch.

That should save some money.

[RadiationTherapy]

20. Yes, thank you Democratic Congressperson for making this an issue

so close to mid-terms. Very helpful and resonant with citizens to be sure.

[leftynyc]

22. Then get the fuck out

and get another job. Anyone who votes yes on that bill should be automatically primaried and kicked to the curb.

[sendero]

23. Wahhhhhh..

... your overpay has been frozen. Do you have a CLUE what is going on outside the beltway? People would be THRILLED with frozen pay, or any pay at all.

Go ahead and push your bill. Anyone who votes for it won't have to worry about congressional pay any longer. Asshole.

[undeterred]

24. WAGES FOR THE REST OF US HAVE BEEN FROZEN FOR YEARS

YOU WANT A RAISE? DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.

[Aerows]

25. Considering how many days they actually work

and what they actually get done, they are lucky they make anything exceeding minimum wage. Many of them are millionaires, too.

[Skidmore]

26. Visit his FB page and let him know what you think about

this. A Dem should not be proposing this until wages of Americans go up. $10.10.

[Jesus Malverde]

27. Wow what an JERK..

Talk about out of touch with his party and the common man.

[Fumesucker]

28. Barracks for Senators and Congressmen

Kind of like a posh-ish homeless shelter is the ambiance I think would do.

Think student housing at a small Mississippi agricultural college.

[arcane1]

74. I was thinking more along the lines of a modest apartment complex n/t

[Fumesucker]

80. Watergate would do..

[riqster]

29. Waaaaah.

[Phlem]

30. What's this, another whining DINO?

Please, let the door hit you on your way out, POS.

-p

[progressoid]

32. Feel free to look for another job Jim.

[oldandhappy]

33. Pay them by the day

for the days they actually are in session. Ha Ha

Per Diem means by the 24 hour time slot so if they show up Tues night and go home again on Thurs morning, they get day of pay.

[riqster]

34. Go here to comment:

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10101413766367676&id=100123453059

[Capt. Obvious]

35. .

[Buns_of_Fire]

36. Trolling for CARE packages, is he?

Okay, I'll bite. Perhaps everyone in his district should send the poor little darlin' a CARE package. Definitely include week-old bread and baloney. Lots of baloney. And several tubes of Chap-Stick (I'm sure their lips take a beating, what with all the butt-bussing).

[Enrique]

37. too bad he's required to stay in that terrible underpaid job for his entire life

oh wait...

[SamKnause]

39. Fuck you and all the filth in DC.

Try working for minimum wage.

Try living on $1060.00 per month if you are disabled.

Corrupt overpaid con artists.

[SummerSnow]

40. What brand of crack are they smoking now?

[polichick]

41. Then stop being a Congressman and collect your fat pension while lobbying...

like everybody else.

[hughee99]

44. Rep Moran is FROM Alexandria Virginia.

His congressional district is right next to D.C. He's one of the few that can reasonably commute from home.

[n2doc]

49. Good Catch n/t

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

46. Abraham Lincoln

He reminds one of the man who murdered both his parents, and then pleaded for mercy on the grounds that he was an orphan. - Abraham Lincoln

[Lochloosa]

47. I'm going to get blasted but I agree with him and here is why.

I have a step-brother that is a U.S. Congressman. He has to maintain his home on the west coast and live in DC during the week.

When he first came to DC he shared an apartment with 3 other Reps. Even that became to expensive.

He sleeps in his office now.

It's expensive to live in the DC area.

[n2doc]

48. One can rent a nice 1 bd apartment in the area for under 2K a month

That's 24K a year. Leaves a lot left over.

http://dc.about.com/od/rentals/a/Washington-Dc-Apartment-Rental-Rates.htm

And this doesn't mean living in a crappy part of town.

It all depends, I guess, on what sort of lifestyle you are living back at home.

[Lochloosa]

51. Look up the tax rates for 170K then deduct plane flights, food, two kids etc. and 24K is a lot.

Yes, he has a nice home but it's very middle class.

Trust me, if he could afford an apartment he would rather do that than sleep on his office couch.

[n2doc]

54. I know what the tax rates are

And all those expenses are tax deductible. I lived in DC on 42K a year, with a small family.

He has made the choice to live that way. I don't blame him, I would probably minimize my expenses in DC if I had a family back home too. But it is a deliberate decision, not a forced one.

I doubt there will be a lot of sympathy from the average American Family making less than 50K a year, before taxes.

[Lochloosa]

60. Point taken. I'm not saying he is broke.

But there are a lot of hidden expenses to living away from home.

[TheSarcastinator]

61. your step-brother has my deepest sympathies

...and they are very deep indeed.

[Lochloosa]

68. I'll thank him for you.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

53. Right

That's why one's net worth goes up substantially when they serve in Congress.

[think]

55. So where does all that extra wealth come from if we're not paying it to them?

And how does that influence how they govern?

[Zorra]

56. $174,000 + even more in "tips", + great bennies, is more than adequate pay. nt

[Boom Sound 416]

58. Isnt he retiring?

Bold stance

[octoberlib]

59. They're all millionaires and need to

stop their whining.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

63. I'll say what I've said in the past.

Set up a college style dorm and cafeteria in DC for Congressmen. Don't make them actually find apartments and food in DC. Then actually pay them LESS, not more.

[FlyByNight]

65. Leave then

Or live outside of DC. Try to adapt, like the rest of us do.

Please congressman, STFU.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

66. with all due respect, Fuck you - James Moran. I hope you are voted OUT.

[arcane1]

70. Satire is officially dead.

I wonder if this dumb-ass would be willing to tie congressional pay to the minimum wage? Raise one, you have to raise the other by the same percentage?

[ck4829]

71. They should be paid the same as the average American since they're supposed to represent them

And if they take a paycut then it's up to them to fix it by improving the lot of everyone else.

[Rex]

72. I don't fucking care, drop out of politics and let someone else do it then.

I am fed up with Congress! FUCK THEM. Where is the cost of living raise for the average worker that has been denied since the 1970s!?
Sorry, but I have no sympathy for any Congress critter. Don't like the job? Stand aside and let another Dem run for office!

[Jamaal510]

76. James here is such a moran. nt

[notadmblnd]

77. Well, he's always free to seek employment elsewhere

Besides, he's not even doing the job he was hired to do, so why should he get a raise?

[choie]

78. considering that under Boehner

they work less than a full week and have numerous vacations and so-called breaks, I say....shove it!

[840high]

79. lol - try living on my social security.

[nykym]

81. Cry Me a River

Estimated wealth

$266,507 in 2010

[SummerSnow]

82. Oh but raising the minimum wage is bad for the country?

They shouldn't get shit. Congressmen don't even work.

[politicat]

84. Fine, let's fix it. Congressional dorms. Appropriate the money.

There's no reason they should have to support two homes, so let's build them a dorm. My grandmother lives in a 2 room assisted living apartment of about 300 square feet with a bedroom, living room, kitchenette, bathroom and closet. I think that's perfectly acceptable for people who only have a 4 day work week.

We won't make them share rooms, but their dorm assignments need to be random and they move every year (none of this perks of being an incumbent business.) It costs about $10 million to build a high rise hotel in the DC area; that's a jobs program for a while. It'll cost about $500,000 a year to keep a 535 room building heated, cooled and with water flowing through the pipes. Again, a jobs program. They can even have meeting and social areas, like all dorms. (My university just built some very nice ones -- this is not an unknown, unquantifiable project.) heck, give 'em a cafeteria.

Public service is not a money making scheme.

I'm serious about the dorm, though. I am very tired of hearing how destitute the millionaires in Congress are. If they're so poor, they should be willing to find a permanent solution that benefits everyone.

[IronLionZion]

85. Dude lives across the bridge from DC

I used to live in his very liberal district, which is Arlington/Alexandria, VA.

I get that it is expensive for those from other states, but maybe its time for Jim to retire.


Give them dorm room style housing somewhere close to the capital. East DC is still very affordable if you're brave. I have seen congressional license plates there, probably from Democrats.