Senate Votes to Freeze Pay Raise This Year

[Rose Siding]

Tuesday, October 18, 2005; 12:48 PM

WASHINGTON -- Senators on Tuesday agreed to give up their annual pay raise, saying they need to do their part to save the government a little money in light of the huge expenses from Hurricane Katrina and the growing budget deficit.

Congress is looking for ways to rein in spending, said Sen. Jon Kyl, who sponsored the pay freeze proposal. "It's hard to argue that this process shouldn't include our own salaries." It passed 92-6.
....
"It's the annual hypocrisy day in the United States Senate," said Sen. James Inhoffe, R-Okla., who said he had voted against similar measures in the past but would support it this year because "we've never seen a situation like it is today."

He said the vote has always allowed members seeking reelection to "go home and say 'look what I've done, I've stopped us from having a pay raise.'"

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/18/AR2005101800742.html

:wow: Pinch me!

[Demeter]

1. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Too little, too late. Get out the sackcloth and ashes, crawl on your knees, dragging your cross of shame, it won't matter. You're going down, GOPpers!

[mattclearing]

2. The six opposed? It's not in the article. n/t

[Freddie Stubbs]

8. Bingaman, Bond, Inouye, Jeffords, Lugar, and Sarbanes voted 'no'

Chambliss and Corizine did not vote.

http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=109&session=1&vote=00256

[mattclearing]

10. Sarbanes! Really.

Inouye I might have guessed.

[Freddie Stubbs]

17. He isn't running for reelection

[mattclearing]

19. So re-election is the only concern here?

I thougth Sarbanes was a pretty stand-up guy, personally. Certainly not the kind to vote for a pay raise for himself just because he could, especially when there is no money for it.

Weird.

[Freddie Stubbs]

30. What other reason would he have to vote against this

All of the other Senators who opposed this have pretty safe seats.

[hatrack]

27. Oh, really? Bond? What a SHOCK!!!

That guy's a pantload - a big, fresh stinky one.

[nookiemonster]

29. Concur with the pantload.

He's a serious piece of shit. I can't wait to see the fucker get his comeuppance.

[MinneapolisMatt]

3. Woah.

They must have first voted for hell to freeze to make this to happen.

Matt

[Rose Siding]

6. I know!...

A few years of war, a couple of natural disasters, record bankruptcy, an oil crisis, and they crumple like a cheap suit (which none of them have worn in a very, very long time)

It sort of screws other govt workers, but when so much of the rest of the country is barely treading water, fair's fair.

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

4. Interesting they didn't list the six dissenters

I'd be very interested to find out who the Selfish Six are...

[Freddie Stubbs]

9. See post #8

[MADem]

24. Maybe the six cited wanted a pay cut????

Yeah, I know, unlikely....

[colbushwhacker_2000]

5. WOW !

What a phony and shallow gesture.......time to roll back the tax breaks for the filthy rich in this country.

[superconnected]

12. they've been getting raises all year.

Every tax break for the rich, is like a raise for them.

[superconnected]

7. after okaying Billions for Iraq, and tax breaks for the rich

Sorry, not enough.

And just to stab them in the side, who, are their corporate sponsers? I bet their getting record payoffs.

I can just see the ones not getting payoffs backing this because they have to or they'll look bad. Bet Republicans brought up the idea. The most corrupt of them.

I should write a letter "It's mighty big of you not to take a pay raise after giving billions to no bid contracts in iraq, and having thousands of us soldiers dead, and tens of thousands more homeless from katrina, with the US short on aid because you gave our money to haliburton. I notice the rich are still getting tax breaks..."

[zbdent]

11. I'd rather see the names of those who decided to save some money

by voting to cut the funding for adequate levees in Louisiana . . .

[hyphenate]

13. Oh gee

How magnanimous of them. :eyes:

[merwin]

14. A whopping $310,000 savings.

Only a few hundred billion to go before the monetary damage is reversed.

[uppityperson]

15. Good for a minimal start.

onward

[matcom]

16. i'll give them credit

where its due. gotta admit i was talking to someone about this the other day. told them hell would freeze first.

time for a phone call.

great start guys. now how about rolling back those tax cuts huh?

*waiting*

[MaineDem]

18. Thought for sure this would be voted down on a voice vote

Color me pleasantly surprised.

[Wind Dancer]

20. These people have no shame.

They are going to cut funds from the sick and poor yet again. That POS, Mike Pence was on C-Span this morning demanding more cuts from social programs including Medicaid and Medicare. (He calls them entitlement programs) More:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x5089541

From Pence's site,

snip

“Speaker Dennis Hastert has unveiled a bold plan to cut billions of dollars from every branch of government to offset the extraordinary cost of Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath.

“And while the details take shape that would save tens of billions of dollars - an across-the-board spending cut, additional entitlement savings, a presidential recision package for the first time in this administration, by reopening the Budget Act with a Budget Act Amendment, the first time Congress has done that since 1977, and by ending nearly 100 outdated federal programs - we are beginning that process as well.

“And so I rise today to say on behalf of House conservatives, we are pleased but not content, we are encouraged but not satisfied. For while the debate has been difficult at times, the work of cutting government spending to offset the extraordinary cost of Hurricane Katrina will be harder still.

“With more hurricane spending right around the corner, I rise humbly to challenge my colleagues in the House and my colleagues in the United States Senate, to bestrong and courageous and do the work.

more

http://mikepence.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=35427

:grr: :puke: :mad:

[superconnected]

21. the "hurricane spending around the corner" isn't anything to the iraq

spending. But of course it's the poor people in Lousianas fault this country is out of money...

:sarcasm:

[Wind Dancer]

22. Of course, blame it on the blacks and poor!

I honestly don't know what will happen after more cuts are made affecting the elderly, poor and sick. How will people pay for heating costs, medications, food and basic necessities?

This is becoming more frightening everyday.

[joanski0]

23. The raise was to be a cost-of-living raise.

It was only a little over $3,000. Big deal for all those rich Senators. Besides, if John Kyle sponsored the amendment, you know it can't be any good.

[NYC Liberal]

25. OK, how is them NOT getting a pay raise going to SAVE money?

It's just money that wouldn't have been spent on them anyway. It's just going to stay the same.

Seems to me if they wanted to "save" money, they'd vote themselves a pay CUT.

Of course, that isn't what they want to do.

[sinkingfeeling]

26. So glad they took one of my suggestions. Another is for Congress to

pay for their own health care and retirement...'ownership' society should start with them.

[katty]

28. gee, how noble of them! annual? how about everyday?!