House Votes to Accept $4,400 Pay Raise

[Purveyor]

Source: Associated Press

(06-27) 18:18 PDT WASHINGTON (AP) --

Despite record-low approval ratings, House lawmakers Wednesday voted to accept an approximately $4,400 pay raise that will increase their salaries to almost $170,000.

The cost-of-living raise gets lawmakers back on track for automatic pay raises after a fight between Democrats and Republicans last year and again in January killed the pay hike due this year. That was the first interruption of the annual congressional pay hike in seven years.

The blowup came after Democrats last year fulfilled a campaign promise to deny themselves a pay hike until Congress raised the minimum wage. Delays in the minimum wage bill cost every lawmaker about $3,100 this year.

On a 244-181 vote Wednesday, Democrats and Republicans alike killed a bid by Reps. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, and Lee Terry, R-Neb., to get a direct vote to block the COLA, which is automatically awarded unless lawmakers vote to block it. The Senate has not indicated when it will deal with a similar measure.



Read more: http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/06/27/national/w181843D84.DTL

[Journeyman]

1. Well, a $2.12 an hour raise (if the recipient works all year 40 hours per week). . .

ha, ha, ha -- yea, every Congresscritter works that hard. . .

Tell me again, what did Minimum Wage receive?

[Paulie]

2. Nice

No COLA for me these last 3 years with my outsourced technology job.

No raise until you get the minimum wage signed into law. Even though it won't help me, millions of others are counting on the extra two bucks an hour over 3 years.

[GeorgeGist]

3. And only 10 ...

weren't available/willing to vote. Sure glad they have their heads up the right asses.

[Purveyor]

4. I'm sooooo fucking happy we won control of the House!!!! They have certainly 'earned' this raise...

:sarcasm:

[MikeNearMcChord]

5. Oh thats just F^%$ing great!

Yeah give the RW ammo to convince Americans that the Democrats in congress are no different.

[silverojo]

14. That's just what I was thinking n/t

[aquart]

6. Incredible.

[Demeter]

7. So, Where's the Articles of Impeachment?

and the list of sponsors? And the funding cutoff for Iraq, Gitmo, the wiretaps, etc?

How about you earn that raise, Congress, by doing something other than breathing and adding CO2 to the air?

[mcscajun]

8. I vote to accept a $4,400 pay raise! Do I get it?

:rofl:

Ask your average wage slave if they get cost-of-living raises, and I swear he/she will laugh right in your face.

I got a dollar an hour raise this month on merit, and I was happy to get it.

[Telly Savalas]

11. Have you done anything to stop the war, slow global warming, or alleviate poverty

If the answer is no, then you too deserve an extra $4,400.

[dweller]

9. now, is this getting any clearer ?

biting my tongue here.

suffice to say: who ARE they working for?


dp

[Zhade]

16. Not us, that's for fucking sure.

NT!

[Purveyor]

10. Hoyer forced more than a dozen Republicans to switch their votes in support...

Thats our "Steny"!!!

Did he excerise such efforts during the Iraq war funding votes, hmmmmm?

[madaboutharry]

12. I need to make this point:

The pay increases of federal employees is tied to the pay raises of lawmakers. This is especially the case with professionals, such as doctors who work in the Public Health Service.

[razors edge]

18. And your point is?

These federal employees who refuse to expose the criminality of the government because they would rather keep their job than serve the country's best interest don't deserve the raise either IMHO.

[LostInAnomie]

20. How clever of them...

... to wrap a pay raise for themselves with raises for others. That way they never have to "give themselves a pay raise".

Fucking pigs.

[proud patriot]

13. Ummm I would like a raise too

:hi:

[Pastiche423]

15. In the 20 years that my rep, Pete DeFazio has been in the house

he has always used his pay raise to fund scholarships.

I wonder how many others do the same?

[defendandprotect]

17. Where do we have any control over this?

They've been increasing their salaries over and again --
In fact, they used to be paid fairly average salaries.

The House Chaplain is paid some exhorbitant amount -- $300,000+ benefits -- maybe more now!!!

And they haven't increased the minimum wage in ten years -- !!!

Where do we have any control over this -- ????

[IndianaGreen]

19. Bush is polling higher approval numbers than the Democratic Congress. Why?

After high approval into the high 60-percent, the Democratic Congress has fallen out of favour, particularly right after its failure to defund the war in Iraq. The pathetic attempt by Democratic Congressional leaders to describe their cave-in to Bush as a victory, and their obsession on process rather than results, coupled with increased popular anger about the war, bodes ill for Democratic prospects in 2008.

Democrats get one more bite of the apple this summer, if they are willing to enact into law some sort of withdrawal mechanism, or just defund the war altogether. The clock is ticking...

[LostInAnomie]

21. I wish I could work 100 days a year and make $170,000.

What integrity they have. :sarcasm:

[WindRavenX]

22. Disgusting.

NT