Congress eyes pay raise for itself

[RedEarth]

Source: McClatchy Newspapers

WASHINGTON — After raising the minimum wage by 70 cents an hour this week, many members of Congress are ready to give themselves a pay increase of roughly $4,400 per year.

That would take their annual salaries to nearly $170,000.

Campaigning last year, Democratic leaders said it would be wrong for Congress to accept a pay hike until it raised the minimum wage. That happened on Tuesday, when the minimum wage rose from $5.15 to $5.85 per hour; it will reach $7.25 an hour on July 24, 2009.

Cost-of-living increases are automatic for members of Congress unless they’re voted down. The House of Representatives already has cleared the way for such a raise in 2008, but a bipartisan coalition is out to block it, with critics saying the money could be better spent during a time of war and high deficits.



Read more: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/227/story/18464.html

[Solly Mack]

1. escorts don't work for free you know

[glitch]

21. Lol! good one. nt

[corbett]

41. Great Point!

When I get there, I promise not to indulge.

www.CorbettForCongress.com

_________________________________
Paid for by Corbett For Congress

[Deja Q]

2. Not again. But let's look at the plus side!

For once there will be no gridlock and Repubs and Dems will work toward a common cause.

:crazy:

[MichiganVote]

3. Gee, do you think it will be a non partisan effort?!

[denverbill]

4. The minimum wage should be directly tied to Congressional pay.

And COLA's for Social Security.

[laylah]

45. My thought exactly!

They should have to pay Social Security just like the "little" people. A raise! This is hogwash!

[Yael]

5. Can they be serious wirh this!?

[ixion]

6. damnit... they should not be allowed to "vote" themselves a raise... it should be decided

by We, the People. :grr:

[Deja Q]

7. Ooh! Ooh! Did Congress ask itself what would triple their approval rating!

As we've seen from the last several years, self-raises do it every time!

:sarcasm:

[Donnachaidh]

8. NO -- just freaking NO

THEY should NOT be the ones to give themselves raises. NO freaking way.

[tritsofme]

13. Then who do you suppose should determine congressional pay?

Dick Cheney?

The Supreme Court?

[Donnachaidh]

26. How about the VOTERS?

They supposedly work for US, right?

[tritsofme]

27. Through what constitutional process would such a scheme work?

We are not, nor have we ever proclaimed ourselves to be a direct democracy.

All money bills start in the House, whether its funding some obscure project or the salaries of congressmen. That's the way our constitutional system works.

[tinymontgomery]

30. How about every time for vote for a new rep

we also vote on whether they get a raise or not? That makes it every two years to vote whether they get their raise.

[tritsofme]

31. Well to do that we would need a constitutional amendment

Not exactly a small undertaking.

[Norrin Radd]

9. And in Future News TM...

Inflation rises precipitously until July 24, 2009...

[kdmorris]

11. Are you saying that raising the minimum wage

will cause inflation to go up? Tell me you aren't!

[Norrin Radd]

33. I'm saying they (corporations) will purposely raise prices to

kill the minimum wage slave's buying power.

[Skittles]

35. OMG

yet, giving executives TENS OF MILLIONS doesn't do the same thing, right? :puke:

[Norrin Radd]

46. Yacht prices probably go down.

[Skittles]

47. it's all a joke to you, huh?

*&%$ #)&

[Norrin Radd]

48. Beg pardon?

I'm criticising evil, greedy corporate rulers.

I don't understand what you are getting at?

[kdmorris]

42. Oh, gotcha!

Yeah, they probably will. Bastards.

[Alexander]

This is one way Congress disgusts me in a bipartisan manner.

The Constitution bans pay raises without voting, so they danced around it and installed automatic pay increases.

Of course, the Congresscritters in tough re-elections vote NO to look good, while the safe-district ones vote YES and get the thing passed.

[shaniqua6392]

10. And they are taking of the entire month of August

just like the Iraqi parliment.

[partylessinOhio]

12. You nailed the US Congress good!

They cannot complain of the extreme heat the Iraqi parliament face as well as our troops who must remain alert on duty without a vacation or air conditioning.

:eyes:

[Torn_Scorned_Ignored]

14. This seems fair

$170,000 plus full health benefits. Oh, wait a minute.....$5.85 an hour x 40 hours x 4 weeks x 12 months = 11,232 a year, before the taxman. Likely with NO health benefits or very costly ones. Hmmm, Congress gets how many days PAID VACATION a year?
How do they justify breathing the same air?
I've noticed several have very nice tans as well.

[Indy Lurker]

16. And if you turn it around

Congress makes a years worth of minimum wage by January 24th.

[ProudDad]

29. Not to mention their DEFINED BENEFIT pension plan (n/t)

[classysassy]

15. The common citizen

Hear yea,hear yea,its about time for the common man and woman said"enough is enough",you crooks are no more than criminals.You complain about Bush and Chaney stealing,so you do the same,all of you bums should be sent packing.

[OhioChick]

17. Why....

Are US workers losing their jobs and getting pay cuts, while Congress eyes a pay raise?

[Deja Q]

18. To bankrupt our economy that much more quickly?

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

19. Math.

$1456 minimum wage increase per annum.
vs.
$4400 increase.


One happens every year or two and the other happens every generation.

Horseshit!

[sarcasmo]

20. While the city Government my wife works for wants to cut Her pay 6%

[Cant trust em]

22. Waaaaaait a minute

The minimum wage goes up 70cents ($1,456 per year) so members of congress get a raise of $4,400? This just doesn't make sense.

[Cant trust em]

23. I understand why the minimum wage needs raising

but I don't understand why MOCs need a raise. What have they done to merit this? If I were to ask my boss for a raise I had better be able to show what I've done that makes me so indispensible that he wouldn't want me to seek employment elsewhere. Since technically we are the bosses of congress and polls have shown that their approval ratings are lower than the presidents we should be able to tell them to fuck off.

[Exiled in America]

24. I think CONGRESS should make minimum wage.

See how the think about the needs of the working class then.

[Rwalsh]

36. Millionaires working for the minimum wage? Don't really think it would change anything. n/t

[Occulus]

43. Okay, then, fair enough.

Here's a question, though. What do you think would happen to the quality of our Congressional representation, across the board, if we made it impossible to become rich now or in the future simply by virtue of being elected to Congress?

To put it another way, what would happen if we eliminated the very possibility of wealth and power, and continued wealth and power after having left office? Would we not see people running for Congress who want the job because they feel they can do some good in the position, vs. not wanting the job because it just doesn't pay very well?

I get very itchy when I consider the idea that there are people who run for office only because that office confers the power to become very wealthy, or because the office confers power over others. Those, to me, are not honest motives for holding a Congressional office, and the people in office strictly because of those things don't deserve the offices they hold.

[KansDem]

25. Well, maybe if reps like Tauscher read and understood the Constitution...

...before getting a pay raise, I might be open to this idea. But not until then!

Daily Kos

[ProudDad]

28. That's a $2.13 per hour raise

Of COURSE they're worth 3 times what a lousy minimum wage worker is worth!!! :sarcasm:

[Adsos Letter]

32. Maybe we should have the opportunity to vote on this....

...aside from the actual eclection, I mean. Seems like we ought to have a say in this, seeing as how we pay their salary.

[Deja Q]

44. *DING* *DING* *DING* *DING* *DING* We have a winner!!

:applause:

[aquart]

34. AGAIN?

[4_TN_TITANS]

37. Fundamental flaw of our democracy.

this along with handouts from the lobbists will ultimately bring our country down. There's just no way to avoid pure human greed.

[taught_me_patience]

38. This is only 2.6%

Well below inflation. I see nothing wrong with this. 170k is not all that much money for people who are very close to the top of their professions. Heck, doctors make 130-140k right after residency.

[mbperrin]

39. Top of their profession?

I can't think of any of these jackasses I'd trust to plan a high school prom. Let's DO go to performance pay. Wonder how much they'll OWE US for running up the world's largest public debt, killing the most people for no particular reason, and handing billions of tax dollars in the form of subsidies to the most profitable companies on the planet, the OIL folks, including Exxon, and their retired chairman, Jabba the Hut?

Hmmm....9 trillion divided by 535 is about $18 billion each they owe use over the mismanagement of the debt. Soon as they pay THAT, we'll go on to the rest of the agenda, k?

Edited for spelling when I'm really pissed off...

[underpants]

40. Yeah but this is going to suck all the air out of the room for months

This is just raw meat to the hate machine