Are they really worth it??

[Joel]

How many of y'all feel that the following is something that the American taxpayer should be able to vote for or againist?? After all it is the American taxpayer who pays their wages anyway.

House Dodge Vote on Own Pay Raise


Updated: Wed, Jul 25 9:42 PM EDT


WASHINGTON (AP) - House members managed to dodge a vote Wednesday on an effort to stop their own cost-of-living pay raise. The 3.4 percent raise takes effect for all of Congress on Oct. 1 unless blocked.

Several lawmakers sought to attach amendments stopping the raise to the annual appropriations bill for the Treasury Department, postal service and other government operations. That $32.7 billion bill also includes a 4.6 percent pay raise for civilian federal employees.

But in a 293-129 procedural vote, the House refused to allow the amendments that would stop the pay raise to be considered. Rep. James Matheson, D-Utah, said he had hoped to register "concern about being responsible" with the federal budget, particularly in paying down the federal debt.

"People ought to have an up-or-down vote" on the raises, Matheson said.

Under the scheduled raise, the pay of a rank-and-file member of Congress in the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1 will rise from $145,100 to about $150,000. Majority and minority leaders in the House and Senate will see their pay go from $161,200 to about $166,700. The speaker of the House will get about $192,800, up from $186,300.

Joel

[Helevitia]

I voted NO because we can't take resonsibility for every single action. We vote people into office to decide if they should get a pay raise or not. Let them do there jobs. If we dont like the outcome then let them know with your vote.

Dave

[cjolley]

We do get to vote.
We just vote in the wrong people too often.
chuck

[Joel]

Let them do there jobs.

That's the problem. They aren't doing their jobs. They are busy trying to find a way around not having to vote for NOT getting a pay raise. In other words the pay rasie is automatic unless they have enough yes votes to stop it.

I don't know about you but I think I could live quite comfortablly on $150,000, even in Washington DC, especially considering all the other perks I would get above and beyond the base pay.

We just vote in the wrong people too often.

That's because we usually don't have much of a choice because of how eletion laws discriminate againist thrid party candidates.

Joel

[Greebe]

Ok Dave, then lets vote on allowing ourselves a guaranteed pay raise and watch how fast they shoot that down.

[Wombat]

I agree that they're not doing their job, but..

<I>I don't know about you but I think I could live quite comfortablly on $150,000, even in Washington DC, especially considering all the other perks I would get above and beyond the base pay. </I>

That's the thing. Their $150,000 goes quickly. I really do think they should be paid more. That would maybe loosen the grip that lobbyists/contributors have on them.

$150,000. Take off, say 45% for federal and state income taxes. Approximately $80,000 left. Now, pay $2-3,000 for an apartment (or part of one) near work (an insanely expensive real estate market). $65,000 left (to be on the generous side). Now feed yourself in D.C. (also insanely expensive). Pay for your required suits for workware. Now, pay for the upkeep, maintenance, and payments for your home in your representative state (which you are required to keep). And support spouse/children while you're at it. Buy plane tickets to visit your family occasionally (if you can afford it).

There's been more than one case of the small-guy who makes it into the House, and you can see how they live. Sleeping in cots in their office, and a bunch of them share a small apartment in attempts to find something they can afford.

[Helevitia]

You guys are preeching to the quior(sp?). I never said I liked it. I just said that the responsibility is already in someone elses hand and if that person doesn't do his/her job, then vote them out. I know it is our tax dollars but so is 50 million other things. I think this issue is not a priority.

Dave

[Greebe]

Wombat I agree... the real estate market there is insanely high. A friend has a normal sized house in Arlington, which is about 2/3 the size of Joels and is valued at $550K

If the lobbiests didn't have the power they do then things would run much smoother... of they'd up the ante another notch.

Dave, I think the american public in general is out to lunch when it comes to the goverment affairs. They should have more influence in what goes on so these stupid abuses are minimized.

[ahartman]

Joel, what if YOU made $150k a year. Would you be willing to forgo a raise just because you made that much? No, and I bet you'd be pissed with a 3.5% raise.

Just because they're politicians doesn't mean they should eat the cost of living increase every year.

Start complaining about the stupid $300 tax rebates we're starting to get - that's gonna cost waaaaaaay more than any pay increase Congress would get.

[Dilitante1]

ahartman, the majority of people the House and Senate represent, are blue collar earning an hourly rate that a 3.5% increase would be more than the .05-.35$ that manufacturing seems to think is MORE than enough to cover inflation......


as for forgoing a raise if I made 150K a year....I'd be making 5x more than before.....i would be happy to stay at that for a while.......


-Dil

[Joel]

Hey ahartman,

When was the last time you were able to walk into your bosses office and tell him that you are going to get a 5% raise unless you decide otherwise?? And how many people do you know, as employees, who can decide their own pay raises? Isn't that something that is usually the decision of the employer and is usually decided based on your job performance?? Are not the Senators and Congressmen the employees of the American taxpayers??

And it would be nice if all employers had to give a cost of living increase??? Then alot of us would not have to worry about working our asses off to get a raise. Let them have to do what most of us would have to do if we don't like what we are getting paid. Either look for another job or do better in our current job so that our employer feels that we deserve a raise.

Joel

[KvHagedorn]

What do you expect from this guy Joel? He's the same one who was defending Microcock's right to anally rape everybody who buys Windows XP.

[Pace]

Eh?

Uh....whit?!

Edit: Yea, I get it now...I'm very slow and confused at this time of night

Yea, nightnight world....zzzz...

[ahartman]

Originally posted by KvHagedorn
What do you expect from this guy Joel? He's the same one who was defending Microcock's right to anally rape everybody who buys Windows XP.

Um, was that directed at me? I hardly defended anything about MS and their XP activation scheme.