Do Congress members need a raise to live?

[Le Socialiste]

Are Members of Congress paid enough?
http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/DTxMWpFn9Eemc4r2VThLpg--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTQwO3E9ODU7dz00MA--/http://media.zenfs.com/152/2011/06/21/blogger-moody-40_040441.jpg By Chris Moody (http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/author/chris-moody/)
Political Reporter
By Chris Moody (http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/author/chris-moody/) | The Ticket (http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/) – 4 hrs ago

http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/850utIPJUVVF58KpQGOffg--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7cT04NTt3PTMxMA--/http://media.zenfs.com/en/blogs/theticket/AP110105065947.jpg (http://media.zenfs.com/en/blogs/theticket/AP110105065947.jpg) (Charles Dharapak/AP)

Everyone complains about their job now and then, and members of Congress are no exception.
A few lawmakers have suggested in recent months that despite a $174,000 annual salary, generous health care and pensions, and perks for things like travel and mail, being one of the elite 435 ain't always what it's cracked up to be. And when you calculate the hours they put in, the pay isn't stellar either, they say.
The Florida Capital News (http://floridacapitalnews.com/article/20110825/CAPITOLNEWS/108250324) reported last week on a speech Steve Southerland, a Republican representative, gave to a retirement community in Tallahassee in which he complained about some of the parts of his new job:
"He said his $174,000 salary is not so much, considering the hours a member of the House puts in, and that he had to sever ties with his family business in Panama City. Southerland also said there are no instant pensions or free health insurance, as some of his constituents often ask him about in Congress.
"'And by the way, did I mention? They're shooting at us. There is law-enforcement security in this room right now, and why is that?" Southerland told about 125 people in an auditorium at the Westminster Oaks retirement community. "If you think this job pays too much, with those kinds of risks and cutting me off from my family business, I'll just tell you: This job don't mean that much to me. I had a good life in Panama City.'
"...He added that 'if you took the hours that I work and divided it into my pay,' the $174,000 salary would not seem so high."
Southerland, a freshman, ran a family funeral home business in Panama City and earned about $90,000 (http://clerk.house.gov/public_disc/financial-pdfs/2011/8202761.pdf) before joining Congress in January.
His sentiments were not unlike those expressed by Sean Duffy, a Republican representative from Wisconsin, when he said in March it was a "struggle" (http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/03/gopers-demand-sean-duffy-salary-tape-be-pulled-from-the-internet.php) to pay his mortgage and student loans with his congressional salary. "At this point, I'm not living high on the hog," Duffy, a father of six, said. (Compared to his colleagues, Duffy is one of the least wealthy (http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/03/so-how-rich-is-sean-duffy-not-very-for-a-congressman.php) members of Congress.)
At the height of the debate over a possible government shutdown last spring, Linda Sánchez, a Democratic representative from California, said during an MSNBC interview (http://www.politico.com/blogs/glennthrush/0411/Rep_Sanchez_I_cant_give_up_my_paycheck.html) that she was living "paycheck to paycheck" on her congressional salary. And she wasn't the only one. Renee Ellmers, a Republican representative from North Carolina, was asked if she would forgo her pay in the case of a shutdown. Ellmers declined, saying (http://dailycaller.com/2011/04/07/house-members-charity-shutdown/), "I need my paycheck."
Are times really so tough that even members of Congress are struggling to get by? The numbers suggest otherwise. A recent analysis of congressional pay (http://www.protectingtaxpayers.org/index.php?blog&action=view&post_id=56) found that members of Congress earn about 3.4 times the salary of the average American worker. Using that standard, members of Congress are among the highest paid legislators in the developed world.
This talk probably won't help Congress' approval rating. The federal government is the worst-rated industry in the country, viewed favorably by only 17 percent of Americans, according to a new Gallup survey. (http://www.gallup.com/poll/149216/Americans-Rate-Computer-Industry-Best-Federal-Gov-Worst.aspx)


http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/members-congress-paid-enough-165641960.html

Seriously, fuck these guys.

[Die Neue Zeit]

They need pay cuts, the whole lot of 'em.

[Engel]

This is news how? This kinda shit has been going on for years!!!!

[piet11111]

Corruption doesn't bring any food to the table anymore :crying:

[NoOneIsIllegal]

I make $19,000 and I work harder and longer hours. Fuck you, congress. Y'all can cut your salaries in half and still be doing well.

[PC LOAD LETTER]

Poor congress members; they're just not rich enough, they say.

RevLeft needs a "completely fuming with anger and turning red in the face" smiley.

[Column No.4]

I have a saying about people like this, "if youre struggling to get by on that high an income youre not payed too little, you spend too much".

[Per Levy]

http://www.rall.com/rallblog/comics/2011-08-24.jpg

because its so fitting...

source: http://www.rall.com/rallblog/archives?g2_itemId=14052

[KurtFF8]

Oh wow, I didn't read the OP until now. Steve Southerland is my rep. (Well was until I moved this summer)

The Democrat before him was a Blue Dog that I got into arguments with about health care during that debacle, and Southerland is actually a Tea Partier. He should be arguing for less money if he was at all consistent.

[Le Socialiste]

Oh wow, I didn't read the OP until now. Steve Southerland is my rep. (Well was until I moved this summer)

The Democrat before him was a Blue Dog that I got into arguments with about health care during that debacle, and Southerland is actually a Tea Partier. He should be arguing for less money if he was at all consistent.

Really? What'd you say (I'm just curious)?

[Ocean Seal]

They need pay cuts, the whole lot of 'em.
No, no what we need is privatization. Obviously government is inefficient so the solution is to hand over control of congress to private corporations, oh wait...

[KurtFF8]

Really? What'd you say (I'm just curious)?

These were at public meetings mostly. I would just talk about how universal/single payer health care is the most desirable and efficient system, and he would kind of brush that all aside.

[xub3rn00dlex]

They need pay cuts, the whole lot of 'em.

Congress needs to see what the unemployment line is like, and then survive on that income for the allotted time.

[the last donut of the night]

They need pay cuts, the whole lot of 'em.

bunch 'o lazy public sector workers, they are

[thefinalmarch]

Congress needs a good raze.

[Demogorgon]

What they need is their salaries getting indexed to those of the average skilled worker. If ordinary people's income isn't going up, they should forget about a pay rise.

The argument you sometimes see made is that salaries for elected officials in most countries are quite a bit lower than business salaries and the salaries of the top professions and those people aren't attracted into politics as a result. If that were true, I would say excellent! Sadly it isn't particularly true of course, but if it were I would celebrate the wealthiest avoiding politics in favour of those who live on ordinary incomes.

[Vladimir Innit Lenin]

They need pay cuts, the whole lot of 'em.

No, they need expropriating and more.

[Die Neue Zeit]

No, they need expropriating and more.

That too, when considering their moonlighting.


What they need is their salaries getting indexed to those of the average skilled worker. If ordinary people's income isn't going up, they should forget about a pay rise.

The argument you sometimes see made is that salaries for elected officials in most countries are quite a bit lower than business salaries and the salaries of the top professions and those people aren't attracted into politics as a result. If that were true, I would say excellent! Sadly it isn't particularly true of course, but if it were I would celebrate the wealthiest avoiding politics in favour of those who live on ordinary incomes.

There also should be measures to curtail their moonlighting and to ease any sort of transition out of office. One lesser known argument for bloated pay is that they might struggle once out of office.

[Demogorgon]

There also should be measures to curtail their moonlighting and to ease any sort of transition out of office. One lesser known argument for bloated pay is that they might struggle once out of office.
Yeah, a lot of places already have that though. In Britain defeated or retiring MPs (or MSPs) are given a resettlement grant that is pretty generous. The argument that it is difficult to readjust to life outside politics is rarely heard here as a result. Besides it usually isn't that difficult anyway. Being a member of parliament looks great on your CV after all.

I agree with you on moonlighting, but it depends what it is exactly. A lot of politicians receive income from writing, I don't think that is a problem. Having lucrative business positions very much is however.

[Die Neue Zeit]

^^^ Comrade, I had more in mind Minsky's ELR (again), rather than any sort of resettlement grant, above-average pensions, or whatever. ;)