Congress gets another pay raise...while is ecomony is in crisis
By lilwonders
@lilwonders456 (8214)
United States
December 21, 2008 9:05pm CST
We are in an ecomonic crisis. We are bailing out companies right and left. The average joe is struggling.Jobless rates are sky rocketing. Our deficit is soaring and our lovely congress gets a pay raise. Just about every memeber of congress is rich. And I mean very rich. Would it have killed them to just not take a pay raise this year? Their pay raise alone will cost us another 2.5 million of tax payer dollars next year. Legislation was introducted recently to stop the pay raise this year. But guess what....htey would not vote to NOT get the pay raise. Real shocker huh?
They used to have to vote on it every year to get a pay raise. But hten they decided a while back that they would pass a bill that made it automatic to get a payraise every year without having to vote on it. Guess they did not want the bad press of actually voting to give themselves a pay raise on the news every year. Why do they get to decide if they get a raise? We do not get to decide our raises. Why should they? SHould they take the raise or should they pass the bill to skip it this year?
10 responses
@xParanoiax (6987)
• United States
4 Jan 09
I heard about this...quite alot of angry ripples echoing around the 'net over this.
Haven't they learned that it's BAD for them to p*ss off their constituents?
...their arrogance and foolhardiness on this issue ASTOUNDS me, seriously.
...also: What money do they expect is actually left to give them, to be able to keep up with their pay raise for long than a couple months anyway, at this rate?
Jerks.
@xParanoiax (6987)
• United States
4 Jan 09
Plenty of them got chucked out during this past election though...so it still puzzles me a bit.
Sure, NORMALLY they get away with it...but I've seen whiplash firsthand from when they screw around on things that people almost unanimously agree on (especially economically these days...'cause it's such a sore subject)...
NOT that the mainstream talks about it alot...so maybe they're as unaware as the average person tended to be. *sighs*
To ME it's puzzling, but I look around so much for stuff that I forget that things aren't so obvious as anyone like you or me can easily see.
Personally, I think it's more that we've let our media stop working for us, at this point. Awareness has gotten larger because of 2008, people turned their backs on the mainstream in numbers I never thought I'd see...
It's just those who're just fresh to this, that still only see slightly past the television who're let down by this (I'm gonna include politicians in this category, even if it is their own dang fault and then in extension a tiny part ours for letting them hurt themselves and us in the bargain with...not just the economy, but with our news and everything else)...
So...BLAH. I'm allowed to be puzzled.
@lilwonders456 (8214)
• United States
4 Jan 09
The reason they do it is because tehy get away with it. Sure a few people like you and me grumble but nothing major gets done about it and they know it. They also know that it will not hurt their chances of getting re-elected.
So they will keeping doing this stuff as long as we put up with it. So it is really our fault for letting them do it.
@brian_s (570)
• United States
4 Jan 09
Ron Paul is a hero. He votes against all congressional pay raises, and all tax increases. He votes against government intruding into our lives.
Compare that to the average politician who is just seeking power over people, more government "help" to everyone, and certainly is willing to take any pay raise possible.
@lilwonders456 (8214)
• United States
5 Jan 09
I hear you there. I am still disappointed he did not win. Ron Paul was just what this country needed.
@bam001 (940)
• United States
22 Dec 08
I just don't understand. I didn't get a raise this year...or last year either. The rest of us are expected to live on the same amount, year in, year out. All the while, prices are going up. The ones that need it the least are always the ones that get the most. Go figure.
@lilwonders456 (8214)
• United States
26 Dec 08
well with giving themselves a pay raise your taxes are going to go up to pay for it. You did not get a pay raise. A lot of companies are giving them out due to the ecomony. Congress should have skipped it this year. But I guess their greed got the better of them.
@ParaTed2k (22940)
• Sheboygan, Wisconsin
22 Dec 08
Our state and city employees all got pay raises too. They defend them by saying that they work hard and earned those raises.... I guess they forget that the people get tax increases to cover those raises. For some reason they don't seem to care that everyone else lives on less, so they can have those raises.
@lilwonders456 (8214)
• United States
26 Dec 08
THey could care less. The election is over. They only pretend to care to get elected. Now they just want more money. Which means we live on less.
@Swabbie89 (2)
• United States
22 Dec 08
With so many at or below the poverty level this is just wrong on so many levels. Congress should be a minimum wage job.
@lilwonders456 (8214)
• United States
26 Dec 08
yep I agree. that way poeple would be there that want to do the job and believe in the job not just for the money and power.
@mainlyblue (9)
• United States
22 Dec 08
This is horrible, they're set for life. They don't need more money, and a pay raise every year! I a barely get a pay raise every two! Obama should change this.
@lilwonders456 (8214)
• United States
26 Dec 08
Obama can't do anything about it. Bush can't do anything about it. The only ones that can do something about it is congress and htey are unwilling to do anything about it.
@Taskr36 (13963)
• United States
22 Dec 08
It really is disgusting. Several senators have proposed bills to prevent the pay increase and they've been shut down every single time. I think the last attempt had 32 senators supporting it but it somehow was shut down in a committee so it never even got voted on. It's disgusting the way these greedy politicians can just pad their pockets. I think that I read where the senator proposing the bill gave his raise back to the government. I know that John McCain gives all his pay raises to charity since he's voted against pay raises consistently.
@lilwonders456 (8214)
• United States
26 Dec 08
Well it just shows how they feel about our current ecomonic situation and about us hte average joe.
@lilwonders456 (8214)
• United States
26 Dec 08
I was hoping they would act better. especially with the current ecomonic crisis. I know it was a pipe dream. I should have known better.
@lilwonders456 (8214)
• United States
26 Dec 08
I actually have intregity, morals and common sense. Which means I won't join them.
@AmandaBarnhart (671)
• Canada
22 Dec 08
This is disgusting ridicules and sickening to hear. I can always hope that they sleep well at night eh ;). It's just absurd to even give them a pay raise with everything that's going on. If anything they should be taking some money away from them. Make them realize what everyone else is having to go through.
@lilwonders456 (8214)
• United States
26 Dec 08
They could care less what is happening to rest of us. they are really rich and just want to get richer....by taking more from us.
