Fair or No?

[hortysir]

Constitutionally it's right but do you think it's fair for Congress members to continue to be paid during any government shutdown?

With the latest short-term government funding law set to expire at the end of the week, Washington is once again talking about the possibility of a shutdown.
Not every government worker would be sent home in the event of a shutdown, however.
Several types of federal officials and employees, including members of Congress, the president, presidential appointees, and certain legislative branch employees are not subject to a furlough caused by a funding gap.

Read more:
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Congress.org - News : Congress Q&A: Who gets paid?

 

[Toronado3800]

In a non cynical world getting paid keeps the poor representative from Dayton from having to hurry up and settle on a bill so his kids dont go hungry.

In real life most are fairly well off and perhaps going a few weeks w/o a check might hurry things along by costing them a yacht payment.

So either way I am fine. Heck, as an idealist I like to think at least one member of Congress is a normal Joe living check to check so he may as well get paid so he can hold out on principal.

 

[Grace]

If he isnt at work and not on salary, no.

 

[theDoctorisIn]

The whole point is that during a government shutdown, the Congress, the Cabinet and the President don't stop working. They are exempt from being sent home - so if they're not being furloughed, they should be paid.

 

[Skull Pilot]

Congress should get a pay cut. And the neat little scam they have of voting their own pay raises should be addressed.

One thing that irks the hell out of me is that a politician can stop working for a year or more while campaigning for an office other than the one he already holds and still get paid and then have the job waiting for him if he loses.

It'd be like you telling your boss you won't be showing up to work for a year while you try to get a new business off the ground expecting to be paid and still have your old job waiting for you if your new venture didn't work out.

Does anyone else think that if an elected politician should resign his seat if he plans on campaigning for another office?

 

[editec]

Well, assuming it shuts down, if Congress and the POTUS don't continue to work, it STAYS shutdown.

So fair or not, I'd say they pretty much need to stay on task.

 

[hortysir]

Congress should get a pay cut. And the neat little scam they have of voting their own pay raises should be addressed.

One thing that irks the hell out of me is that a politician can stop working for a year or more while campaigning for an office other than the one he already holds and still get paid and then have the job waiting for him if he loses.

It'd be like you telling your boss you won't be showing up to work for a year while you try to get a new business off the ground expecting to be paid and still have your old job waiting for you if your new venture didn't work out.

Does anyone else think that if an elected politician should resign his seat if he plans on campaigning for another office?

They get away with their pay raise because of Americans' short memory.
Every 2 years 1/3 are up for re-election.
Takes a 2/3 majority to pass their raise.
The one third that are up on deck can say "I didn't vote for the pay raise".
Meanwhile the others pass it.
Then for the next 4 years that same dickhead can vote while the others run.......and the cycle continues

 

[hortysir]

Well, assuming it shuts down, if Congress and the POTUS don't continue to work, it STAYS shutdown.

So fair or not, I'd say they pretty much need to stay on task.

Yes. They need to stay on the job.
But isn't that like letting the same crew that run your business into the ground keep their job??

 

[Immanuel]

The whole point is that during a government shutdown, the Congress, the Cabinet and the President don't stop working. They are exempt from being sent home - so if they're not being furloughed, they should be paid.

There was another thread about the possibility of military pay being stopped during the shutdown. I am not 100% certain that was not mularky, but if it is not and military pay is stopped, does this mean that we bring our troops home and furlough them for the length of time that this shutdown is going on?

I'm not certain, but the way I am reading things is that non-essential personnel will be sent home, but essential personnel left on duty. Do essential personnel continue to get paid in a shutdown or are they theoretically enslaved until Congress gets off their butts?

Immie

 

[Two Thumbs]

Good question for an odd situation.

They are poloticians that work for us but we don't employ them.

ya know, I just don't know.

On one side they are still working to get a budget.
On the other they fucked it up so bad that they should all be looking at getting fired.

If we don't have the money to pay most of government, then no one should get paid.
You don't pay me, I won't work, so we have to pay the pols to work.

meh

It's moments like this when I hope there is a hell.

 

[theDoctorisIn]

The whole point is that during a government shutdown, the Congress, the Cabinet and the President don't stop working. They are exempt from being sent home - so if they're not being furloughed, they should be paid.

There was another thread about the possibility of military pay being stopped during the shutdown. I am not 100% certain that was not mularky, but if it is not and military pay is stopped, does this mean that we bring our troops home and furlough them for the length of time that this shutdown is going on?

I'm not certain, but the way I am reading things is that non-essential personnel will be sent home, but essential personnel left on duty. Do essential personnel continue to get paid in a shutdown or are they theoretically enslaved until Congress gets off their butts?

Immie

I assume they get paid, if they're still working. The military, I'm not sure about.

 

[Grace]

They need to pay the military either or. Period. No ands ifs or buts.
And once a president is no longer a president, they shouldnt have "forever" agents "guarding" them. Thats a good chunk of money right there that could be saved.

 

[spectrumc01]

I think if the government shuts down, the governors should hold a meeting take a vote of no confidence and then fire all of their congressional representatives and then hold special elections in each state to replace the old ones. Keep going until you get it right.

 

[theDoctorisIn]

They need to pay the military either or. Period. No ands ifs or buts.
And once a president is no longer a president, they shouldnt have "forever" agents "guarding" them. Thats a good chunk of money right there that could be saved.

I understand your opinion. But I think this thread is about what will happen, not what should happen. There are laws in place that control how the government functions when it's "shut down". I don't know about military pay.

The military doesn't even know.

DoD still forming plans for government shutdown - Navy News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Navy Times

 

[Immanuel]

The whole point is that during a government shutdown, the Congress, the Cabinet and the President don't stop working. They are exempt from being sent home - so if they're not being furloughed, they should be paid.

There was another thread about the possibility of military pay being stopped during the shutdown. I am not 100% certain that was not mularky, but if it is not and military pay is stopped, does this mean that we bring our troops home and furlough them for the length of time that this shutdown is going on?

I'm not certain, but the way I am reading things is that non-essential personnel will be sent home, but essential personnel left on duty. Do essential personnel continue to get paid in a shutdown or are they theoretically enslaved until Congress gets off their butts?

Immie

I assume they get paid, if they're still working. The military, I'm not sure about.

I would hope so, but am not sure.

I have not gone back to see what happened in 1995. Ah heck, I guess I should. Here's a little bit that I have found.

For federal workers, anxiety over a possible shutdown - The Washington Post

After the shutdown of 1995 and 1996 during the Clinton administration, Congress approved retroactive pay for furloughed civil servants. But today, with House Republicans determined to cut spending, no one is taking getting paid for granted.

When the government closed 16 years ago, managers picked up the phone to tell their staffs. Today, the news would spread on BlackBerrys, Twitter and Facebook, and technology is allowing federal employees to write memos and join staff meetings from home.

But throughout the government, IT staff members are busy determining how to block nonessential workers from opening e-mail. It would be illegal for anyone considered nonessential to work during a shutdown.

So that says to me that furloughed employees would not have been paid if Congress had not later decided to pay them, but it doesn't say anything about essential employees either being paid or not. Since it doesn't I would have to guess that they were actually paid which would say to me that if the government is shutdown at the end of the week, essential employees would still be paid.

I'm only guessing on that.

Immie

 

[theDoctorisIn]

I think if the government shuts down, the governors should hold a meeting take a vote of no confidence and then fire all of their congressional representatives and then hold special elections in each state to replace the old ones. Keep going until you get it right.

Well, here in America, state governors don't have that power. So maybe this would work somewhere else, but not here.

 

[Sallow]

Congress should get a pay cut. And the neat little scam they have of voting their own pay raises should be addressed.

One thing that irks the hell out of me is that a politician can stop working for a year or more while campaigning for an office other than the one he already holds and still get paid and then have the job waiting for him if he loses.

It'd be like you telling your boss you won't be showing up to work for a year while you try to get a new business off the ground expecting to be paid and still have your old job waiting for you if your new venture didn't work out.

Does anyone else think that if an elected politician should resign his seat if he plans on campaigning for another office?

No.

And it's beyond ridiculous to think that being a politician is just another job.

 

[Immanuel]

Congress should get a pay cut. And the neat little scam they have of voting their own pay raises should be addressed.

One thing that irks the hell out of me is that a politician can stop working for a year or more while campaigning for an office other than the one he already holds and still get paid and then have the job waiting for him if he loses.

It'd be like you telling your boss you won't be showing up to work for a year while you try to get a new business off the ground expecting to be paid and still have your old job waiting for you if your new venture didn't work out.

Does anyone else think that if an elected politician should resign his seat if he plans on campaigning for another office?

No.

And it's beyond ridiculous to think that being a politician is just another job.

No... politics is not a job. It is just another form of organized crime.

Immie

 

[code1211]

The whole point is that during a government shutdown, the Congress, the Cabinet and the President don't stop working. They are exempt from being sent home - so if they're not being furloughed, they should be paid.

On the contrary, if they had been doing their job and had produced a budget when it was due last october, there would be no threat of a shut down.

These pathetic losers have renegged on their responsibilities and continued to draw pay in spite of the fact that they have not been doing their job.

IMHO, they have not been doing the job they have been elected to do and yet have accepted the continuing increasing, already bloted pay in addition to their real income: the bribes they accept from their keepers.

They should not only be docked the pay that they will not earn during the shut down. They should be compelled to return the pay that they have accepted during this long period of indolent theft of our tax dollars while they have done nothing.

Incompetent theives who trust that the electorate is comprised of stupid and blind sheep.

 

[code1211]

Well, assuming it shuts down, if Congress and the POTUS don't continue to work, it STAYS shutdown.

So fair or not, I'd say they pretty much need to stay on task.

They never were on task. If they were, the budget would have been passed on time months ago.