Congress Gets Raise-- Now Paid $174,000 For 3 Day Work Week

[xsited1]

They now make $174,000 a year for their 3 day work week.



The nation's financial picture has been grim for months, but don't worry about lawmakers on Capitol Hill.

They just got a $4,700 raise.

The 2009 annual salary for rank-and-file senators and representatives is $174,000, up from last year's $169,300.

The legislative pay hike comes as major U.S. employers shed jobs by the tens of thousands. Many worker salaries have been frozen or cut. Their benefits often have been slashed.

Families are pinching pennies and watching retirement accounts evaporate.In this decade, Congress has allowed the pay increase to go through for every year except 2007. The percentage increase is tied to private-sector wages and cannot be more than increases granted to general federal employees.

Under this bipartisan system, lawmakers are protected from ever having to vote to raise their own pay. The system, adopted in 1989, allows members of Congress to prevent a challenger from using a pay-raise vote against them at election time.


Gateway Pundit: Congress Gets Raise-- Now Paid $174,000 For 3 Day Work Week

 

[RodISHI]

They're scummy jobs but somebody has to do it.

 

[Againsheila]

I've seriously considered running for the US senate. My platform would be, "It's time one of us got paid that much for so little and then retired in 6 years on the taxpayers dime. Help me get elected and I promise in 6 years to help another one of us campaign for the job so they too can retire in 6 years on the taxpayers dime."

PS...none of us could do any worse than the politicians are doing now...

 

[RodISHI]

I've seriously considered running for the US senate. My platform would be, "It's time one of us got paid that much for so little and then retired in 6 years on the taxpayers dime. Help me get elected and I promise in 6 years to help another one of us campaign for the job so they too can retire in 6 years on the taxpayers dime."

PS...none of us could do any worse than the politicians are doing now...

Good line and you are correct for the most part.

 

[Kevin_Kennedy]

H.R. 282: Delay Congressional Pay Raise Act (GovTrack.us)

Tell your Congressman they haven't earned a pay raise and that they need to support this legislation.

 

[manu1959]

H.R. 282: Delay Congressional Pay Raise Act (GovTrack.us)

Tell your Congressman they haven't earned a pay raise and that they need to support this legislation.

a raise.....they don't deserve a paycheck at all.........

 

[xsited1]

H.R. 282: Delay Congressional Pay Raise Act (GovTrack.us)

Tell your Congressman they haven't earned a pay raise and that they need to support this legislation.

Sounds like a good bill.

<sarcasm>
I am simply amazed that the Democrats allowed this to happen.
</sarcasm>

BTW, to cut costs for 2009, the top 1/3 in my company will not get a pay raise or a bonus this year.

 

[WillowTree]

Write them. I wrote all of mine. when the first bail out from Bush came up.. I told everysinglesolitary one of them to turn in their salaries cause they damn sure had not earned it.. not a dime.. I don't know if congresscritters can feel shame. but I would guess not.

 

[Againsheila]

Write them. I wrote all of mine. when the first bail out from Bush came up.. I told everysinglesolitary one of them to turn in their salaries cause they damn sure had not earned it.. not a dime.. I don't know if congresscritters can feel shame. but I would guess not.

I've quit writing. I spent a lot of time writing my representatives but they just kept sending me form letters that had nothing to do with what I said. I finally decided, they aren't even reading them so why bother?.

 

[RodISHI]

Write them. I wrote all of mine. when the first bail out from Bush came up.. I told everysinglesolitary one of them to turn in their salaries cause they damn sure had not earned it.. not a dime.. I don't know if congresscritters can feel shame. but I would guess not.

I've quit writing. I spent a lot of time writing my representatives but they just kept sending me form letters that had nothing to do with what I said. I finally decided, they aren't even reading them so why bother?.

Typical I have recieved basically the same.

 

[xsited1]

Write them. I wrote all of mine. when the first bail out from Bush came up.. I told everysinglesolitary one of them to turn in their salaries cause they damn sure had not earned it.. not a dime.. I don't know if congresscritters can feel shame. but I would guess not.

I've quit writing. I spent a lot of time writing my representatives but they just kept sending me form letters that had nothing to do with what I said. I finally decided, they aren't even reading them so why bother?.

And now they give themselves pay raises in the midst of a recession. Can we impeach all of them?

 

[Vel]

Write them. I wrote all of mine. when the first bail out from Bush came up.. I told everysinglesolitary one of them to turn in their salaries cause they damn sure had not earned it.. not a dime.. I don't know if congresscritters can feel shame. but I would guess not.

I've quit writing. I spent a lot of time writing my representatives but they just kept sending me form letters that had nothing to do with what I said. I finally decided, they aren't even reading them so why bother?.

I quit writing them as well, but I still call them often. They can ignore letters but someone actually has to listen when you call. Perhaps if we annoy the staff often enough, word might get back to our public "servants".

 

[oreo]

They now make $174,000 a year for their 3 day work week.

View attachment 6786

The nation's financial picture has been grim for months, but don't worry about lawmakers on Capitol Hill.

They just got a $4,700 raise.

The 2009 annual salary for rank-and-file senators and representatives is $174,000, up from last year's $169,300.

The legislative pay hike comes as major U.S. employers shed jobs by the tens of thousands. Many worker salaries have been frozen or cut. Their benefits often have been slashed.

Families are pinching pennies and watching retirement accounts evaporate.In this decade, Congress has allowed the pay increase to go through for every year except 2007. The percentage increase is tied to private-sector wages and cannot be more than increases granted to general federal employees.

Under this bipartisan system, lawmakers are protected from ever having to vote to raise their own pay. The system, adopted in 1989, allows members of Congress to prevent a challenger from using a pay-raise vote against them at election time.


Gateway Pundit: Congress Gets Raise-- Now Paid $174,000 For 3 Day Work Week

Not only that but this same congress has added in 600 million dollars gratitude of the American taxpayer so they can "all" lease Hybrids to drive around in. This is in the so-called stimulus bill too.

With their salaries, I don't see why they can't pay to lease their own hybrids?

 

[Care4all]

oh, but don't you know, this is not a pay raise.

i heard a congressman on cspan say such....

''...this is not a raise, it is a cost of living increase that even those on SS get....''

 

[oreo]

Write them. I wrote all of mine. when the first bail out from Bush came up.. I told everysinglesolitary one of them to turn in their salaries cause they damn sure had not earned it.. not a dime.. I don't know if congresscritters can feel shame. but I would guess not.

Me too, I have been e-mailing & calling over these ridiculous bailouts & not this so-called stimulus that is not a stimulus bill but a 15 year wish list written by liberal democrats--for their life long dream of controlling everything--paid for by the American taxpayer.

It looks like we have done some good. This bill is now in the senate & republicans & democrats alike are starting to feel the heat. No wonder Obama & Nancy Pelosi wanted it approved yesterday. The more the American public gets a look at the pork in this bill the more they're angry over it.

CONTACT YOUR SENATORS & CONGRESS PEOPLE--IT ACTUALLY WORKS!

 

[oreo]

oh, but don't you know, this is not a pay raise.

i heard a congressman on cspan say such....

''...this is not a raise, it is a cost of living increase that even those on SS get....''

Umm--Let's see--my 78 year old mother did get a social security cost of living increase this year in the amount of $39.00.

Funny--but while the middle class is loosing their jobs, & or having their pay cut back, congress feels they need of cost of living raise. We're paying the bill--we're loosing income--yet our government is intent on spending more. Isn't there something wrong with this picture?

 

[Care4all]

of course there is something wrong with it, i'm shocked that they forfitted the cost of living raise in 2007, the only time since they instituted the automatic cost of living raise in 1989 for themselves.

 

[xsited1]

oh, but don't you know, this is not a pay raise.

i heard a congressman on cspan say such....

''...this is not a raise, it is a cost of living increase that even those on SS get....''

I wonder if those Americans who are unemployed will get a cost of living increase this year? What about those who have a job, but will not get a salary increase (and in some cases, a salary decrease) because of the economy. Good job, Congress. We all knew we could count on you during the hard times.

 

[Care4all]

my husband was told no raises and no bonuses this year, no matter how well they might personally do in making their goals.

What a crock!

 

[editec]

oh, but don't you know, this is not a pay raise.

i heard a congressman on cspan say such....

''...this is not a raise, it is a cost of living increase that even those on SS get....''

ACtually that is true.

Except the average SS reciever got about an additional $75 a month.

It was about a 5% raise or so.

Given that the real rate of inflation was probably about 15% last year (based on what people actually have to spend, not on the OMB's insane formula for inflation, I mean) those folks lost purchasing power just as they have been losing purchaing power for a mighty long time.