Does Congress Deserve A Raise?
- 4 Comment
Just a few weeks ago the Big 3 auto makers went out to capital hill looking for a loan from congress. When they got there, they weren’t exactly welcomed with open arms. In fact they were blasted for flying out to D.C. in private jets looking for a bailout. Congress has made it no secret that the economy and country are in rough financial shape, but when it comes time to cut back on spending, they opt for a pay raise.
Everyday we’re welcomed to a new set of headlines briefing us on the next round of corporate layoffs. People are making less money and the financial strain has reached across all aspects of our country. Is it just me or does this seem like one of the worst times to be asking for a pay raise? Clearly Congress doesn’t think so. Each year they increase their pay by 2.8%; in 2009 that pay will increase to $174k. With all the taxpayer money that’s being risked in economic bailouts and the skyrocketing national debt, wouldn’t it be a good idea to put a hold on wage increases? Even if that hold is temporary for the next couple of years, I don’t think living on $174k will be that devastating.
To me there’s something fundamentally wrong with spending more taxpayer money and increasing the expense of government when Washington is free-falling into debt. What would Congress have said if the Big 3 auto CEO’s would’ve asked for a bailout, then proposed a pay raise for all their employees? I think they would have been booed right out of the Senate.
What do you think, should Congress get a raise?
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4 Comments on this post
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Matt SF said:
Of course not. Perhaps someone should remind them of their original comment about gas prices… a drop in gas prices is like a tax cut all by itself!
December 16th, 2008 at 11:00 pm -
Alberto said:
Nope, they shouldn’t be getting any kind of raise. This do-nothing congress has done a poor job in my opinion and they don’t deserve to be rewarded. Ok, maybe I’m overgeneralizing and hurting the senators and representatives that did work hard, but nevertheless I’m sure they can hold off on a few extra bucks for a while.
December 17th, 2008 at 5:34 pm -
Dan said:
Many companies (including mine) are freezing wages right now. It has nothing to do with performance. It has to do with staying profitable in hard times. I remember when a “cost of living” increase was almost a given each year even for average employees. It really doesn’t matter if Congress is doing a great job or has an approval rating hovering around 26%. Our senators and representives should work for the same money they did last year just like many of the people that voted them in.
December 20th, 2008 at 7:58 pm -
Justin said:
Very well put. How can they expect a raise when American taxpayers are scraping to get by and they keep shelling out taxpayer money.
December 21st, 2008 at 11:28 pm
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