Congress votes down own Cost of Living Raise

[Platapus]

Let's hope this passes the House

The Senate on Thursday passed legislation to scrap its $1600 cost-of-living pay raise for 2011. Lawmakers automatically receive the pay hike unless they vote each year to stop it.

The bill was introduced by Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wisconsin, who has adamantly protested the the annual pay raise since his election in 1992. Legislators did not take a pay raise in 2010 either - a suspension of the pay raise was included in the omnibus appropriations bill.


"Not many Americans have the power to give themselves a raise whenever they want, no matter how they are performing," Feingold said in a press release. "Yet Congress has set up a system whereby every year members automatically get a pay increase without having to lift a finger. I refuse to be a part of that system, and I will continue to work to permanently end it."


"But in the meantime, Congress should at least give up its raise for next year. With so many Americans looking for jobs, and trying to figure out how to pay their bills, now is no time to give ourselves a taxpayer-funded pay raise."

Sounds like this Feingold is a pretty good guy.



http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/im...2/coe10359.pdf

[CaptainHaplo]

Don't care for Feingold - but give credit where credit is due - Russ has been consistent on this issue, and on this issue - he is been on the correct side of the issue.

[UnderseaLcpl]

How about that? A Democrat who remembers the etymology of his party name! Now we just need a Republican who remembers what "republic" means and we might have something resembling an honest legislature. I mean besides Ron Paul, whom nobody ever listens to.

Hopefully, Feingold will extend this morality to other decisions where congress spends taxpayer money for worthless political reasons, though his voting record does not yet reflect that.

[Aramike]

Feingold is a posturing idiot. Yes, he's been consistant on this issue. However, look at his record ... he's a hardcore leftist on pretty much anything.

[Torvald Von Mansee]

Haven't the earnings for the middle class dropped since 1975? And those of the upper class gone up much, much more?

I guess if you're middle class and support the upper class at your own expense, you're pretty stupid!!

[SteamWake]

Senators and representatives actually have a pretty weak pay scale. Their salary is not where they make most of their money.

Still its a nice gesture but I'd be willing to bet that ... no they will not get the cost of living raise but will recieve some other 'benefit' that will offset that anyhow.

[UnderseaLcpl]

Originally Posted by Torvald Von Mansee

Haven't the earnings for the middle class dropped since 1975?

If it has, I've been unable to find any objective source that states such a thing. Until very recently, the trend has almost always been upwards in every significant measure of economic development. Median household income is up by about $5,000 since '75, PPP per capita is up, taxable income is way up. I could be wrong, and often am, but on the face of it I'd have to say...no.

And those of the upper class gone up much, much more?

Who cares? Everybody has more now.
http://www.google.com/publicdata?ds=...gdp+per+capita
We also have better products, services, and a better standard of living than we did in 1975. The only thing that's gotten markedly worse has been the government, in terms of finance at least.