Democrats in the House of Reps want a pay raise beyond their current $174,000 income; for some, beca
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[quote]The Democratic Party says it's the party of the working class, but congressional Democrats this week complicated that pitch by calling for a pay raise for members of Congress.
"Members deserve to be paid, staff deserves to be paid and the cost of living here is causing serious problems for people who are not wealthy to serve in this institution," said Rep. Alcee Hastings during a Monday Rules Committee hearing on the upcoming year's legislative branch appropriations bill, according to Roll Call.
The number two House Democrat told reporters he agreed with Hastings.
Rep Steny Hoyer said it was appropriate during the recession years in 2009 and 2010 to not approve any pay increases, but to continue that policy "simply will dictate that the only people who can serve are the rich and I don't think that's what the founding fathers had in mind."
RELATED: Working in the Capitol, sleeping on the streets
Members of Congress are paid $174,000 annually, and haven't enjoyed a pay raise since 2009. Staffers are paid considerably less, with the average staff assistant on the Hill earning roughly $35,000 per year.
That creates a barrier to entry into Congress for low-income Americans, and contributes to a brain drain that's made it difficult for congressional offices to recruit and retain top talent, Hastings argued.
"This institution is heading towards elitism," Hastings said on Monday. "And that's crazy."
Members feel "that on the salary that they make, they're going to be unable to send their children to college," he added.[/quote]
[url]http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/19/politics/members-of-congress-pay-raise/index.html[/url]
I can send myself to college on a little over a third of that. It's a shame some of these people reproduced.
1: How about FUCK no. Those people are already better off than alot of people in America.
2: Oh look, College is too expensive for THEM? I think that should tell this country something.
What about a pay downgrade and use the money from that to pay for students tuition fees! :v:
[QUOTE=Aspen;47765775]I can send myself to college on a little over a third of that. It's a shame some of these people reproduced.[/QUOTE]
I don't think that's really fair to say because, taking them at face value, (I know, no one here wants to do that with politicians) the complaint is primarily cost of living for DC means that only politicians who are making a lot of money on-top of being politicians can be politicians, rather than career "just-a" politicians.
You might send [I]yourself[/I] to college on "a third" of that, but could you afford to book flights across country for rallies, pay off your house, host fancy dinners for supporters and manage your staff ON TOP OF making sure your family is taken care of on, "a third" of that?
The complaint is a good one. We don't want a world where the only people who can afford to be politicians are the 1%. That's how landed aristocracy begins. That's how the same landed aristocracy comes to only pass legislation that favors itself. America was founded with the intent that a thing like that shouldn't happen. That's why politicians even [I]have[/I] a salary. It used to be that they didn't at all, and more than a few went in to obscurity with nothing because of it.
I don't think we want that.
[quote]Hastings himself is the second-poorest member of Congress, per CRP, with an estimated net worth of negative $2.23 million.[/quote]
fucking rediculous, but i think they're more arguing for a raise for their staffers not necessarily the actual congressmen, which 35k in a city with a standard of living at 100k is pretty fucking poor, especially since thats only the paid positions, most of congressional staff is made up of unpaid interns, and most of the hill workers are contracted staff making less than minimum wage
Just gonna throw this out there, but if you look at the [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salaries_of_members_of_the_United_States_Congress]historical salaries after adjustment for inflation[/url], current Congressional salaries are dramatically lower than they were in the 60s, late 70s, and early 90s. $174k is a lower equivalent income than any year since 1990.
Both sides of this political system is a fucking joke and it pisses me Off.
Both sides of this political system is a fucking joke and it pisses me Off.
How about not wasting our taxes on frivolous crap and actually spend more of it on important things like infrastructure, medical fees and tuition costs?
Heck, with the amount that they waste, you'd think that using more of it toward paying off our national debt would be a good idea considering that will hurt their spending in the long run if not dealt with better, too.
[QUOTE=catbarf;47765849]Just gonna throw this out there, but if you look at the [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salaries_of_members_of_the_United_States_Congress]historical salaries after adjustment for inflation[/url], current Congressional salaries are dramatically lower than they were in the 60s, late 70s, and early 90s. $174k is a lower equivalent income than any year since 1990.[/QUOTE]
It doesn't mean they're getting paid dirt cheap today regardless.
[QUOTE=Crazy Ivan;47765843]I don't think that's really fair to say because, taking them at face value, (I know, no one here wants to do that with politicians) the complaint is primarily cost of living for DC means that only politicians who are making a lot of money on-top of being politicians can be politicians, rather than career "just-a" politicians.
...[/QUOTE]
You're actually defending them. That's amazing.
how about they make college less financially burdening?
[QUOTE=itisjuly;47765862]You're actually defending them. That's amazing.[/QUOTE]
Perhaps you should read the rest of the post and address the points made instead of spouting meaningless rhetoric. I think that'd be very conducive to productive discussion, don't you?
[QUOTE=itisjuly;47765862]You're actually defending them. That's amazing.[/QUOTE]
Well, do you think politicians ought to live an ascetic life, devoted to pouring every penny they have in to ensuring that they remain politicians?
The only reason anyone cares about this now is because of bigger issues. It'd be nice to fix how much college costs. I have student loans, I'd love it if those went away. But a lot of people certainly won't let any so-called socialist nonsense in to [I]our[/I] America. So being pragmatic, yes, I am defending this idea because it makes some sense.
Now, if you want to say, "ahhh but look at ALL THAT MONEY," then I think you're literally side-stepping the issue to talk about something else, which is just as despicable as a politician filibustering a bill by reading a phonebook for party reasons.
[QUOTE=Warriorx4;47765893]Perhaps you should read the rest of the post and address the points made instead of spouting meaningless rhetoric. I think that'd be very conducive to productive discussion, don't you?[/QUOTE]
These people are partially responsible for the cost of education today. On top of that they're also capable of creating legislation that caps the cost of higher education so that it's affordable for everyone, instead they'd rather pay themselves more and leave everyone else in the dust. The literal embodiment of "fuck you, got mine."
^I agree but why are you responding to me and not the other dude.
I looked into this Alcee Hastings character. Evidently the second poorest member of congress, and has quite the checkered past with accepting bribes and such. According to a 2010 report, he owes several million dollars in legal fees for charges he incurred between 1981 and 1989. Seems he'd stand to gain a lot from a raise to congress salary.
[QUOTE=catbarf;47765849]Just gonna throw this out there, but if you look at the [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salaries_of_members_of_the_United_States_Congress]historical salaries after adjustment for inflation[/url], current Congressional salaries are dramatically lower than they were in the 60s, late 70s, and early 90s. $174k is a lower equivalent income than any year since 1990.[/QUOTE]
They're also doing a lot less work, according to Rep. Rick Nolan who retired in 1981 and returned in 2013. According to him, Congress is as lazy as we think they are, and stated that "everybody’s campaigning and nobody’s governing". Maybe if they start doing their jobs, schedule more days, and stop skipping the few they have, they can have a raise. But as it stands, if they were held to normal job standards, they'd all be fired. Because at a normal job, you can't just do half the work your supposed to do, then take the next day off because you felt like it.
These fuckers are so disconnected from the reality for most U.S citizens. They really shouldn't be in a place of power.
[QUOTE=Warriorx4;47765893]Perhaps you should read the rest of the post and address the points made instead of spouting meaningless rhetoric. I think that'd be very conducive to productive discussion, don't you?[/QUOTE]I could but he's making excuses for same politicians who buttfucked the whole college thing in the first place. Surely they can fix it so more people can attend college but instead they whine that their kids can't and they need more money for themselves? Yeah fuck those guys. This is not how someone who should care for their citizens should act.
They hardly even deserve the pay we give them, fuck that. If you can't afford to send your kids to college on $174,000 a year, then maybe you should seek to fix that glaring fucking problem instead of demanding more money for your useless ass to sit on.
I also looked into Rep Steny Hoyer, and his estimated net worth as of 2012 was 33 grand. Rep Hoyer and Hastings are the two congressman featured in this article, and it's no small wonder why now. So yeah.
[QUOTE=Aldawolf;47765818]What about a pay downgrade and use the money from that to pay for students tuition fees! :v:[/QUOTE]
even if this is a joke, that'd hardly make a dent. there's something like 430 reps, so big whoop, maybe we'd be able to get 430 kids into school. that'd do nothing.
fact is that life in DC is incredibly expensive, and given the costs that naturally are associated with being a politician, it's really not that bizarre to ask for a raise given their current salary is the lowest it's been in nearly half a century. [url=http://www.npr.org/sections/money/2014/05/20/313131559/how-far-your-paycheck-goes-in-356-u-s-cities]an income of 44k in DC feels like 35k.[/url] - that effect is magnified at higher levels of salary, as housing is notoriously expensive in the DC area. there's also the problem that low salaries are a hotbed for corruption - raising salaries to a point that provide a higher level of comfort to politicians will decrease the effect of lobbying organizations on them. it's one of the reasons why politicians and judicial officers in india are so corrupt, because they're paid jack shit.
honestly if anyone deserves a raise it's the staffers, 35k in DC is criminal for support staff for congressmen. that's garbage.
no none of you understand i hate politicians so they should make NO money ahaha fuck politicians!!! fcuk them!!
Politicians just respond to whatever will let them keep their jobs which means getting votes (which means getting money). If voters didn't let themselves constantly get bamboozled by nonsensical propositions or buy into ideologies which actively harm their own interests, this wouldn't be a problem. We would want politicians to be very comfortable because they would act as conduits of public opinion.
[QUOTE=Aspen;47765775]I can send myself to college on a little over a third of that. It's a shame some of these people reproduced.[/QUOTE]
Uh, I can swing it on a tenth of that with no debt. If you're paying $60,000 a year on college alone, you're either going to the wrong college or going to grad school.
[QUOTE=Snowmew;47766463]Uh, I can swing it on a tenth of that with no debt. If you're paying $60,000 a year on college alone, you're either going to the wrong college or going to grad school.[/QUOTE]
If you're going to grad school and paying, you're in the wrong major.
I don't understand why people want their policymakers to be paid less and not more. If anything I'd want the people governing me to be living comfortably so they don't have to worry about anything other than how to do their job right.
[QUOTE=Headhumpy;47766531]I don't understand why people want their policymakers to be paid less and not more. If anything I'd want the people governing me to be living comfortably so they don't have to worry about anything other than how to do their job right.[/QUOTE]
Because they're not doing their job right. That's the issue here.
[QUOTE=Mr. Someguy;47766113]They're also doing a lot less work, according to Rep. Rick Nolan who retired in 1981 and returned in 2013. According to him, Congress is as lazy as we think they are, and stated that "everybody’s campaigning and nobody’s governing". Maybe if they start doing their jobs, schedule more days, and stop skipping the few they have, they can have a raise. But as it stands, if they were held to normal job standards, they'd all be fired. Because at a normal job, you can't just do half the work your supposed to do, then take the next day off because you felt like it.[/QUOTE]
At a normal job you just can't refuse to issue a working budget for the entire company and force everything and everyone to grind to a painful halt just because you don't like the company benefits package and you want to hurt the career of the guy on the board of directors that does. If Congress was a business the pink slips would be showering down like snow.
Let's not forget that Congress has two income streams: Their mandated salary paid by the people, and legitimized bribery by anyone who wants Congress to [I]actually listen[/I] to them. If they want a raise, let's start clamping down on lobbying.
Oh, wait, we have to wait for Congress to decide they don't want lobby money anymore. Welp, it's been a nice experiment, everyone.
[QUOTE=Headhumpy;47766531]I don't understand why people want their policymakers to be paid less and not more. If anything I'd want the people governing me to be living comfortably so they don't have to worry about anything other than how to do their job right.[/QUOTE]
Let's remember that US Congress shut the government down twice recently over whether or not America should actually pay its debts or just say fuck-it because a bunch of Republicans hate the idea of raising taxes in any capacity whatsoever, based on a stupid idea Grover Norquist wrote down when he was [I]thirteen[/I] and never let go of.
[QUOTE=Toy_Soldier;47765854]Both sides of this political system is a fucking joke and it pisses me Off.[/QUOTE]
Yet peolpe keep voting for the false dictomony.
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