Sunday, January 04, 2009

Quote of the Day: As Likely As Anthrax on Cheerios

Beginning this week, US representatives and senators will be paid $174,000 a year. That represents an increase of $4,700 and the 10th time since 1998 that congressional pay has been given a boost.

As has become routine, this salary hike is taking place automatically - there were no hearings, no vote, no debate. No members of Congress stepped before the microphones to explain why their performance over the past year entitles them to a fatter paycheck. Or to make the case for helping themselves to more money at a time when so many Americans are out of work, the economy is in recession, and financial distress is spreading.

Hard as it may be to believe, there was a time when members of Congress didn't make it an annual priority to pad their pay envelopes. In 1932, during the Great Depression, the House and Senate even cut their pay by 10%, then cut it by another 5.5% in 1933. Today's lawmakers, save for a handful of honorable exceptions, are about as likely to follow that precedent as they are to sprinkle anthrax on their Cheerios.

~Jeff Jacoby


8 Comments:

At 1/04/2009 10:07 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Perhaps, there needs to be a nationwide grass-roots movement to shame congressmen into following the example of their honorable 1932 predecessors and role back their salaries, in light of the current economic crisis? Maybe Mr. Obama should set the example and challenge them to follow suit? Here's where that perverted media industry could come in handy if somebody could get them lathered up about it.

 
At 1/04/2009 10:34 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

But Mark, this is all for the common good. I am sure you were just unaware of that.

I am absolutely totally confident this additional 2.5mm bucks a year for these 'outstanding and altruistic' public servants will result in more constrictive, anti liberty laws than ever before.

Woops, maybe it is not for the common good after all.

Btw, there is one South carolina rep who is giving his increase to charity. I am sure there are others but far too few.

 
At 1/04/2009 11:09 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I sure wish I could get a raise every year and a 2.7% raise facing a severe recession - just for showing up.

 
At 1/05/2009 1:10 AM, Blogger OBloodyHell said...

> are about as likely to follow that precedent as they are to sprinkle anthrax on their Cheerios.

...And getting closer and closer to the day when we do it for them...

 
At 1/05/2009 3:50 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

This is an idiotic post. Yes, most of them are boobs but you get what you pay for and why would most successful people choose this job and maintain and shuttle between two homes

 
At 1/05/2009 10:38 PM, Blogger OBloodyHell said...

> This is an idiotic post. Yes, most of them are boobs but you get what you pay for and why would most successful people choose this job and maintain and shuttle between two homes

That's a pretty idiotic comment.

Shall we attempt a poll to see at what monetary reward level most people would take to do such a thing? Want to bet it's a hell of a lot less than 175k?

And that's just the front side reward. There are plenty of additional "perks" (including the rather excessive "pension" plan) which aren't listed in that .

There's a reason most returning reps and senators are millionaires.

 
At 1/06/2009 9:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I remember getting a pay cut a couple of times after the dot com bubble burst. There are currently people getting similar pay cuts and losing jobs. When does congress get to feel that pain so they truly know what their constituents are suffering?

 
At 1/07/2009 5:21 PM, Blogger juandos said...

"When does congress get to feel that pain so they truly know what their constituents are suffering?"...

At the voting booth ernieoporto, at the voting booth...

Voters have only themselves to blame since its their votes that continously send these clowns back to D.C. to continue their antics...

 

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