"But I said no to that pay increase!" "oh well I'll spend it anyway"

So Congress "voted" to give themselves a raise. AGAIN No wait I'm sorry they don't like to call it that. It's a "Cost of living increase"
And they didn't vote for it.. no they just didn't vote to stop the automatic increase. And actually many of them DID vote against it. Convieniently the day after the deadline. "Ooops my bad I missed the deadline, but hey I DID vote it down." :rolleyes:

Wouldn't you like to be able to just vote yourself in a $3,100 per year pay increase?

Maybe its just me but I think they are already overpaid. I want my represenatives to be motivated by ideas not a paycheck.
And at $165,200/yr (and remember they are like teachers they don't work a full year)
I see that as a motive to get into office. That doesn't even include all the HR benefits and travel benefits.
I always viewed public service as just that SERVICE, not public fleecing.
Then we are told that its expensive to live in D.C.
Hmm why not have a secure apartment complex for all of our represenatives. They don't need to have a nice huge house just to go into work. Not only would that save them money on commuting, but then the pay that they receive would go further to support their family and homes in their home state.

This automatic COLA increase came about in 1989 when they voted to get it in lieu of hitting the paid lecture circuit. At that time they were paid $89,500/yr
Am I the only one that thinks they should be working for us, not out moonlighting.
If you don't think your getting paid enough then stay in the private sector where your free to ask whatever you like and you get paid based on worth.
I also think they should be subject to performance increases just like the rest of us.

The matter of congressional pay increases has had a long history of uncertainty. The 27th amendment was proposed in 1789 and didn't make it into the original Bill of Rights.
"No law, varying the compensation for the services of the Senators and Representatives, shall take effect, until an election of Representatives shall have intervened."
It took nearly 200 years for it to finally be ratified in 1992.
Of course all it says is that a pay increase is to go into effect following an election.

But don't you think any increases in pay should be determined by their constituents?
How about the Senate. Most of the Demoncrats that did nothing but block progress from taking place shouldn't get an increase in pay. They weren't doing their job. And don't try and tell me the threat of a fillibuster is doing their job. There was a time when a fillibuster involved the reading of the phonebook or whatever they could and as soon as they stopped. They had to get off the soapbox. But now they just have to threaten the other side with a fillibuster and it acts as one?? So, that's lazy in my view.

And what about people like John Kerry, he pretty much dropped his obligations as a Senator to go for another job. I have a real problem with that.
Just as the President shouldn't spend as much time campaigning while he's on the job. Some might argue that its part of their job to campaign for their reelection.

What do you think YOUR boss would do if you left halfway into the fiscal year to try and get another job? While you continued to collect your paycheck.
Do you think its right to be spending half of the fiscal year telling everyone your the right man for the job next year, rather than just DOING your job to the best of your abilities, and letting your boss decide if your the man based on your actions.

I guess I always thought those that wanted to serve their country as a politician did so because they have ideas lots of ideas.
Not because they have a knack for picking apart others, or because they just want their finger in the cookie jar...then once they get one they devote all their time to remaining in there because the cookies are so good.

We are also at war. It's time for all of us to take make some sacrifices in order to preserve our future.
I'm not against them getting pay raises like the rest of us, when we deserve it. But the automatic pay increase needs to end. And all pay increases need to be approved by those who judge their performance. We the People