December 30, 2008
Congressional outrage!
Times are tough in the U.S. of A., what with the dismal state of the economy, the housing market, the automakers, and municipal and state governments confronting spiraling pensions and cratering revenues.
So, when I mention there's Congressional outrage, you're probably thinking, "What are our representatives in Washington, D.C., outraged about? What have the greedy capitalist businessmen done now to screw over the little guy?"
You would be mistaken.
When I say, "Congressional outrage!" I'm not talking about what Congress is saying; I'm talking about what Congress is doing.
Like giving itself another pay raise.
Despite the country's economic meltdown, Congress is about to receive an automatic $4,700 pay raise on Thursday — a 2.8 percent increase over the current $169,300 salary for most members.
What the hell? These guys think they've earned a raise? Well, is anyone in Congress upset about this?
Yeah, but the anger is pretty limited, with a Utah congressman taking a lead role in pointing the finger at his colleagues.
Rep. Jim Matheson says that is unconscionable, and he's vowing to renew his annual fight to stop such automatic raises. He says the bad economy might just help him win this year, and a government watchdog group is joining his battle to say the raise is a bad idea in such times.
"In a situation where there aren't many people in this country who are seeing their salaries go up, and in fact a lot of people are losing their jobs, the notion that Congress should be having an automatic pay raise without even a vote just doesn't pass the smell test," Matheson said earlier this month.
Since Matheson entered Congress, he has attempted every year to force Congress to vote on whether to accept a raise rather than receive it automatically. He has always failed on procedural votes that would lead to such a straight up-or-down vote (although one year Congress separately chose to not take a raise while the minimum wage was not raised).
"You realize the raise is going through on Jan. 1, and we didn't even get the opportunity to have a procedural vote in 2008" on it, Matheson said. "So it was even more opaque, or less transparent, than in the past."
You know, I've been using the phrase "Congressional crapweasels" for several years; stories like this make me think I need to find something a bit stronger to describe the greed and cowardice that makes them fight to prevent a recorded floor vote on an issue like this.
Heaven forbid the voters actually find out who is against turning off the money spigot dumping automatic pay raises into the feckless Congressional crapweasels' feeding trough.
Demand an open vote on this -- and all other issues; up or down, Yea or Nay.
P.J. O'Rourke wrote a book about Washington: Parliament of Whores.
What an insult to whores.
Posted by Mike Lief at December 30, 2008 06:21 AM
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Comments
Congress sure picked a strange year to give itself a raise. Left, right, and center, all Americans have a right to feel that the government just isn't living up to its potential.
Posted by: I Live Green at December 31, 2008 12:12 AM
Wow, something by I Live Green with which I can agree. It must be the witching hour.
Posted by: The Litttle Coach at December 31, 2008 09:07 PM