Congress members get $4,000 pay raise

[babylonsister]

Congress members get $4,000 pay raise

Members of Congress Get $4,000 Pay Raise to $169,300 Per Year

JIM ABRAMS
AP News

Jan 09, 2008 14:53 EST


Fortunately for members of Congress, their pay isn't tied to their approval ratings.

Lawmakers in 2008 will receive salaries of $169,300, a boost of $4,100 over the pay they have lived with since January 2006.

That 2.5 percent increase is mirrored by similar raises for associate justices of the Supreme Court, who will see their pay go from $203,000 to $208,100, and Chief Justice John Roberts, whose pay will rise to $217,400 from $212,100.

The salary figures were published in Tuesday's edition of the Federal Register.

Last year was the first since 1999, when the pay was $136,700, that members of Congress did not receive a cost-of-living allowance raise along with other federal employees. Democrats, newly elected to the majority, had vowed to block an increase in their paychecks until Congress raised the minimum wage.

With the minimum wage increase accomplished last year, House Democratic leaders joined with their Republican counterparts to oppose a procedural vote to bring the COLA issue to the floor, leaving the way clear for their automatic raise.

more...

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/2008/01/congress_members_get_4000_pay.php

[GreenPartyVoter]

1. Must be nice, eh? I hear they have great health insurance, too. In fact, I would say their

lifestyle comfort level isn't much like that of the average voter's at all.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

2. As Mark Twain said about congress..

"It could probably be shown by facts and figures that there is no distinctly native American criminal class except Congress."

"I think I can say, and say with pride, that we have some legislatures that bring in higher prices than any in the world."

"Senator: Person who makes laws in Washington when not doing time."

"To my mind Judas Iscariot was nothing but a low, mean, premature Congressman."

[Celeborn Skywalker]

3. Great quotes!

:thumbsup:

[TahitiNut]

4. 2.5% for Congress... but only 2.3% for Social Security recipients

.... and the increase in Social Security is almost wiped out by Medicare premium increases.

These people live in their own little world. They have no more comprehension of the working class than the Helmsley corpse.

[Benhurst]

5. Praise the Lord!

You can't imagine how many nights I've stayed up worrying about how our public servants could make ends meet on the pittance we pay them.

[DaveJ]

6. To be fair, the dollar isn't what it used to be...

I think about $100k is needed just to live a comfortable middle class life, that is, for a mortgage payment, health insurance, car payments, retirement savings, kids college, weddings, a vacation ot two per year, disaster funds, etc. Things most of us do not have. You'll never hear a Repuke admit that we're becoming a banana Republic though.

[Vinca]

7. Do they plan to go back to work anytime soon??? nt

[babylonsister]

8. Who knows? No one's rushing into anything from where I sit. nt

[focusfan]

9. i guess it's nice to sit on your ass all day and do nothing

and get paid for it.they don't even defend the constition.