Lawmaker calls Congress 'underpaid', objects to salary freeze

[waggy]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/sns-rt-us-usa-congress-salary-20140404,0,7747191.story

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. lawmakers have quietly gone along with an annual salary freeze since 2010, but a Virginia Democrat has had enough and said members of Congress are underpaid.

Representative Jim Moran, who is not seeking re-election in November, has objected to fiscal 2015 spending legislation that calls for another pay freeze for Congress, keeping lawmakers' salaries at $174,000 a year.



Is he fucking nuts? 174k is underpaid?

 

[Greenman]

They should be compensated the same as a similar job in the private sector. How much does a common thief make?

 

[MongGrel]

Twits.

 

[master_shake_]

they do absolutely nothing but stop the progress of a nation regressing it in to a screaming bitch that everyone is sick of.

maybe they need hazard pay for all the shit that get tossed around.

 

[gotsmack]

I'm ok with a per diem if they bring the pay down to a GS-15 level.

https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-ove...es-wages/salary-tables/14Tables/html/DCB.aspx

Oh and you only get paid when congress is in session. During "recess" you don't get paid. Why should they get paid when they're on the campaign trail and not in DC doing "work"?

 

[compuwiz1]

Sure, when they perform in such a manner that garners them a much higher approval rating, I'd be open to the idea. At the rate they are going, they should all be demoted several pay steps. They aren't worth what they are currently being paid.

 

[cubby1223]

If they had a higher salary would they now no longer need to spend 90+% of their time fundraising?

 

[RockinZ28]

Jim Moran

'Nuff said.

 

[BoberFett]

Jim Moran

'Nuff said.

 

[pcgeek11]

I like what SC Rep Trey Gowdy said about this Moran when being interviewed by Greta Van Susteren last night:

South Carolina Republican congressman Trey Gowdy blasted Virginia Democrat Jim Moran for saying lawmakers on Capitol Hill are underpaid, saying the congressman should be “embarrassed,” and that the House of Representatives is “grossly overcompensated.”

 

[Atomic Playboy]

To be fair, there are a LOT of jobs in America that pay better than $174,000 a year. If we want lawmakers at the highest level in the country to stop taking bribes and bending over backwards to appease their largest donors, they probably should be paid a wage that makes them less inclined to accept bribes, no? At this point, no, they don't deserve it; this Congress doesn't deserve minimum wage. But this isn't just about this worthless Congress, it's the wage for lawmakers yet to come. It's pretty ridiculous that professional sports leagues in this country have a minimum wage more than double that of Congress.

 

[khon]

The Supreme Court just gave them a pay raise.

 

[HomerJS]

To be fair, there are a LOT of jobs in America that pay better than $174,000 a year. If we want lawmakers at the highest level in the country to stop taking bribes and bending over backwards to appease their largest donors, they probably should be paid a wage that makes them less inclined to accept bribes, no? At this point, no, they don't deserve it; this Congress doesn't deserve minimum wage. But this isn't just about this worthless Congress, it's the wage for lawmakers yet to come. It's pretty ridiculous that professional sports leagues in this country have a minimum wage more than double that of Congress.

Sounds like the mob. Give us a bigger envelope or you may get robbed.

 

[code65536]

I'm in favor of giving them a pay raise...

...if they pass a Constitutional Amendment to overturn Citizens United and pass laws restricting the the revolving doors of lobbying.

Because, frankly, I'd rather they get paid by the voters and be beholden to voters than for them to be paid by corporations and be beholden to corporations.

When corporations and industry groups can promise a Congressman a cushy lobbying "job" that pays many times higher than their Congressional salary after they "retire from public service", it's kinda hard to keep them honest.

 

[HomerJS]

I'm in favor of giving them a pay raise...

...if they pass a Constitutional Amendment to overturn Citizens United and pass laws restricting the the revolving doors of lobbying.

Because, frankly, I'd rather they get paid by the voters and be beholden to voters than for them to be paid by corporations and be beholden to corporations.

When corporations and industry groups can promise a Congressman a cushy lobbying "job" that pays many times higher than their Congressional salary after they "retire from public service", it's kinda hard to keep them honest.

They should be subject to a review by a citizens committee since they work for us. Not many jobs where you can give yourself a raise.

 

[boomerang]

It should be a part time job with pay commensurate. In other words far, far less than they're getting now. Their jobs need to be restored to ones of public service. No more career politicians that glean pensions and benefits for an extremely minimal amount of time on the job. The whole fucking system has been bastardized beyond recognition of the original intent.

Remember that any "solution" presented by the very people that are the problem is no solution at all. A fix to the problem of our elected representatives must come from outside of their circle. It will without a doubt have to be forced down their throats.

http://conventionofstates.com/

As far as Moran:

The Lost Fortunes of the Underpaid Representative Jim Moran

 

[Anarchist420]

It is corrupt as hell that Congress gets to set its own pay.

Each member's pay should be at the mercy of the State he or she is in.

Dr. Paul also had a good idea and that was to decrease their salaries for inflation.

 

[pauldun170]

It should be a part time job with pay commensurate. In other words far, far less than they're getting now. Their jobs need to be restored to ones of public service. No more career politicians that glean pensions and benefits for an extremely minimal amount of time on the job. The whole fucking system has been bastardized beyond recognition of the original intent.

Remember that any "solution" presented by the very people that are the problem is no solution at all. A fix to the problem of our elected representatives must come from outside of their circle. It will without a doubt have to be forced down their throats.

http://conventionofstates.com/

As far as Moran:

The Lost Fortunes of the Underpaid Representative Jim Moran

"I understand that it's widely felt that they underperform, but the fact is that this is the board of directors for the largest economic entity in the world."
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/rep-jim-moran-members-of-congress-are-underpaid/

A former stockbroker,

.
Enjoy retirement.
Enjoy your pension (23 years of service)
Enjoy your Thrift savings plan
Enjoy your cheap health insurance and access to any care facility including VA
Enjoy all your perks of being a former lawmaker.


Protip - Don't be a prick to your wealthy wife and when you are close to retirement age, don't gamble on the stock market trying to recapture your former glory.

 

[JManInPhoenix]

I wouldn't object to a pay raise for congress people if they actually were productive. Based on their performance of the past several years, they should be taking a pay cut.

 

[shortylickens]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/sns-rt-us-usa-congress-salary-20140404,0,7747191.story

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. lawmakers have quietly gone along with an annual salary freeze since 2010, but a Virginia Democrat has had enough and said members of Congress are underpaid.

Representative Jim Moran, who is not seeking re-election in November, has objected to fiscal 2015 spending legislation that calls for another pay freeze for Congress, keeping lawmakers' salaries at $174,000 a year.


Is he fucking nuts? 174k is underpaid?

It is, when you consider all the kickbacks and perks and bennies add up to the millions.



Seriously, its Americas fault. They keep voting for the same cocksuckers over and over again. Some of those fuckheads have been in office from age 30 to 80.

We got what we wanted, a pile of fat lazy overpaid useless conniving self-serving assholes who would not be able to hold a paper route if it wasnt for the warm, safe nest capital hill provides.

We need to clean the whole bunch of them out, replace them with guys who actually care about America, and keep close tabs on the gang after that.

That job should NOT be fun. It should be a grueling task only the most motivated, dedicated, hardcore, patriotic human being would wanna do. If they ever get comfortable then the system has failed. WE have failed.

STOP VOTING FOR THEM YOU FUCKIN MORONS!

 

[Zaap]

So what? This is the same attitude the political class has about everything. "Give us more, its never enough. We're more important than everyone and everything else."

Somehow people see that as the absurd bullshit is is when its a single jackass asking for a pittance of a salary increase that even at the most extreme wouldn't make a blip of difference to the nation.

But when it comes to throwing trillions upon trillions of dollars down a rathole and then whining for trillions upon trillions more and putting the entire nation in debt shackles, people are all for it, even up in arms if everyone doesn't willingly sell their grandkids into endentured servitude to feed the leviathon.

We have an amazingly fucked up sense of proportion in this country.

 

[code65536]

So say we reduce Congressional pay...

Do you think this would give their true employers (corporations and interests that really pay them) more or less power? What about the kinds of people who will be attracted by the prospect of running for office, when an even larger proportion of the Congressional income comes from these outside sources?

We're all pissed at Congress, but the problem isn't their pay. The problem is where they are getting their pay.

 

[nehalem256]

In 2004, Moran described himself as one of the "poorest" members of Congress after racking up large losses in financial options trading.

The last sentence is clearly the best.

Poor people don't gamble in options trading

 

[JEDIYoda]

BREAKING NEWS!!!

Brain eating zombies invade Washington DC and die of starvation!!

 

[Incorruptible]

This guy is a piece of shit. These morons are paid far too much when all they do is make government bigger and steal tax dollars.

It is corrupt as hell that Congress gets to set its own pay.

Each member's pay should be at the mercy of the State he or she is in.

Dr. Paul also had a good idea and that was to decrease their salaries for inflation.

Agree. Ron Paul voted against raising salaries and wanted to cut them but instead too many idiots attack his policies.