Eating at Lobbyists’ Troughs, Congress Votes Itself a Pay Raise
Posted on Jun 15, 2006
House and Senate lawmakers embraced a $3,300 pay raise that would increase their salaries to $168,500. Meanwhile, it’s been reported that members of the House’s own ethics committee took over $1 million in privately funded (read: lobbyist-funded) trips last year.
Seattle Times:
WASHINGTON Despite record low approval ratings, House lawmakers Tuesday embraced a $3,300 pay raise that would increase their salaries to $168,500.
The 2 percent cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) would be the seventh straight for members of the House and Senate. Lawmakers easily squelched an attempt by Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, to get a direct vote to block the increase, which is automatically awarded unless lawmakers vote to block it.
In the early days of GOP control of Congress, lawmakers routinely denied themselves the annual COLA.
Link
Center for Public Integrity:
WASHINGTON, June 14, 2006 In the next few days, the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct is expected to recommend changes to the chamber’s rules on privately sponsored travel, including measures that could strengthen disclosure requirements and close loopholes used by lobbyists.
However, the Center for Public Integrity has found that the current members of the committee are no strangers to taking privately funded trips.
From January 2000 through June 2005, the members five Republicans and five Democrats and their aides accepted about 400 such trips valued at nearly $1 million, according to a Center review of disclosure records.
More than half of that figure was spent on the lawmakers. The members took roughly 180 trips over the 5½-year study period, reporting expenses in excess of $550,000. Among the sponsors were corporations, trade groups and nonprofit organizations
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By R. A. Earl, June 15, 2006 at 6:13 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)
There are very few individuals whose work is so valuable to society as to warrant a payment of $168,500 per year.
Perhaps a brain surgeon, a nobel prize winner, a peace maker, a discoverer or inventor or author… BUT A POLITICIAN? NOT BLOODY LIKELY!
Report thisBy felicity smith, June 15, 2006 at 11:34 am #
(Unregistered commenter)
They have no shame. When asked recently to justify a raise in congressional pay, a legislator replied that it was just a cost-of-living raise. The same legislator would deny a raise in the minimum wage is necessary because there has been no increase in the cost of living???? They have no shame.
Report thisBy George S Semsel, June 15, 2006 at 11:31 am #
(Unregistered commenter)
The pay raise congress gave itself is just another reason either to give up and not vote at all, since it seems to be a futile gesture, or to vote and make yet another, equally futile attempt to get these yahoos out of office - all of them, regardless of party affiliation. Will the public ever find a serious voice in the government, or did that opportunity pass so many years ago we’ve all forgotten about it? What will it take to move the pubic to take action? Is no one else as fed up as I am, and as fearful of the direction the government has taken?
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