COMMON SENSE

No Pay Raise For Congress After All

On fiscal cliff deadline lawmakers vote to rescind salary hike

Jan 1, 2013 by David Mark

Editor-in-Chief t

Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO). Image: AP.

It looks like members of Congress are finally getting the picture that they're not too popular. The fiscal cliff package approved by the Senate includes a provision that blocks the salary increase lawmakers were supposed to get in 2013, from $174,000 to $174,900.

"Good news. In deal we will STOP any pay increase for Congress. Thank goodness. Good reason to vote for it," tweeted Sen. Claire McCaskill (@clairecmc), on New Year's Eve as the deal was taking shape.

The Missouri Democrat has been vocal for months in opposing a pay raise for Congress, particularly as the fiscal cliff drama dragged on. The House must still approve the measure, followed by President Barack Obama's signature.

Under current federal law lawmakers' pay automatically rises unless they specifically vote to deny themselves a raise - which this year they didn't. The $900-a-year raise is in line with what other federal workers will get in the coming year. That's because President Barack Obama recently issued an executive order to end the pay freeze on federal employees, in effect giving some federal workers a raise.

Politix reporting.

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Jan '13

Antiecm

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Finally something from Washington that makes sense.
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Jan '13

Realthinker

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Finally, our "representatives" doing something responsible.
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Jan '13

Sonny

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I say let Congress go "over the CLIFF!
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Jan '13

HPthinker

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we are only 16 trillion under water... responsible? Not Really!
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Jan '13

jessejaymes

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What should be noticed here is that they didn't refuse the raise until public furor became so loud. Responsible leaders would have cut their pay in half since every damn one of them write hot checks at the Senate Bank, get graft from lobbyists and have a travel, mailing and housing allowance.
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Jan '13

Fishbone345

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Now if Americans would stand up and cause furor the same way over other outrages in DC. Won't happen though, laziness and apathy are something we have plenty of in the US.
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Post @Fishbone345
Jan '13

jessejaymes

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@Fishbone345 I'm outraged at the laziness and apathy of the American people. Polls show more than 90% of voters think congress is corrupt to the core EXCEPT for THEIR congress person so they go right ahead and re-elect their own time after time and they live like feudal lords. And the dumbing down of America marches on.
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Post @jessejaymes
Jan '13

Fishbone345

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@jessejaymes Agreed. And when they speak out on Congress, they buy into the partisan bulls%$t. You can see it on here, a microcosm of what is happening out there in the US.
Here is a story about greedy politicians who only decided against a pay raise when Americans got upset about the very idea. And look at the responses, Left posters will bitch about the Right, and vice versa. Instead of speaking out about the WHOLE of Washington being to blame.
Greed doesn't know a party, and I wish the US would wake up and see that.
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Post @Fishbone345
Jan '13

jessejaymes

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@Fishbone345 Exactly. Take the case of the demise of Hostess brand. The Executives tripled their salaries during 3 rounds of bankruptcy going from 300,000.00 a year for the CEO to over a million while IN BANKRUPTCY. On the flip side of the coin the Union refused to allow Wonder bread and Twinkies to be delivered in the same truck. So the left blames management and the right blames the Unions and IN FACT IT WAS BOTH. GREED.
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Jan '13

PayThatCEO

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@jessejaymes

Do you really believe re-electing someone else would make a difference? The system is broken from the inside out. It is corrupt because money and power are a dangerous combination, especially in politics. As long as we have very rich people in very powerful positions we will never have a government for the rest of us.
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Jan '13

Eady

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They didn't deserve any of them since 2006 when Nancy P and her liberal cohorts vo9ted themselves a $15,000 dollar raise befiore they left for their't annua; summer vacation and left the military problwm hanging. Odd how people forget that or qall the other nasty things the liberal pulled to pass Obama Care which no one wanted and still don't.
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Jan '13

scotta

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That is the God's honest truth. We the tax payers should decide either they get or they do not get a raise
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Jan '13

Eady

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At least there are some people that GET IT!!!!!!
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Jan '13

PNWest

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Congress did not deserve a pay raise. Congress should be paid 100% of the median household income in the United States. No more. Their paycheck goes up when everybody's paycheck goes up.
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Jan '13

Rocker

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What? No raise?? I really hate that for 'em.....
(not really, I'm just being a sarcastic ass).
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Jan '13

Chrysalis

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Congress should be forced to forfeit their entire pay and show up for work anyway for awhile like was threatened toward federal employees back a few years ago.
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Post @Chrysalis
Jan '13

Eady

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They didn't deserve any of them since 2006 when Nancy P and her liberal cohorts vo9ted themselves a $15,000 dollar raise befiore they left for their't annual; summer vacation and left the military problwm hanging. Odd how people forget that or qall the other nasty things the liberal pulled to pass Obama Care which no one wanted and still don't.
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Jan '13

jessejaymes

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everyone else is blaming both parties as they should and you're ranting about "liberals". Why is that?
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Jan '13

Eady

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@jessejaymes Obvios isn't it?
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Jan '13

jessejaymes

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@Eady Yeah it really is. But I keep wondering if I'm the only rational conservative left in this country.
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Jan '13

Denizen_Kate

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@jessejaymes - I've wondered the same, Jesse. You may well be the only one left. It's getting loonier and loonier on the right.
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Post @Denizen_Kate
Jan '13

jessejaymes

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@Denizen_Kate You know Kate I sometimes wonder if the far right shouldn't just don Nazi Uniforms and call themselves the Fourth Reich. I mean it might conflict on the surface with being fundamentalists but they twist everything else, I'm sure they work it out. But they are not conservatives. They're heathens,.
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Jan '13

Antiecm

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And I forgot to mention a Democrat stopped this. Way to go lady, of and welcome to the Republican party.
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Jan '13

Jackie312gm

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Let there be LIGHT!!
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Jan '13

Knightkore

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It is truly the end of the world...something finally went right...in congress...
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Jan '13

Thegrif

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Just what the hell did they do that made them think they deserved one anyway.
This is the kinda fruit loop thinking that land us in this crap hole in the first place.
I believe in pay for performance, in which case they owe us money.
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Jan '13

mudzangandoro

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They already get too much for a whole bunch of nothin'... I say "Pay Cut".
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Jan '13

Sabio

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again, 4% thinks they deserved it! what the hell is wrong with you nut jobs?!?!?!? you must be the 4% of the population that shoot things up you wackos!
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Jan '13

jessejaymes

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Look at how the responses are worded. Yes they didn't deserve it and No they did deserve it. It's a poorly worded choice and probably all 4 of them saw the word NO and clicked on it without realizing that no meant yes and vice versa.
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Jan '13

dkpayton

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they are just tring to save there jobs.. they know come 2014 alot of them are done...
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Jan '13

jessejaymes

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One can only hope.
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Jan '13

Harry

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I think that a cut in pay, that would reflect the additional taxes, that the regular citizen has to pay, is in order.
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Jan '13

PattyD

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They actually should be evaluated before any raise. In fact theyd all get a pay CUT.
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Jan '13

DARSB

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How about they repeal the law that gives them raises automatically?
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Jan '13

Fishbone345

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Here here!!
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Jan '13

mudzangandoro

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Couldn't have said it much better...
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Jan '13

harold_lloyd

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If we paid them what they're worth, we'd save a ton of money.
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Jan '13

texas_cutie75

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Did anyone notice there was not a word spoken about Biden not getting his?!? I think he, in no way, deserves a raise!!
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Jan '13

jessejaymes

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I don't think Biden deserves a raise but I do think Biden is just about the most decent guy in the public eye today. He speaks his mind whether I agree or not and I like the guy.
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Jan '13

texas_cutie75

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@jessejaymes

None of the elected officials deserve a raise, and they know it!
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Jan '13

Dan_Tien

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Another case where the story is announced as a done deal even though the House has not agreed yet.
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Jan '13

Fishbone345

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"Governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed."
Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776
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Are you happy members of Congress aren't getting a pay raise?

Are you happy members of Congress aren't getting a pay raise?