Congressman: We Can’t Live on $174K a Year
Read Time:2 Minute, 49 Second
We all know the 113th Congress of the United States is likely one of the worst in history, with a house controlled by Tea Party backed ne’er-do-wells and a senate populated with a lot of ‘wacko birds,’ including a few democrats, that manage to gum up the works and make life unhappy for regular Americans.
One would think that only idiots would even consider voting themselves raise in this environment, but we’ve pretty much established the 113th Congress to be populated by idiots, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise to learn that Democrat James Moran of Virginia says he and his fellow representatives in Congress are in dire need of a raise.
I think the American people should know that the members of Congress are underpaid, and 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.
He went on to say that members are underpaid and are forced to work out of their offices to avoid DC’s steep prices, even on salaries of $174,000. How terrible! Some of the members have to actually WORK OUT OF THEIR OFFICES. In what world does an annual salary of $174,000 meet the definition of underpaid?
This outrage comes from a man who is part of the government of a nation that has 46.5 million, or 15.5 percent of its populace living in poverty and a median income of $51,017. Moran goes on to say:
Our pay has been frozen for three years and we’re planning on freezing it a fourth year. A lot of members can’t even afford to live decently in Washington.
Describe “live decently” Mr. Moran. Is that life in some high rise, or luxurious townhouse, with membership in exclusive clubs, and chauffeur driven limousines? It’s doubtful that your description of “live decently” would match with that of most Americans.
Congressman Moran plans to introduce an amendment to remedy the problem, reports the Washington Post, but acknowledges it doesn’t have much of a chance. In the meantime, he’s opened himself up to shots like this from Wonkette:
“Dude, you do know that if you were actually the board of directors for a ginormous company, approximately 9/10 of you would be fired for incompetence and the remainder of you would only be kept on as figureheads while a competent CEO and CFO did all the actual work, right?”
It appears that Congressman Moran has decided that $174K is just not enough to support him in the style to which he had become accustomed because he had already announced his retirement from the Congress.
So while Moran’s lament may inspire some sniggers, especially considering many of the other perks of office, his comments no doubt resonated with colleagues spending another weekday night on their office couch — but who would never consider voting for a pay increase in the current environment.
There are those, however, who think we should pay congress $1m a year and offer a rationale that might make you think.
Thanks to NPR and Roll Call for story contributions.
Happy
0 %
Sad
0 %
Excited
0 %
Sleepy
0 %
Angry
0 %
Surprise
0 %
0
0
Me! Me! Give it to me!
Fetchez moi le guillotine por favor, silver plates etc etc and so on also too. Isn’t that what them Frenchies said when the aristocracy got all bent about not making enough monies? Bastard isn’t even taking into account all the money he grifts from his pimps and johns for voting their way.
Jess, You’ve got-et-vous that right! We Yanks have a way of changing things without real revolution….but then again…
The GOP has been working on changing the rhetoric in America since Nixon…and in earnest with Reagan. I think we have a case of be careful what you ask for, because even the neo-cons are being left behind.
If change doesn’t come soon, we could go one of three ways:
1. Standard-Oil-like shredding of big money…
2. New-Deal-like regulation like we haven’t seen before…
3. Or we could do it the hard way…and “let them eat cake”…
Hard to know which is coming, but every pendulum swings both ways, and the more one side pushes the pendulum to one extreme, sooner or later they must come to grips with the fact that there is sooooo much stored energy in that system, that when it swings in the other direction, it will also go to extremes.
The GOP had its way with us…including seeding the current SCOTUS to become lapdogs for billionaires. But all “good things” come to an end, and I see the end is near. The GOP was doing pretty well until they gave birth(er) to the Tea Party. Now their bastard child is eating them alive as they descend on the rest of us, knives and forks in hand. But the joke’s on the GOP, because the Tea Party has decimated the Grand Old Party of bankers and CEOs in favor of the lunatic fringe…a.k.a. Ted Nugent. The GOP knows that the Nugents of the world aren’t good for them, but like a bastard child, Nugent and his ilk are determined to murder the parents and then take on the rest of us. And the GOP is powerless to stop them…especially since the likes of Adelson, Kochs and Murdoch are fueling the Tea Party fires.
WE, the People, aren’t quite at the tipping point….yet. But enough is enough is coming soon to a voting booth near you. And if the elections are too badly rigged, there WILL be a revolution, and it won’t be pretty.
As you of course know Marie Antoinette never actually said “let them eat cake,” but it wouldn’t surprise me if these corporate bureaucrats have either said that or will say that. Good comment man.
Madame le Guillotine…how we miss her when we need her.
You know it is tough to live in D.C. on that amount of money. It is an expensive city. So, ah, here is a tip for you there pal. The next time you apply for a job where the salary is a known quantity check out the cost of living like the rest of us have to do. Like, ah, not body forced you to take the job. You had to really want it.
OK, now this thing about sleeping and living in your office. I have been in a couple of your offices. Hell, I could live there. You have a bathroom there, you have the showers in the congressional gym, you can eat in the congressional dining room. Take a trip around D.C. and you can likely find at least three homeless families that could live in the same space.
One other thing, the benefits. My God, the bennies, are phenomenal. You can actually retire, pick up a second job as a lobbyist, and man you you will happy as a pig in a mud hole. So SHUT THE FUCK UP!
I could live on $174,000 a year. True I’d have to turn in my leased Ferrari, charter smaller boats in Cannes, and maybe rent out a couple of my vacation homes, but I could scrimp enough to make it.
You’re SUCH a trooper. When I grow up, I want to be just like you! 🙂
This is the attitude needed, austerity just helps everyone. Thank you for committing to the sacrifice needed. I’ll give up my weekend trips to Cabo every three months and I shall donate that money to Moran so he feels special.
Hey, I feel for the guy. Hell, I can’t make ends meet on $174K per year! And my wife and I both work and earn significantly less than half of that amount. So our “ends” are VERY far apart!
LOL…I hear that Jim!
Deal with is, bitch! I live on 24K Canadian per year disability pension.
I hear you Michael!
Show off, I’ll bet you don’t havta work with Louie Gohmert on them there sochulist Canadian bennies do ya, well do ya? No, you don’t so shut the hell up because you have it good compared to old Moran there. He says so, it’s on the internet so it must be true how bad they all have it in congress.