Congressman says they are underpaid and can't afford to live decently in DC

[tsai3904]

Despite what constituents outside of Washington might think, members of Congress are underpaid, a House Legislative Branch appropriator suggested Thursday.

Virginia Democrat James P. Moran said he plans to highlight the injustice by introducing an amendment to Budget Chairman Paul D. Ryan’s spending blueprint next week. Moran made the comments while the bill that funds member’s $174,000 salaries was being marked up.

“I think the American people should know that the members of Congress are underpaid,” Moran told CQ Roll Call. “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.”

The senior appropriator pointed out that some members have taken to living out of their offices to save money, while others have “small little apartment units” that make it impossible to spend the time they should with their families.

...

“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,” he said.

More:
http://blogs.rollcall.com/hill-blotter/moran-members-cant-afford-to-live-decently-in-d-c/

[aGameOfThrones]

Public sacrifice? At least they are not overpaid like the NH congress

http://singleblink.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/prince.gif

[specsaregood]

These guys should all go out on strike!

[Weston White]

“the fact is that this is the board of directors for the largest economic entity in the world”

It is for that mentality which has caused Congress to become self-serving and thoroughly broken. Other than that perhaps those in Congress should consider cutting back on their intake of nose-candy, escorts, and 18-year old malted scotch?

[Kords21]

Well then, let's put it to a vote of the people regarding your pay. At least on paper, the people are your employer. Or, if you want a job that pays better go work somewhere else or go get in bed with some lobbyist/special interest group. Underpaid, what a laugh.

[Thor]

Well, with all the new money being printed, $174K just doesn't buy what it used to...

[Matt Collins]

Well, with all the new money being printed, $174K just doesn't buy what it used to...Precisely this, and in DC too.

I believe their travel to/from the district also comes out of their salary, and they don't get a DC housing allowance.

So, try flying back and forth from DC to your place for 30 weeks a year, maintaining two residences with one being in some of the most expensive real estate market there is.... Most people who are not already living off of investments (or other income), could very possibly have a hard time doing this.


Remember Peter Schiff's brother told everyone he was having a hard time making it on $300k in NYC

[Anti Federalist]

“I think the American people should know that the members of Congress are underpaid,” Moran told CQ Roll Call. “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.”

Oh, you know what, fuck off...honestly, just fuck off and die.

I'm not in the mood for this today...

[Philhelm]

This shit makes me violently angry.

[JK/SEA]

this is a bullshit story.

tell ya what Moran, i'll do your job for half the pay.....fuckin' leech.

[CaseyJones]

they spelled his name wrong

[squarepusher]

Precisely this, and in DC too.

I believe their travel to/from the district also comes out of their salary, and they don't get a DC housing allowance.

So, try flying back and forth from DC to your place for 30 weeks a year, maintaining two residences with one being in some of the most expensive real estate market there is.... Most people who are not already living off of investments (or other income), could very possibly have a hard time doing this.


Remember Peter Schiff's brother told everyone he was having a hard time making it on $300k in NYC

Seems quite the contrary
http://www.njspotlight.com/stories/13/10/10/congressional-spending/


NJ's Representatives in DC Spend Millions on Staff, Travel, Other Expenses

Colleen O'Dea (http://www.njspotlight.com/profiles/codea/) | October 11, 2013
Two U.S. senators spent over $6 million last year; 13 members of House ran up $15 million tab

[LibertyEagle]

These guys should all go out on strike!

Please, please. If they only would.

[twomp]

He should consider another career if this one isn't making ends meet.

[jjdoyle]

Precisely this, and in DC too.

I believe their travel to/from the district also comes out of their salary, and they don't get a DC housing allowance.

So, try flying back and forth from DC to your place for 30 weeks a year, maintaining two residences with one being in some of the most expensive real estate market there is.... Most people who are not already living off of investments (or other income), could very possibly have a hard time doing this.


Remember Peter Schiff's brother told everyone he was having a hard time making it on $300k in NYC

LOL! What a load of crap! Coming from you, no less.

They can live out of their office, if it's so much. No need for two residences.
And flying back and forth to DC, 30 weeks a year...
Wow, a whopping $15K out of $160K+ a year. IF they average $500 for a round-trip ticket. Which is more than the average price for a round-trip ticket.

[tsai3904]

I believe their travel to/from the district also comes out of their salary, and they don't get a DC housing allowance.

They get an allowance for travel expenses based on their district's distance from DC.

[CCTelander]

Oh boo fucking hoo. Cry me a fucking river. Fucking parasite.

[mad cow]

They get an allowance for travel expenses based on their district's distance from DC.

In Moran's case,I guess that would be Metro fare across the river to Arlington.I don't think anywhere in Arlington is more than 6~8 miles from the Capitol building.

[gwax23]

Elected officials should get no pay.

[donnay]

You are ALL FIRED! No severance pay, no benefits and be lucky you are not in jail. Leave America as soon as possible and never return.

[fisharmor]

In Moran's case,I guess that would be Metro fare across the river to Arlington.I don't think anywhere in Arlington is more than 6~8 miles from the Capitol building.

There are people who commute from Harpers Ferry, WV to DC every single day. Over 60 miles. I've met them.
There are people who commute from Fredericksburg, VA to DC every single day. Over 50 miles. I've met them.

Maybe they'll just have to skip the in-town brothels and spend that time in a car.

[ctiger2]

I say shutter their offices in DC and do everything via skype/telecommuting. Or just get rid of the entire Govt. Problem solved for all.

[tod evans]

Ya'll got it covered.....:D

[ZENemy]

Yeah congressmen say a lot of things, in fact; that's all they do.

[euphemia]

Of course it's expensive now that they are all on Obamacare.

[donnay]

I'd rather live with anarchy than tyranny!

[staerker]

Precisely this, and in DC too.

I believe their travel to/from the district also comes out of their salary, and they don't get a DC housing allowance.

So, try flying back and forth from DC to your place for 30 weeks a year, maintaining two residences with one being in some of the most expensive real estate market there is.... Most people who are not already living off of investments (or other income), could very possibly have a hard time doing this.

Two residences. Constant flights. Not living off investments. #firstworldproblems

[phill4paul]

For $174k a year and perks, let's not forget the perks, I would be present everyday the house was in session. I would spend a great amount of off hours reading every bill, when it was brought up with time to, before the vote. I wouldn't bitch or whine about my sorry state in life for a life that I had chosen. Want more money? Then resign and go join a big corp. You're the kind that will be rewarded with a comfy position in the long haul anyway. STFU.

[MichaelDavis]

Public sacrifice? At least they are not overpaid like the NH congress

http://singleblink.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/prince.gif

New Hampshire congressmen are paid the same amount as any other member of congress: $174,000.

[phill4paul]

Precisely this, and in DC too.

I believe their travel to/from the district also comes out of their salary, and they don't get a DC housing allowance.

So, try flying back and forth from DC to your place for 30 weeks a year, maintaining two residences with one being in some of the most expensive real estate market there is.... Most people who are not already living off of investments (or other income), could very possibly have a hard time doing this.


Remember Peter Schiff's brother told everyone he was having a hard time making it on $300k in NYC

Shaddup.

http://www.apartments.com/DC/washington/?frontdoor=google&cmp=GMSA&O_PK=apartments%20washington%20dc#SDL5yXelFQ1s8tIx MvoedswRaMZuY1sbQphx/a7xZBC7EZZv78H42izvSYu1yW6GA1i1WzYYEQDVLg4/N7qADwtHK3k4j/gOI4oGFjUveuES2-|d2ZMa7yDZVlP5801-|w/AhGvnrkcqEJLq5eL3r01mrTWv9KLFOTp1MYpC5IM5jXyuJtZd

[LibertyEagle]

Precisely this, and in DC too.

I believe their travel to/from the district also comes out of their salary, and they don't get a DC housing allowance.

So, try flying back and forth from DC to your place for 30 weeks a year, maintaining two residences with one being in some of the most expensive real estate market there is.... Most people who are not already living off of investments (or other income), could very possibly have a hard time doing this.


Remember Peter Schiff's brother told everyone he was having a hard time making it on $300k in NYC

Tough shit. Who said they should be able to fly back home EVERY damn weekend? Perhaps they should start only convening 3 months out of the year. The economy and the country would be much better off. Public service my ass. Being a congressman was never supposed to be lucrative and yet, it has produced many millionaires.

[Anti Federalist]

New Hampshire congressmen are paid the same amount as any other member of congress: $174,000.

He meant NH state legislators.

[fisharmor]

http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-20243493

Jose Mujica: The world's 'poorest' president

It's a common grumble that politicians' lifestyles are far removed from those of their electorate. Not so in Uruguay. Meet the president - who lives on a ramshackle farm and gives away most of his pay.
Laundry is strung outside the house. The water comes from a well in a yard, overgrown with weeds. Only two police officers and Manuela, a three-legged dog, keep watch outside.
This is the residence of the president of Uruguay, Jose Mujica, whose lifestyle clearly differs sharply from that of most other world leaders.
President Mujica has shunned the luxurious house that the Uruguayan state provides for its leaders and opted to stay at his wife's farmhouse, off a dirt road outside the capital, Montevideo.
The president and his wife work the land themselves, growing flowers.
This austere lifestyle - and the fact that Mujica donates about 90% of his monthly salary, equivalent to $12,000 (£7,500), to charity - has led him to be labelled the poorest president in the world.
"I've lived like this most of my life," he says, sitting on an old chair in his garden, using a cushion favoured by Manuela the dog.
"I can live well with what I have."
His charitable donations - which benefit poor people and small entrepreneurs - mean his salary is roughly in line with the average Uruguayan income of $775 (£485) a month.
In 2010, his annual personal wealth declaration - mandatory for officials in Uruguay - was $1,800 (£1,100), the value of his 1987 Volkswagen Beetle.
This year, he added half of his wife's assets - land, tractors and a house - reaching $215,000 (£135,000).
That's still only about two-thirds of Vice-President Danilo Astori's declared wealth, and a third of the figure declared by Mujica's predecessor as president, Tabare Vasquez.
Elected in 2009, Mujica spent the 1960s and 1970s as part of the Uruguayan guerrilla Tupamaros, a leftist armed group inspired by the Cuban revolution.
He was shot six times and spent 14 years in jail. Most of his detention was spent in harsh conditions and isolation, until he was freed in 1985 when Uruguay returned to democracy.
Those years in jail, Mujica says, helped shape his outlook on life.

"I'm called 'the poorest president', but I don't feel poor. Poor people are those who only work to try to keep an expensive lifestyle, and always want more and more," he says.

"This is a matter of freedom. If you don't have many possessions then you don't need to work all your life like a slave to sustain them, and therefore you have more time for yourself," he says.
"I may appear to be an eccentric old man... But this is a free choice."




(FA - Of course, he's green and socialist, but that's not the point.)

[tsai3904]

Audio has been added in the article.

[Matt Collins]

Elected officials should get no pay.
Then only the absolutely wealthy will serve in office. :rolleyes:

[mad cow]

Then only the absolutely wealthy will serve in office. :roll eyes:

They should be paid the average American income post all Federal taxes and not be required to pay Federal taxes.
Then maybe they would work toward lowering taxes and improving business opportunities in this country.

I am retired and have no desire to work in DC in any capacity but if my Congressional district absolutely couldn't find anybody else to do it,I would do it for a term or two as a matter of public service.
Remember that term?

[aGameOfThrones]

He meant NH state legislators.

Yes.

[gwax23]

Then only the absolutely wealthy will serve in office. :rolleyes:

They already do :rolleyes:

[Anti Federalist]

Then only the absolutely wealthy will serve in office. :rolleyes:

Yup, nothing but gajillioniares in the NH government.

[aGameOfThrones]

Yup, nothing but gajillioniares in the NH government.

Another one who agrees with me.

[Anti Federalist]

Then only the absolutely wealthy will serve in office. :rolleyes:


Shaddup.

http://www.apartments.com/DC/washington/?frontdoor=google&cmp=GMSA&O_PK=apartments%20washington%20dc#SDL5yXelFQ1s8tIx MvoedswRaMZuY1sbQphx/a7xZBC7EZZv78H42izvSYu1yW6GA1i1WzYYEQDVLg4/N7qADwtHK3k4j/gOI4oGFjUveuES2-|d2ZMa7yDZVlP5801-|w/AhGvnrkcqEJLq5eL3r01mrTWv9KLFOTp1MYpC5IM5jXyuJtZd

I concur...shaddup.

[CPUd]

It's pretty bad in DC, I heard some of them are even sleeping in their offices...

[aGameOfThrones]

It's pretty bad in DC, I heard some of them are even sleeping in their offices...

Still reading the obamacare bill

[phill4paul]

They should be paid the average American income post all Federal taxes and not be required to pay Federal taxes.
Then maybe they would work toward lowering taxes and improving business opportunities in this country.

I am retired and have no desire to work in DC in any capacity but if my Congressional district absolutely couldn't find anybody else to do it,I would do it for a term or two as a matter of public service.
Remember that term?

You're obviously a corporate fascist pig working for the Kochs or Adelsons or someone or other.

Your problem really is that you are older and wiser and young bucks like Teh Collinz would like to make some big scratch of politics and the liberty movement. He just hasn't "arrived" like you or I have.

[Occam's Banana]

“[Congress] is the board of directors for the largest economic entity in the world.”

:rolleyes: "Here's your sign."

(And anyway, even if that made even the slightest bit of sense, then shouldn't they be getting pink slips instead of raises?)

[Pericles]

He should consider another career if this one isn't making ends meet.

Yeah, like go ahead and quit and return to whatever rock you crawled out from before running for Congress faster than a fat kid after a jelly donut.

[invisible]

There are people who commute from Harpers Ferry, WV to DC every single day. Over 60 miles. I've met them.
There are people who commute from Fredericksburg, VA to DC every single day. Over 50 miles. I've met them.

Maybe they'll just have to skip the in-town brothels and spend that time in a car.

Lots of people commute from Baltimore as well. 35 miles. I've met them.
Not only is Baltimore cheaper to live in than DC, but the west side of Baltimore is pretty darn cheap, as well as SE DC. They could always move into one of those neighborhoods if they wanted to live cheaply. Just think, they could even prove to obomba that they aren't racists. Let them move to the cheapest and crummiest neighborhoods if they "can't afford" anywhere else, just like the rest of us have to do.

[kcchiefs6465]

:rolleyes: "Here's your sign."

(And anyway, even if that made even the slightest bit of sense, then shouldn't they be getting pink slips instead of raises?)
If you look at it from the perspective that people are commodities and their wealth your property, it makes a little bit more sense.

There was a Freeman documentary posted here a little while back that actually delved into this issue. I am not versed enough in tax code legalese and the various aspects regarding incorporating, with regards to the government itself possibly being incorporated, and selling the people as debt, debt guaranteed to be paid at a later date, or what exactly the peculiar wordage of various legal documents pertains to, or has been manipulated to mean (as much as I'd like to be, of course), but his statement does bare some significance that perhaps you were sold to the highest bidder. If at least nothing else, income being extorted weekly to pay for X, Y, and Z... as well as the interest for A-W.

[fr33]

Try earning an honest living you douchebag. I'd be fine with seeing you starve to death while maintaining the system of coercion.

[anaconda]

Just wow. Friggin' unbelievable...

[anaconda]

How much are we supposed to pay him to steal our freedoms and destroy our economy?

[kcchiefs6465]

How much are we supposed to pay [them] to steal our freedoms and destroy our economy?
17.565 trillion dollars.

[oyarde]

More:
http://blogs.rollcall.com/hill-blotter/moran-members-cant-afford-to-live-decently-in-d-c/

They should all be pd no more than median income , with , no more than a staff of two at same and should be in session , no more than 90 days , max and be required to live in the district the rest of the time and answer questions people have , four days per week .

[Bman]

Maybe the answer is that they spend less time in D.C.

[Spikender]

I know a few choice apartment complexes down in Highland Springs with me, I could get them the hookup on the cheap.

I mean, ya know, as long as they don't mind living with the rest of us lower class mundanes in high crime areas. They'd fit right in, I'm sure they wouldn't get eaten up within days.

[Thor]

Well, with all the new money being printed, $174K just doesn't buy what it used to...


Precisely this, and in DC too.

I believe their travel to/from the district also comes out of their salary, and they don't get a DC housing allowance.

So, try flying back and forth from DC to your place for 30 weeks a year, maintaining two residences with one being in some of the most expensive real estate market there is.... Most people who are not already living off of investments (or other income), could very possibly have a hard time doing this.


Remember Peter Schiff's brother told everyone he was having a hard time making it on $300k in NYC

I wasn't empathizing with them, I was saying this shit is their own fault.

[Philhelm]

LOL! What a load of crap! Coming from you, no less.

They can live out of their office, if it's so much. No need for two residences.
And flying back and forth to DC, 30 weeks a year...
Wow, a whopping $15K out of $160K+ a year. IF they average $500 for a round-trip ticket. Which is more than the average price for a round-trip ticket.

To be fair, you left out their mandatory trips to Israel.

[Philhelm]

For $174k a year and perks, let's not forget the perks, I would be present everyday the house was in session. I would spend a great amount of off hours reading every bill, when it was brought up with time to, before the vote. I wouldn't bitch or whine about my sorry state in life for a life that I had chosen. Want more money? Then resign and go join a big corp. You're the kind that will be rewarded with a comfy position in the long haul anyway. STFU.

The RPF would make the best congress the world has ever seen.

[Anti Federalist]

The RPF would make the best congress the world has ever seen.

Yeah, we would.

Everybody would go home. ;)

[Philhelm]

Yeah, we would.

Everybody would go home. ;)

Of course you would. I would have abolished congress before making my bid for power.

[Suzanimal]

He's only worth $15,000.00!?!?!
I think he got used to living the high life with his rich ex wife.


Moran has also had personal financial troubles. A former stockbroker, Moran lost roughly $120,000 from trades and bad investments in the mid-1990s and went into significant debt. During their divorce, his second wife accused him in court papers of “wasting the family assets on his stock market gambling.”

Moran was an active trader again in the mid-2000s, with assets owned by his wealthy third wife. After their 2010 separation and eventual divorce, his financial situation changed significantly. His most recent financial disclosure report, covering 2012, shows him to be one of the least wealthy members of Congress, with no assets other than a money-market account worth $15,000 or less.

As recently as 2007, Moran’s wealth was estimated at $12.7 million.
http://www.frontpagemag.com/2014/dgreenfield/democrat-w174000-salary-and-20-years-in-congress-says-hes-underpaid/

[phill4paul]

He's only worth $15,000.00!?!?!
I think he got used to living the high life with his rich ex wife.

And this is someone in charge of the nations finances? Lol.

[Cabal]

Title ought to read, "Congressman says he isn't receiving enough stolen money to effectively wield the long arm of the law over tax livestock."

[Anti Federalist]

And this is someone in charge of the nations finances? Lol.


Moran has also had personal financial troubles. A former stockbroker, Moran lost roughly $120,000 from trades and bad investments in the mid-1990s and went into significant debt. During their divorce, his second wife accused him in court papers of “wasting the family assets on his stock market gambling.”

Moran was an active trader again in the mid-2000s, with assets owned by his wealthy third wife. After their 2010 separation and eventual divorce, his financial situation changed significantly. His most recent financial disclosure report, covering 2012, shows him to be one of the least wealthy members of Congress, with no assets other than a money-market account worth $15,000 or less.

As recently as 2007, Moran’s wealth was estimated at $12.7 million.


“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.”

Well, now, that sure explains a lot, doesn't it now?

Maybe Collinz can come back in and explain why, once again, we need to pay this dumbass more money to bankrupt and enslave us all.

I wasn't clear on that the first time.

[phill4paul]

Well, now, that sure explains a lot, doesn't it now?

Maybe Collinz can come back in and explain why, once again, we need to pay this dumbass more money to bankrupt and enslave us all.

I wasn't clear on that the first time.

"You just don't understand the stress political hacks have to live with." Teh Collinz.

[KCIndy]

You are ALL FIRED! No severance pay, no benefits and be lucky you are not in jail. Leave America as soon as possible and never return.

I'll happily second this idea! Heck, I'll even toss in a few bucks to buy 'em passage on slow boat to anywhere but here. Fourth class, of course!

[DamianTV]

I'd rather live with anarchy than tyranny!

Id rather be burdened with too much freedom than too little of it.

[LibertyEagle]

Yeah, we would.

Everybody would go home. ;)

You mean AFTER we defunded most of the federal agencies, wars that have nothing to do with our national defense and rescinded 99.9% of all the federal laws. Yup, that sounds pretty close to what would need to happen to bring the federal government under the constitutional restraints.

But, can I hand out the first trunk full of pink slips? Can I, can I??? I REALLY want to. :D

[tangowhiskeykilo]

You mean AFTER we defunded most of the federal agencies, wars that have nothing to do with our national defense and rescinded 99.9% of all the federal laws. Yup, that sounds pretty close to what would need to happen to bring the federal government under the constitutional restraints.

But, can I hand out the first trunk full of pink slips? Can I, can I??? I REALLY want to. :D no pink slips needed. Just around 535 6ft holes. Death for treason.

[LibertyEagle]

no pink slips needed. Just around 535 6ft holes. Death for treason.

Sorry, I don't agree. That would make us no better than some of them.

[DamianTV]

I think we should CUT their pay down to the lowest common denominator, then tell them we expect them to afford to pay all of their bills, buy Obamacare (remember, they are mostly exempt), Part Time (less laws generated, good for us at least), and disqualify them from everything at every available opportunity.

Taste of their own medicine.

[Root]

Id rather be burdened with too much freedom than too little of it.
reported

[tod evans]

The big question is could you represent your constituents in DC for $175k

I certainly could and wouldn't whine about the salary either...

[tangowhiskeykilo]

Sorry, I don't agree. That would make us no better than some of them.
Would putting a bullet in hitlers skull have make you no better than him? I am speaking tongue and cheek (def not planning anything dear nsa reader ) but i think the only way this can end is with cops/judges/politicians hanging from trees. After all the tree of liberty does look thirsty

[LibertyEagle]

Would putting a bullet in hitlers skull have make you no better than him? I am speaking tongue and cheek (def not planning anything dear nsa reader ) but i think the only way this can end is with cops/judges/politicians hanging from trees. After all the tree of liberty does look thirsty

I don't want something akin to a French Revolution!! That didn't turn out so dandy. If I believe in fair trials for all of us, I also have to believe in fair trials for all of them. Otherwise, we are no better and we would just be replacing one totalitarian group with another. Us. I am hoping you don't want that.

[tod evans]

I don't want something akin to a French Revolution!! That didn't turn out so dandy. If I believe in fair trials for all of us, I also have to believe in fair trials for all of them. Otherwise, we are no better.

"Fair trials" will NEVER be held in their courts....

[LibertyEagle]

"Fair trials" will NEVER be held in their courts....

Why not? Seems to me that one of the biggest problems that exists is with uneducated juries.

[tangowhiskeykilo]

I don't want something akin to a French Revolution!! That didn't turn out so dandy. If I believe in fair trials for all of us, I also have to believe in fair trials for all of them. Otherwise, we are no better. not saying there shouldn't be trials, just saying they would be pretty simple. "i see here that you authorized use of spying on the entire nation. GUILTY! Next, i see here that you have voted for renewal the patriot act every time. GUILTY!" As i said not to hard, they put their name right on it.

[tod evans]

Why not?

Because "The Law" is no longer practiced...

Juries are not, and haven't been, impartial...

Judges are bought and paid for with regularity..

And "The Common Man" has no standing..

Further expecting a DA or federal prosecutor to levy charges against their superiors isn't going to happen...

I type over and over that "Asking the police to police the police" just doesn't make sense.............This is no different.


[edit]


Seems to me that one of the biggest problems that exists is with uneducated juries.

The "Just-Us" department is corrupt to its very core.....

Even if an impartial, educated jury could be seated, "The People" would have to overcome both the prosecutor and the judge in order to get any semblance of a fair hearing....

[MelissaWV]

Strangely, I lived in a decent apartment (I might call it "nice" but of course some people need whirlpool tubs and stainless steel appliances for that qualification) within easy commuting distance of DC proper, and at the time I was making far less than that. I recall the tab on the two-bedroom being approximately $1500/mo ($18k/yr). Please do keep in mind that you get money allotted to a number of things as a Congressman.

I think the word that's causing problems here is "decently."

I would think that you can live rather richly on $100k in the DC area, and I do have some experience to back that up.

As for the homes in their originating district, many already own their homes --- or close to it --- by the time they make it to Congress. It's not to say you're going to grow filthy rich on your Congressional salary, but calling it an underpayment is just ridiculous.

[DamianTV]

Would putting a bullet in hitlers skull have make you no better than him? I am speaking tongue and cheek (def not planning anything dear nsa reader ) but i think the only way this can end is with cops/judges/politicians hanging from trees. After all the tree of liberty does look thirsty

Lead by Example.

If you want people to follow your lead and arbitrarily execute any who offend your followers, then by all means, support the idea. On the other hand if you want to replace this dishonest system with one that preserves Liberty for ALL, responsibility, accountability, Rights, and a fair and impartial Justice system, then something other than pissing on the hornets nest is needed.

Govt abuse is a Hydra that exists because people respond to incentives. Unless a long term solution is sought, ending the lives of specific leaders will only cause replacements to take their place with even more consequences to come down on the people.

I understand your frustration but fully disagree that the proposed solution of unaccountable violence should be the first solution we work to accomplish.

[roho76]

This is fine. He's not supposed to live in DC. He's supposed to live in his home state.

[Ronin Truth]

If those whiney congresscritters remove their snouts from the public trough, I think we'll all manage to get along without them somehow.

[youngbuck]

2241

[Nirvikalpa]

Oh, you know what, fuck off...honestly, just fuck off and die.

I'm not in the mood for this today...

Yeah, AF said what I was thinking.

[tangowhiskeykilo]

...

[jjdoyle]

To be fair, you left out their mandatory trips to Israel.

LOL, well I also didn't feel like linking him the actual expense chart (I think it is the MRA account?), because we all know he can't be bothered with actual facts. He would apparently rather defend liars and crooks, and has a history of doing so...
So, I just took his stupid answer, and provided the basic math to show him how even his airfare expense for 30 weeks a year holds no water.

But, yeah, I did leave out those mandatory trips. That would be round-trip of probably max $4K including meals, hotel, etc.?

So, now we're at $20K (rounded up) travel expenses on air-fare. Meaning, the poor representatives only are making $140-150K a year.
I even averaged a monthly apartment cost at $2600 in DC for these poor, poor, poor "public servants", and that still left them with another $10-20K to pay housing expenses back in their district, and STILL be close to $100K. FOR DOING ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.

It must be rough surviving on $100K a year. (Again, this is ignoring their actual benefits and the MRA, because Collins is apparently completely clueless of those things...and I know that he can't be bothered with actual links/facts/history, so my numbers are based off of his disinfo.)

[Anti Federalist]

....

[Ronin Truth]

Then just quit whiney-butt and go find a job that will pay you what you're worth. DUH!

[Anti Federalist]

What your 111 days of labor this year buys you.

http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?449099-Americans-Spend-More-on-Taxes-Than-Food-Clothing-Housing-Combined

[Danke]

Oh, you know what, fuck off...honestly, just fuck off and die.

I'm not in the mood for this today...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zzs-OvfG8tE

[Lucille]

http://www.lewrockwell.com/lrc-blog/congressman-who-sought-a-pay-raise-gets-an-earful/


The congresscreep said “his office received several thousand calls,” “many of them full of expletives, and all in opposition to the proposal.”

Good. This shows that many Americans still have some sense.

http://news.yahoo.com/congressman-cussed-pay-raise-request-152006017.html


In the end, Moran proposed a $25 a day per diem stipend for congress members who live at least 50 miles away from Capitol Hill.

Moran wouldn’t be eligible for the stipend for two reasons: he lives 10 miles away from Washington and he won’t be serving in the next session of Congress.

Currently, under the terms of the 27th Amendment, any such raise would take effect when the next Congress is called into its next session, because Congress can’t vary its compensation rate during a current session.

The House Appropriations Committee rejected Moran’s amendment during a voice vote on Wednesday.

Moran said after the vote that he wanted to point out a money gap between House members.

“I think there’s a legitimate fear that the House is going to be increasingly populated by two types of members. One will be those who come for only a couple of terms before multiplying their salary in the private sector as a result of their service, the other those who are sufficiently independently wealthy for whom our salary is a rounding error of their net worth,” he said.

He also confirmed to the AP that the phone calls to his office were rather colorful, with “almost all of them using obscene language.”

And Moran may not be alone in Congress: There were reports on Wednesday of several Aye votes coming from Democratic members of the committee during the voice vote.