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H.R. 5087, To prevent Members of Congress from receiving the automatic pay adjustment scheduled to take effect in 2009
- This item is from the 110th Congress (2007-2008) and is no longer current. Comments, voting, and wiki editing have been disabled, and the cost/savings estimate has been frozen.
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Visitor Comments
Lakaya
December 22, 2008, 10:06am (report abuse)Congress should not receive a pay increase. They already make enough money, and need to their part as representatives for our Country. The Firm I worked for as well as a lot of other companies are not giving raises, so therefore, Congress should not get a pay raise. if fiscally irresponsible in a time where every, dime is needed to go towards helping those who need it most
Missi
December 22, 2008, 10:08am (report abuse)I agree with Lakaya. How can they relate to the rest of the country when they play by different rules. Many companies are taking pay cuts, no pay raises or laying off.
Jim
December 22, 2008, 10:27am (report abuse)If you don't want Congress to get a pay raise, vote FOR this bill! This is a bill to CANCEL the automatic raise!
Todd
December 22, 2008, 10:38am (report abuse)We can vote against it all we want, all they do is table it and dont vote on it and they get it automautoicly. LOL Isnt that great. Im waiting for back pay for 7 years and they get there free of charge. What a great counrty we live in. They get richer and we get broker.
K9USAFRet
December 22, 2008, 11:29am (report abuse)With an approval rating that matches the countries temperatures why should they get a raise. The rest of America is hoping to keep their jobs. It's another ripoff.
Dolores
December 22, 2008, 11:35am (report abuse)I agree. They should not receive such a, high, pay increase.
Dixie Miller
December 22, 2008, 12:13pm (report abuse)None of our representatives should get any extra money for any reason. They don't even earn what they get now! What have they done for the average person?..nothing.
captmattbruceret
December 22, 2008, 12:46pm (report abuse)No pay raise, no more free rides for any of our Congressional Representatives. The people come FIRST and not the other way around up there in Congress...
James Nicholas
December 22, 2008, 12:49pm (report abuse)Why should congress get a pay raise don't they make enough. we get a small raise on social security and congress passes laws to pay less on medicare that raises the amount you have to pay out of your pocket and these RX plans costs more. Which is a joke in the first place.
Why don"t they take a pay cut like they want every one else to do
Kathy
December 22, 2008, 12:58pm (report abuse)I would love to get a raise, but after they get their raise, there won't be enough left and schools will be cutting, so I will not get a raise and will probably have to buy more stuff for my students.
Deb
December 22, 2008, 1:34pm (report abuse)ambiguous wording, If you don't want to give em a raise VOTE YES. This insults our intelligence! If somehow the bill sneaks thru; Damn any congressperson that accepts the raises! I plan on writing my congressman & I hope everyone else does the same!
Jeanne
December 22, 2008, 1:51pm (report abuse)Whats that saying about, "our form of government only works until they find out they can vote themselves money from the public coffers" If in my job I didn't do better than our congress has, I would have been fired long ago. Say, now that's an idea. Oh, by the way, Deb, do you suppose thats why the question was worded that way? I wonder what that says about surveys and polls.
MLG
December 22, 2008, 2:05pm (report abuse)Americans need a pay raise too, not just with their employers but with a simulis check every year. fair is fair to all
Joanne Valcourt
December 22, 2008, 7:58pm (report abuse)This is redicules, and very degradig to all the hard working Americans that have lost their jobs
Amos D.
December 22, 2008, 8:01pm (report abuse)The 110th Congress positively acted on one piece of legislation this year on behalf of permanent and total disabled veterans who needed their homes adapted to be able to live in them safely. P & T disabled veterans receive a one time Special Adapted Housing Grant to purchase a new home or remodel an existing home. As of January 2008 to former grant totaled $50,000. Due to the high price of materials, and labor the $50,000 was being sucked up quickly by contractors, thereby causing the P & T disabled veteran to do without, cut corners, or finance the rest of the cost of adapting the home. Veterans groups and individual veterans wrote letters and called their Representatives and asked them to increase the grant to $60,000. It must be noted that the Senate voted overwhelmingly for the bill, but the House tabled the bill. The pressure of veterans who served our country paid off. The $60,000 provision was approved and sign by the President.
karenc
December 22, 2008, 9:13pm (report abuse)well at least someone will be able to buy a car from the bailed out auto makers. We the working sure can't afford to.
E. L. Cenkner
December 22, 2008, 11:38pm (report abuse)With the paycuts workers are forced to take and with many losing jobs entirely--any pay raise or bonus for Congress is out of the question. They cut us--let them cut themselves. Everyone must share the suffering.
DeWayne
December 22, 2008, 11:40pm (report abuse)Based on the results of this vote I don't think people are reading the question correctly. I can't believe anyone would think Congress deserves a raise.
Alanbe
December 23, 2008, 12:09am (report abuse)With the mess our economy currently is in and Congress's poling numbers, I have to say 'No' to any additional salary increases
for Congress. It just send the wrong message.
Susan
December 23, 2008, 10:18am (report abuse)Who are the Kool-Aid drinkers actually voting against this bill? Have the members of congress lobbied their constituents to vote 'against' without actually reading it? No wonder this country is in a mess....!
D Cenk
December 23, 2008, 10:22am (report abuse)You have got to be kidding me? A pay raise?? Their own business (the US Govt) is in debt trillions of dollars. And they were worried about how the auto manufactures got to Washington? They don't give a crap as to how one dime of the money they gave AIG and the banks is spent...you know (nice vacations (what's that?) year-end bonuses worth millions of dollars (what's that?)
We can narrow down the reasons for ALL of our economic problems to just one word...GREED. Period. And this pay increase is just one more example to prove it.
Daren
December 23, 2008, 10:38am (report abuse)Unbelievable! They already make over 4 times what the average American makes, and now this. It just goes to show you that the Republicans are not the only ones out of touch; Congress is run by the Democrats (people that claim to be in touch with the average worker), but they are just as greedy as the Republicans. Congress has a lower approval rating than Pres. Bush. In the REAL world, if someone's work was that bad, they'd be FIRED! The major news networks ought to be having a hay-day with this, but they're too cowardly to speak out against this kind of stupidity. So, once again, hard working Americans pay for the greed and ineptitude of our Congressional leaders.
Lloyd Sweet
December 23, 2008, 10:42am (report abuse)Congressional actions and inactions created a climate for our economy to go bust! If CEOs and other managers don't deserve raises and bonuses - how can Congrss justify a raise?!! Share the blame!!!!!!!!!!!
Christine
December 23, 2008, 4:20pm (report abuse)Absolutely not. We need to vote when they get the raise, they get to vote on everything else with us.
Richard [aka: R&K]12/24/08
December 24, 2008, 11:44am (report abuse)BE CAREFUL HOW YOU READ THIS BILL AND VOTE, PEOPLE. As Jim says in the third posting, to vote AGAINST it is to APPROVE THE RAISE. To vote FOR the bill is to DENY the raise - none of which accomplishes anything. Contact your Congressmen expressing your disdain for allowing any sort of pay increase. And, since the likely tabling will result in the raise anyway, send a letter to the editor of your newspapers.
GLW
December 24, 2008, 12:21pm (report abuse)Are there no ethical, socially conscious people in the House or Senate that would even stand and oppose such a wanton distortion of ethical conduct!!
Richard w/letter to the editor example
December 24, 2008, 2:42pm (report abuse)This is an example of the letter I wrote to my local paper. Feel free to use it if you wish.
---------------------------------------
With the economy teetering and thousands of Americans losing their jobs, members of Congress are slated to receive an automatic $4,700 pay raise next year.
While thousands of Americans are facing layoffs and downsizing Congress should be mortified to accept a raise. Members of Congress don't deserve one additional dime of taxpayer money in 2009. When they convene a new session in January the House and Senate members should make their first order of business that of freezing their salaries at current rates.Some lawmakers would have us believe these are not pay raises, but formula-driven cost-of living-adjustments.
Richard's letter continued
December 24, 2008, 2:43pm (report abuse)Members of Congress have guaranteed themselves these regular increases typically without full public debate or even votes under a 1989 law that pegs the hikes to the Labor Department's Employment Cost Index. While thousands of Americans are facing layoffs and downsizing, Congress should be mortified to accept a raise, which will increase their average salary to about $174,000, up 2.8 percent.
H.R. 5087 would prevent Members of Congress from receiving the automatic pay adjustment. One of the ironies of the wording is that to vote against the bill is to approve the wage hike. A vote in favor denies the increase. In all likelihood, though, the bill will be tabled when they go into recess which means the raise will take place automatically when the Congress convenes again in January.
If this is as repugnant to you as it is to many, you are urged to let your Congressional Representatives know how you feel by letter, fax, phone and e-mail.
Richard Bowie
December 25, 2008, 11:03am (report abuse)Are you kidding me? Every gov. employee from top to bottom should take a 5 or even 10% cut in pay. Learn to live within their means like the people they supposedly represent!!!
Chuck McGuire
December 25, 2008, 11:54am (report abuse)Congress should not get a pay raise and in fact they should be looking at reducing their ranks to save money. Partially because of their ineptness the unemployed figure continues to go up. Why should congress be exempt from layoffs? Part of the problem in this country is the loss of faith in both the economy and the political system. This loss of faith is a result of the lack of trust in both political and business leaders, they take care of themselves first and then if they get time, may do something to benefit the general public. It is time they get a good dose of reality and stop living in a dream world and constantly playing "I got you politics". Congress should have "PAY FOR PERFORMANCE" criteria just as the general populace does.
Johnny
December 28, 2008, 1:49pm (report abuse)Complet dis -regard and dis-respect to the American People. 9 out of 10 congressmen and women never served in the military(of course they had an excuse) Those who have served don,t get benifits like congress and hell congress does not deserve a raise-------they need to br fired. Capital Hill should be changed to CROOK HILL--congress has been robbing the country for years and it needs to be stopped.The average person gets taxed to death while congress live fat on the country--our congress is a disgrace-look at the shape the country has been put in------because the DEMOCRAT CONGRESS IS IN CONTROL----if we do not start correcting CONGRESS NOW------CONGRESS WILL PUT THE COUNTRY IN A DEPRESSION--AND STOP THE LOBBYST---NO POLITICAL OFFICE -SHOULD BE FOR SALE--CONGRESS IS DISRESPECTFUL TO THE COUNTRY AND ITS PEOPLE.
Marjorie Generazzo
December 28, 2008, 4:37pm (report abuse)Since Congress caused this financial meltdown due to its voting on deregulation, they should subtract the amount of the pay raise from their pay, and certainly not add anything.
I am disgusted with Congress.
David
December 28, 2008, 6:43pm (report abuse)Let's get real people. Congress, Senate, politics, do you think it is all real? (Hint, google "The Round Table")
It is time to look and listen to what is going on around the world. You have a computer, you are on the internet. Use it.
Look at Chicago.How did the people that lost their jobs, their severance pay and their vacation pay get it? Public support. That is the real key. Vote, sure, but back it up with action,,,good old fashion action. Remember the 60's, remember Viet Nam, remember Johnson? Why did he pull the troops out? Think about it. Could it have been lack of public support? Iraq?
If you don't want your child to have candy you don't give him the money for it. Do you say, hey lets vote on it?
Has anyone heard of the Boston Tea Party?
Bottom line, there are more or us then there are of them.
Virginia Hall
December 29, 2008, 2:04pm (report abuse)The state a congressman is from should be allowed to vote on whether or not he deserves a raise. congress should not be allowed to vote themselves raises.
Struggling
December 29, 2008, 11:32pm (report abuse)You have got to be kidding me. They make as much as they do and we're getting the shaft as usual I got laid off and I could use that 4,700 a lot more then them. We need to start calling our state congressmen and tell them what we think of this. Not that it will do any good...
R & R
January 1, 2009, 1:48pm (report abuse)We are both in our upper 50s and out of work. Taxes take a bite out of our EI and somehow it doesn't seem right. We agree with others who have commented that there should be some other entity that approves/disapproves pay increases for Congress. Wouldn't we all like to vote ourselves a raise; but wait, OUR employers do not allow that. A double standard applies; there are too many out of work and still paying taxes; the taxes they pay should not be earmarked for Congressional raises. See Richard's letter & send it to your local newspapers. Then, contact your Washington reps and let them know how you feel. I don't see anywhere on the site that lists how each member of Congress voted-I'd love to know how ours voted. I can guess! David is right; there are more of us than them; let's let our reps know we're watching them & we do not approve.