Congressional Pay Raise?

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 05 Apr 2014 02:18:03 -0400

REP. Jim Moran (D) of VA, believes that congress men are underpaid. Is $174,000 underpaid? see the link for more. http://www.myfoxdc.com/story/25165208/rep-jim-moran-members-of-congress-are-underpaid

Rep. Jim Moran: "Members of Congress are underpaid"

In an interview Thursday, Virginia Democrat Jim Moran said members of Congress are underpaid, and some can't afford to "live decently" while working in Washington, D.C. <br>

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 5 at 2014 3:01 AM

SSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 05 Apr 2014 03:01:12 -0400

This guy is an idiot. Paper tiger.

Response by TSgt Wesley R. Forsberg made Apr 5 at 2014 5:46 AM

TSgt Wesley R. Forsberg — Sat, 05 Apr 2014 05:46:58 -0400

I believe they should follow what George Washington wanted when he was sworn in as President, only to reimbursed his expenses.  These people are public servants and should not be earning more then half the population they represent.  They should seriously re-evaluate what they are truly doing inside the beltway if they think they need to get paid more; especially when it comes to controlling our enormous debt and budget deficits.  

Response by CPT Richard Riley made Apr 5 at 2014 7:59 AM

CPT Richard Riley — Sat, 05 Apr 2014 07:59:11 -0400

Sadly, most have forgotten what the definition of 'Public Service' is ... they show more reverence for the mighty dollar than they do for Joe Q. Citizen much less Cpl Male. The majority if not every single congressman has lost the mind frame of a Davey Crockett who served his country, then represented his state, worked hard to do that, then left office to return to his country.
Do any of the Washington government crowd DESERVE a raise? I'm not convinced they are anywhere close to earning that privilege.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 5 at 2014 8:12 AM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 05 Apr 2014 08:12:47 -0400

The person must of lost his mind, they don’t need a pay
raise. Congress already gets very nice salary for working on Capitol Hill for
less than six months a year. Plus a very large portion of Congress has a second
income from books, public speaking events, and other endorsements. So to say
Congress needs a pay raise is just out of this world.

Response by WO1 Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 5 at 2014 8:42 AM

WO1 Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 05 Apr 2014 08:42:19 -0400

Take an enlisted soldier's pay (average it), and minus 10% and that should be their pay. And if the soldiers' pay gets lowered, so does theirs.

Response by SSG Robert Burns made Apr 5 at 2014 8:50 AM

SSG Robert Burns — Sat, 05 Apr 2014 08:50:22 -0400

Of course they are under paid; is that even a question? Wait we are talking about tables right? (under the table)

Response by SFC Stephen P. made Apr 5 at 2014 9:35 AM

SFC Stephen P. — Sat, 05 Apr 2014 09:35:02 -0400

My first job was at a mall snack shack where the assistant manager passed along these words of wisdom: "I feel like I'm worth $10 an hour, so I 'make' $10 an hour".

When employee compensation does not match the level of skill required for the work, you often attract those seeking other forms of compensation.

Congress Is Now Mostly A Millionaires’ Club | TIME

For the first time, more than half of congressional lawmakers are worth at least $1 million

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 5 at 2014 9:36 AM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 05 Apr 2014 09:36:47 -0400

I agree with the other comments; members of Congress make more than enough money and should be more worried about solving the myriad of other legislative issues on the table. This is just a sign of mis-allocated priorities and greed

Response by CPT Zachary Brooks made Apr 5 at 2014 12:40 PM

CPT Zachary Brooks — Sat, 05 Apr 2014 12:40:08 -0400

My response to that is that I feel the career politicians deserve a pay decrease, to 0%. Career politicians have lost their way and lost the connection to the people they represent. Start paying congress people the average American salary and lets see how quick they fix jobs, pay issues, welfare, corporate tax breaks, etc.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 5 at 2014 10:42 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 05 Apr 2014 22:42:42 -0400

They are NOT underpaid. In fact, the majority are overpaid. Many of them are millionaires.

Response by MSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 5 at 2014 11:03 PM

MSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 05 Apr 2014 23:03:02 -0400

I'm going to play devil's advocate here a bit.

Congress members are required to maintain two residences; one in the state they represent, and one in Washington DC.
They have to travel... a lot. Not sure how much they get to write off, but I imagine their official travel is on the government's dime just like ours is.
They have dress and appearance standards they have to maintain....sort of. While ours is codified into military law, in congress, it's about credibility. If a junior military member looks like crap in their uniform, are you going to take them seriously? Are you going to implicitly trust what they tell you, or the job that they did? Probably not... That's how we're indoctrinated to think as we progress in the military. So should we expect anything less from our lawmakers?
Their staff and aides? How many enlisted aides does GEN Dempsey get? How big a staff does he have?

I'm surprised I haven't heard about they awesome retirement package they get for showing up for two years and then not making reelection (or just pulling the chute). It's a myth. They do have a retirement plan, but it's nowhere near as much as people like to make it out to be, and it increases the longer they stay in office, the same as ours does.

So are they underpaid? Well, look at it from this standpoint: if you had to maintain two homes, travel, and wardrobe for their functions, could you afford it off $174K/yr?
Bear in mind, members of congress are well enough off before they get elected. Someone who's not as financially ahead of the game may face a completely different living situation.

Response by MSG Jose Colon made Apr 6 at 2014 3:31 AM

MSG Jose Colon — Sun, 06 Apr 2014 03:31:43 -0400

I say, lets cut their salaries and benefits to those of a SFC, and, every time that they cut veterans benefits, lets apply the same standard to them.

Response by CSM Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 6 at 2014 3:41 AM

CSM Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 06 Apr 2014 03:41:48 -0400

Yep it looks life times are tough all over. Thank god they thought of us and our benefits to be cut in order to save a run away budget. Maybe some people should look in the mirror. Also look up your people and see how hard they really have it.

http://www.opensecrets.org/pfds/

http://money.cnn.com/2014/01/09/news/economy/congress-millionaires/

Personal Finance Disclosure | OpenSecrets

OpenSecrets.org has fundraising profiles for all 535 members of Congress (and more).

Majority of Congress members now millionaires

For the first time ever, more than have of Congress members are millionaires, according to a new report from the non-profit Center for Responsive Politics.

Response by CPT Jacob Swartout made Sep 9 at 2014 7:14 PM

CPT Jacob Swartout — Tue, 09 Sep 2014 19:14:34 -0400

Congress will ensure they take care of their greedy needs first before they worry about the plethora of issues that concern the lives of US Citizens. I hate how they serve just one term and get a pension for life. Cut backs need to come from Congress alone before they take away from hard working Americans. We have service members who are junior enlisted that struggle each month. Congress doesn't need a pay raise as I have read and agreed with many in this forum. To me they seem like Professional Athletes who demand more money each year. Greed and selfishness are what most of them have become. Try fixing America first and then we can talk pay raises.

Response by COL Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 22 at 2014 7:05 PM

COL Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 22 Dec 2014 19:05:27 -0500

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-01-10/millionaires-club-in-u-s-congress-is-the-new-50-percent.html

I don't think they have anything to worry about.