Bush Signs Order to Raise Fed Workers' Pay

Centre Daily Times ^ | Thu, Dec. 30, 2004 | Associated Press

[Willie Green]

CRAWFORD, Texas - President Bush spelled out in greater detail Thursday the pay raise that takes effect Jan. 1 for federal workers, members of Congress, judges - even Vice President Dick Cheney.

Congress passed the pay raises earlier this year, but Bush was required to sign an executive order detailing the pay hikes before the end of the year. He did so Thursday.

The president's annual salary of $400,000 is not affected by the legislation.

The cost-of-living raise lifts salaries for members of the House and Senate from $158,000 this year to $162,100 in 2005.

The measure provides civil servants with 3.5 percent raises - the same that nilitary personnel will receive next year. Under a complicated formula, that translates to 2.5 percent for members of Congress.

The 2.5 percent pay hike also applies to the vice president - who is president of the Senate - congressional leaders and Supreme Court justices.

Cheney, House Speaker Dennis Hastert and Chief Justice William Rehnquist will go from $203,000 to $208,100. Associate justices move from $194,300 to $199,200 and House and Senate party leaders go up from $175,700 to $180,100.

[Willie Green]

Shhhhhhh!!!
Don't tell anybody!!!
Maybe nobody will notice!!!

[llevrok]

Ok, kids. I agree, the rest of the nation does not give a hoot (anything West of NYC's 7th Ave doesn't count) about Washington State Rats stealing the Governor's election. Even our big hero Drudge is yawning (speaking of jumping the shark).
So we are on our own. Orange ribbons in down town Seattle. Plaster the place. Over passes, doors. Where ever!

Get in Lib's faces. Make them sweat. Stop apologizing, damn it. Sit down and be civil disobedient. Get on the news. We must do this truely like the Ukie's did.

That is the only way I can think of getting national attention and some legal action against the F.L's (Hint: one of the letters stands for Liberal)

We will not go away!

soundpolitics.com

[zipcode101]

These salaries need to go down ! not up. Parasites!!!

[Righter-than-Rush]

How do I get a federal job?

[Mrs.Liberty]

WHOOOHOO! PAY RAISE FOR ME!

[Drammach]

This doesn't even mention the generous retirement benefits packages that members of congress recieve..

Some will make as much as a million ( $ 1 million ) a year for the rest of their lives..

Makes me so mad I want to.... BARFFFFFF !!!!!!

[Cobra64]

I would CUT their annual salary to $1.00 (one dollar)!

[Cobra64]

I would CUT their annual salary to $1.00 (one dollar)! Forgot to add, zero per deum, sell off the limos and shut down their offices. If these creeps want to "serve their country" they can work from their homes.

I would take the savings and pay the American Military the difference.

[Hildy]

Iraq...Medicare drug benefits...homeland security...disaster relief....pay raises....WHERE DOES ALL THIS MONEY COME FROM??????????

[Viking2002]

The best thing would be if we fire half the useless sonsofbitches, and make the rest work for what they do get paid. I've spent years as a government contractor, and I can tell you that while there are good, hard-working people in the governmant, there is a HUGE pool of arrogant third teats who feel that they're a 'better-than-you' protected class, and they should be thrown to the wolves. THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD BE GUTTED TO THE BONE.

[Cobra64]

Iraq...Medicare drug benefits...homeland security...disaster relief....pay raises....WHERE DOES ALL THIS MONEY COME FROM??????????

Beats the hell out of me. At the height of my wife's and my career, we paid over $64,000 in just Federal income taxes. Now if we want to factor in State, Real Estate, gasoline, tobacco, alcohol, airport fees, telephone traxes, hotel/motel taxes and other hidden fees and taxes, we were up to around $100k. We decided to stop working and let the rest of the sheeple shoulder the burden as we have since 1969.

[rdcorso]

I'm going to take lessons on being a lying back stabbing piece of shit so I can become a senator.We pay a high premium for such skills these days.That $180,000 doesn't even come close to the final figure when you add in the unbelievable benefits they get.It's sickening to think how much we pay these people to sit around all day trying to figure out more ways to confiscate our hard earned money.I work as a correction officer in Ct. and the legislature turned down a 3% raise for me claiming they were short of money.I would have excepted that if they didn't vote themselves a raise of over 100%,doubling their own salary a few months later.I will have to add being a shameless weasel to my studies because they certainly have no shame.

[EagleUSA]

How do I get a federal job?

=====
If taxation gets any more out of control than it already is, we will all be working FOR THE GOVERNMENT. We already spend half our professional lives working for the Washington elite....at their beck and call...

[Fishing-guy]

"How do I get a federal job?"

Get elected. I heard their retirement and health care packages are even better than social security and Medicare.

[SLB]

You need to differentiate between the elected officials and the regular Joe civil servant. I happen to fall into the latter category. Currently there is about a 15% pay lag between federal pay and the local economy where I live for like work. Why don't I leave? I have 1 year to retirement eligibility, how many civilian firms will hire me at the same level I am at now or will hire me at an entrance level and let me work my way up?

There is mention of contractors. Talk about sucking off the big old sugar teat, called Uncle Sugar. I was a COR (contracting officers representative) for a few years. The contractors hated dealing with me. I cut them no slack and expected a quality product in return. They were used to working the good old boy network and kept trying to circumvent me and go to my boss, who was NOT a COR and could not legally have contact with them.

As far as the benefits of civil service go. My health insurance premium, I know many of you don't have it, has increased 63% this year alone.

[SLB]

One more thing. Overtime pay does not exist for me. We just suck it up. What is really fun is traveling four or five hours at night to get to a meeting in the morning after already being at work for 8 to 10 hours. Then that meeting is over we get to do it in reverse to get back to work the next morning after maybe four or five hours of "sleep."

[WhiteGuy]

It's the bush mandate..................

[bushfamfan]

Where's the military pay raise? If anyone deserves more money it is them. It is a disgrace to see the amount of money and benefits these leeches get.

[Hildy]

Just like private business.