Posted on 02/16/2009 1:59:09 PM PST by Notoriously Conservative
The current salary (2009) for rank-and-file members of the House and Senate is $174,000 per year. But they work hard you say, they deserve it you say. Well, perhaps. So how much do they work? Well, congress is in session anywhere from 130 to 190 days a year. On average, over the last 9 years, they have met about 140 days a year. So far this congress has worked 23 days, out of a possible 46 days, or 50% of the time. Here is a little vacation calander posted on the house.gov website (please note a "work period" is a fancy way of saying day off):
January 6 -111th Congress, 1st Session convenes January 19 -Martin Luther King, Jr. Day January 20 -Inauguration Day January 29-31 -Republican Conference Issues Conference February 5-7 -Democtratic Caucus Issues Conference February 16 -Presidents Day February 16 - 20 -Presidents Day District Work Period March 8 -Daylight Savings Time Begins March 17 -St. Patrick's Day April 6 - April 17 -Spring District Work Period April 8 -Passover Begins April 10 -Good Friday April 12 -Easter Sunday May 10 -Mother's Day May 25 -Memorial Day May 25 - May 29 -Memorial Day District Work Period June 14 -Flag Day June 21 -Father's Day June 29 - July 3 -Independence Day District Work Period July 4 -Independence Day August 3 - September 4 -Summer District Work Period September 7 -Labor Day September 18 -Rosh Hashanah Begins September 27 -Yom Kipper Begins October 12 -Columbus Day October 30 -Target Adjournment November 1 -Daylight Savings Time Ends November 11 -Veterans Day November 26 -Thanksgiving Day December 11 -Hanukkah Begins December 25 -Christmas Day
Let's compare that to say, my work schedule. Well, I get New Years Day off, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Easter, Thanksgiving Day,...
(great video on site)
(Excerpt) Read more at notoriouslyconservative.com ...
Senators they are in session work maybe 3 days a week. It is sick.
They all showed up to vote themselves a PAY RAISE.
I look at it this way. The less they work, the less damage to the country they can do.
Personally, I would prefer if they were never in session. It would be the cheapest insurance that the average taxpayer could pay.
I’m pretty sure that John F’n Kerry puts in a workweek of Tuesday mid-morningish, to Thursday after-lunchish.
and that’s not counting the three hour brunch.
UNCLE JAY helps little minds understand big news!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QakVlC3X_s
Says it all!
Congress is in session too long as it is.
While they are in Washington, they should definitely be on a 5 day a week work schedule.
But, really, how many new laws are needed? The Congress should be able to finish its work for the year in 3 months or so.
>>They all showed up to vote themselves a PAY RAISE.<<
They do’t even do that. It’s automatic unless they vote it down.
How about a law that states congress can only submit and pass laws 30 days out of the year. This would include debate time.......Keep their snotty noses out of our business.
Yep.
Those 9 weekly hours of brunching do a lot to save Kerry from his otherwise onerous and brutal 19 hour workweek.
But come Thursday afternoon it’s sayonara to the backbreaking 10 hours of weekly Senatorial grind, and off to the snowy snowboarding slopes of Sun Valley!
Woo hoo!
The federal government has run up a record high deficit. The congressmen should all take a pay cut.
The number of days congress is in session includes many when someone comes in at about 2 o’clock, does something by a rule and then closes. What a work day, Tuesday through Thursday, with an occasional Monday afternoon or Friday morning.
I’d be willing to double their pay provided they worked half as much. They’d never take it. That would still be less than they’re making on the side.
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