Council members raise own pay 24% (D.C.)

Washington Times ^ | 12-20-06 | Gary Emerling

[JZelle]

D.C. Council members yesterday gave final approval to pay raises for themselves and for the city's next mayor, authorizing the increases just days before the current council period expires. The salary measure was one of a number of bills passed during the council's final legislative session before it recesses Saturday. Three new council members and a new council chairman will be sworn in on Jan. 2.

[JZelle]

"The increase means council members will earn more than their counterparts in cities like New York, where members will earn $112,500 next year. "

I wish I could vote myself a 24% raise.

[2banana]

Well, DC is one of the best run cities in America, so they deserve it...

[PDR]

I don't think this is unreasonable... you could not pay me enough to serve on the DC council.

[Jaysun]

They deserve it. They're doing such a great job and all.

[caver]

They're just stealing it legally.

[Jaysun]

I wish I could vote myself a 24% raise.

Just do it then. Next check you get go back to them and say, "Wait, wait, wait. This isn't right. This doesn't reflect my 24% raise."

[Brilliant]

They jacked up the min wage, so everything else has got to go up as well.

[river rat]

The ONLY way this theft of public money can be stopped - is to require ANY elected member who runs for office to have his salary FROZEN at the rate the office paid when he ran so hard to win that position..

This rule to remain in effect the ENTIRE period that person holds that office -- even if 20 years!

Two birds killed with one law --- Salary control and automatic TERM LIMITS.

Semper Fi

[HuntsvilleTxVeteran]

Crack has gotten more expensive!

[wastedyears]

Yet they can't give our servicemen and women a few extra bucks.

[UpAllNight]

-- Salary control--

Wage control is how we got into this medical benefits nightmare that we have now.

[kingu]

The ONLY way this theft of public money can be stopped - is to require ANY elected member who runs for office to have his salary FROZEN at the rate the office paid when he ran so hard to win that position..

Why even pay them in the first place? But hey, fine, pay them a token salary. No health insurance, no retirement funds - they can pay for these out of their token salary.

I sincerely think that if we put our public officials AND public employees on a strict diet that public service will likely return to being exactly what it was - public service, not a freeloading ever-increasing sector of our 'economy.'

[NoControllingLegalAuthority]

I remember hearing about street potholes in DC so large, citizens had thrown bed mattresses into them as temporary fixes until someone might eventually be inclined to repair the streets.

I also seemed to recall massive numbers of DC police cars being cannibalized to keep a handful running.

[Rummyfan]

Don't you wish you worked in an industry where you could just vote yourself a 24% raise? Twenty-four percent! And the District of Columbia is just about the worst run municipality in the nation!

[Spok]

"Crack has gotten more expensive!"

When I read this article, I immediately got a visual of Marion Barry lighting the crack pipe in the hotel room with the hooker.

[HuntsvilleTxVeteran]

So did I, LOL

[camle]

oh hell, why should they care - it ain't their money they're wasting.

[JZelle]

Don't forget the flying manhole covers of Georgetown!!

http://qsi.cc/blog/archives/000052.html

[N3WBI3]

lol

[mmichaels1970]

Does this include a "kick-back" increase as well?