[Radix]

"... no civil servant or military officer may be paid MORE THAN a Congress critter."

I'd say that this is exactly backwards. Certainly more so when it comes to Military pay scales.

[muawiyah]

http://www.militaryfactory.com/military_pay_scale.asp

[muawiyah]

Speaker of the House - $217,400 ~ gets more than any Congress critter, and more than the most senior military officer, and just about anyone but the President and Vice President.

Technically you are correct ~ but the top rate in the military payscale is "limited" (see reference above) to not exceed certain civilian senior executive pay levels, and that's probably why I was under the impression the limitation standard was based on what Congress critters get.

Anyway, no one gets everything the payscale says they can get ~ it's a trick ~ an incentive ~ to make a federal government employee think he can get a lot of money.