Posted on 01/04/2009 9:00:12 AM PST by george76
As Bay State residents grapple with layoffs and salary cuts, Massachusetts’ 12-member congressional delegation is digging into a whopping $4,700 salary boost that went into effect Thursday.
Six of the 12 delegation members told the Herald they’d accepted the automatic increase, which will hike their pay to $174,000, a roughly 2.8 percent raise, when Congress convenes Tuesday.
“Right now the vast majority of the public is just happy to have a job,” said Steve Ellis, vice president of fiscal watchdog Taxpayers for Common Sense.
U.S. Rep. Barney Frank ... admitted to feeling guilty about the raise at a time when many Massachusetts residents are struggling to make ends meet.
Nearly 20 years ago, Congress made an annual cost-of-living pay increase automatic unless lawmakers voted to do otherwise.
Mary Boyle, spokeswoman for the watchdog group Common Cause, defended the raises, saying public service needs to remain competitive to maintain talent.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.bostonherald.com ...
“public service needs to remain competitive”????? How about “they need to do their jobs”? Competitive with who? Our own people. These people need a cut in salary, not a raise.
The oligarchs get to play by different rules than the rest of us.
She even said it with a straight face, I'm certain. Over 90% of incumbents win re-election. They're not running for re-election because of the salary. Rather, they crave the power.
What talent? Those skunks have cost us 40% of our retirement savings and now they are going to rob another 40% or more via high inflation. They should all be tried,convicted, and incarcerated for malfeasance and incompetence.
He feels guilty for taking money from taxpayers? LIAR LIAR PANTS ON FIRE!
Gee, how many of us can vote our own raises and be guaranteed of receiving them even though the company we work for is financially suffering???
Public service =lip service Tax revolt overdue. A new tea party is called for. I like that. I am joining the “Tea” party screw the tax and spend Republicans and the socialist Democrats.
I was thinking of the tough love party, but I like Tea Party better.
I was thinking of the tough love party, but I like Tea Party better.
Where is the outrage on their wage increases? This congress is the most inept group of jugglers I’ve ever seen.
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