Posted on 12/08/2001 8:52:29 AM PST by Bad~Rodeo
WASHINGTON (AP) - Members of Congress are on their way to a $4,900 pay raise in January as the Senate used a midnight vote to thwart lawmakers who tried to block it.
After a debate that lasted five minutes late Friday night, the Senate used a 65-33 procedural vote to defeat an effort by Sens. Russell Feingold, D-Wis., to stop the increase from taking effect. Under a 1989 law, legislators get an annual cost-of-living raise unless the House and Senate vote to block it, a mechanism that often lets the increases take effect with little notice. .
The latest boost is for 3.4 percent and will raise members' annual salaries to $150,000. .
Feingold questioned the timing of a congressional pay boost when "our economy is in a recession and hundreds of thousands of workers have been laid off." He also noted that the string of four straight budget surpluses is now expected to end. .
Fourteen of the 30 senators running for re-election next year voted against the pay raise. Two who will retire in January - Sens. Phil Gramm, R-Texas, and Strom Thurmond, R-S.C. - voted for the increase, while a third retiree - Jesse Helms, R-N.C. - did not vote. .
Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., and Minority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., voted not to block the increase. .
The House has already passed legislation opening the door for the pay increase. .
The January increase will be the third congressional pay raise in the last four years. Before this period, lawmakers increased their salaries less frequently, but the political risk faded as the economy boomed and federal surpluses soared in the late 1990s. .
By tradition, the annual spending bill for the Treasury Department is the battleground for congressional pay raises. .
The final version of that bill, which lacked language blocking the pay raise, overwhelmingly passed the House and Senate this fall and was signed into law by President Bush on Nov. 12. .
Feingold was blocked from trying to stop the pay raise earlier this year. The vote Friday came as the Senate debated the defense spending bill. .
Pray you remain healthy. Insurance dries up fast and companies owning policies bankrupt. The social security act is not charity its pay in for services. You can thank the congress critters who couldn't keep their hands off the funds for it's problems. But that's OK they are using it to give corporate welfare to the HMO industry. Isn't that nice?
Yeah, sure. But you wont give them any credit for setting it up. Something spells hypocrite here.
Wish it would pass....but then the members of Congress would have to read the Constitution (something I'm sure most have NOT done)...and then they would want another raise.
redrock--Constitutional Terrorist
redrock--Constitutional Terrorist
That's funny, someone who supports leaching by an elite group rather than those who contribute.
So you've taken a page from the Dems? Create a wacky idea and support it by villainizing the other side. The Dems suck but I'd still rather not have a group of elitist who leach off the public dole.
Yea you are you just blasted a person for taking it. If you mean credit though for HMO's the congress had no business going there in the first place much less giving HMO's their elevated status in courts.
SS was set up as retirement and disability insurance for workers, their spouse and dependents. It was pay in for services you didn't work you didn't receive a penny. The medical services end of it came later in the form of Medicaid/Medicare. Again in this case money was paid in. All was well SS was self sufficient. Then came the expansion of the Great Society. Persons who never worked a day were as well placed on Medicaid.
Unwed moms, drunks, drug addicts, and layabouts were given a slice of the SS pie. The problem is though these persons didn't pay a red cent for anything and the money of those paying in was redistributed.
So just where does it stand now? Congress and a few POTUS it seems has deemed that taking the SS money and redistributing it among everyone payers or not was a great idea. But as time went on the program grew bigger and bigger. Each new congressman, senator, or POTUS, POTUS wife had an idea on how to expand it even more. Soon they decided that it was underfunded and cost were needed. So who did they go to for such help? Their friends and big campaign dollar buddies the HMO's.
A meeting was held with Hillary and several hundred HMO reps and Lawyers and Universal Health Care was born. But wait the Sheeple said no way be gone. But Hillary's friend Albert and a his governor friend Ned said hey let's try it here. SS funding for Medicaid was taken and another government program born. Oh but this one is much more inclusive. It's for the children. Al's buddy Governor Ned and His senator friends Fred and Bill went to HCFA for funding for such a great new program.
Doctors not wanting to sign on? Hey no problem the HMO's parent insurance company simply blackmail the doctors to either sign or never see another patient from their company. For good measure full page scare adds were placed in papers telling of Medicaid's demise and being broke. They also said call and write you congressman, senators, state lawmakers, and tell them to support the Tenn Care program as the way to save Medicaid.
Well questions were raised as were objections. The state constitution prohibited such action without a vote from the people but hey this is for the children government knows best. The constitution was ignored, Medicaid was removed from accountability of the state inspector Generals Office for oversight of services and HMO's were dancing in the streets as was Al, Ned, and Hillary.
People were mad no more Dems for us they said we'll elect a Republican as they will end this matter. New governor RINO sat by 4 years smiling saying all is well and with token opposition from the DEMs who loved him too was re-elected.
But wait what's this? Now Tenn Care is broke? HMO's are losing money? HMO's gonna leave unless the state forks over more money. They suggest a state income tax as a solution. Governor Don the RINO says well what do I have to loose I am in my last term. So governor Don starts gathering all his fellow RINO's and DEM buddies together in Nashville and trying for a state income tax. But again that stupid state constitution was in the way. Ah heck we ignored it for Tenn Care let's do it they said. The taxpayers said no way. For over two years the battle was waged. Finally after no success this year Governor Don gets mad and closes down the state parks and other services in a temper tantrum. His friends the HMO's of whom had CEO's that were former state officials start leaving town and the state with a bill. Doctors some not paid in two years plus. The disabled unable to get health care period unless they had it already. That was due to the fact they had Medicare as well. You see it's like this Joe Schmuck who never worked a day could get on Tenn Care due to his drug habit or drinking. He had full coverage doctors loved Joe Schmuck welcome my son.
But the disabled on Medicare> That's another matter. You see they being on Medicare made Tenn Care the secondary insurance which of course if you will recall was Medicaid. OK now Tenn Care HMO's get relieved of the responsibility of making co-payments to equal out the bill. Medicare pays about 40%-50% and Tenn Care was to pay about 25%. The HMO squealed to their pocketed politician do something and they did no co-payments. The doctor will get Medicare only and as well he can not bill for the balance as the patient is Tenn Care. The patient as well is forbidden by law to pay the difference. The result is the disabled loose the healthcare they paid Medicaid remember Medicaid? They loose the services they paid Medicaid for and was turned over to the HMO so all the children and Joe Schmuck who never worked a day in his life had health care.
Governor Don had a visitor a year ago last spring. It was his friend governor George from down south. Governor Don said what a fine man my friend Governor George is. Governor George who was running for another office got governors Dons endorsement. Governor George wrote a nice article about all the good deeds his dear friend governor Don had done. Computers in every school and Universal Health Care to all children.
senators Fred and Bill still good friends of both George and Don make sure Governor Bill's favorite health care program gets federal dollars and George and Bill also make sure their friends the HMO's have nothing to sweat in liabilities. Isn't politics wonderfull?
Introducted, huh? Lamest rebuttal I've ever seen.
They made sure their own pockets were lined in a matter of minutes.
Outside of the one you've layed on us. Next time when you quote include the whole statement.
My point with SS is the recipients expect their COLA. With a CD investment, come age 65 you get what you get. There is no COLA that comes from the bank.
Introducted, huh? Lamest attempt at spin I've ever seen posted.
They made sure that their own pockets were lined in a matter of minutes.
I'm not sure the military appropriations has been voted on by both houses yet. Not sure the bill that contained their COLA raises has been passed by both houses (in the same form). Either way, that appropriations bill, just like the miltary one, is for FY 2003. They all become effective at the same time - Next Oct.
Both increases in pay come at the SAME TIME. So your ignorant comment is irrelvant.
Defending a stealth money grab for the likes of DiFi and Boxer by insinuating that they earned it is the sort of twisting that you would expect to hear coming out of the mouths of Bill Press or Dan Rather.
Non sequitur. Your self-proclaimed ignorance on the matter is irrelevant to the issue of the pay grab, and the comparison between Senators and servicemen fighting for our country is ludicrous.
But you knew that.
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