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. .
When, in the course of human events has this not been the case? People are always out of work. People, including those in Congress, can always be fired.
Now forming: FreepAlert!
What is it then? Even ignoring the time value of money it would take a guy like Bad~Rodeo's pal Corzine 400 years in office to recoup his $60 million. Sounds like you're using million mom math.
I would agree with that. I dont deny they're all trouble for us. But the reality is they are there and a cost of living increase is not the big deal most of the skulls full of mush here make it out to be.
That is true. But this time the unemployment rate is much worse. My friends in New York and New Jersey who have gotten laid off cannot find a job because the job market is so bad. Even the max check from unemployment cannot keep you above water. Its a different story when you get laid off when the job market is good because you won't have a hard time finding another job. I have been amazed at the shrinking of the Help Wanted Ads in the papers. How easy is it to fire a Senator or Congressman compared to a regular employee?
The nice high dollar lobby jobs that come afterward perhaps? BTW their pay doesn't stop when the leave office right? Retirement benifits right? Yea some buy there way in and their investment comes back hundred fold at the end of public office. So why do they need that much pay then?
State |
Party |
Senator |
Vote |
CA |
D |
Boxer |
Nay |
CA |
D |
Feinstein |
Nay |
CT |
D |
Dodd |
Nay |
CT |
D |
Lieberman |
Nay |
DE |
D |
Biden |
Nay |
DE |
D |
Carper |
Nay |
FL |
D |
Graham |
Nay |
FL |
D |
Nelson |
Nay |
HI |
D |
Akaka |
Nay |
HI |
D |
Inouye |
Nay |
IA |
D |
Harkin |
Nay |
IN |
D |
Bayh |
Nay |
LA |
D |
Breaux |
Nay |
LA |
D |
Landrieu |
Nay |
MA |
D |
Kennedy |
Nay |
MA |
D |
Kerry |
Nay |
MD |
D |
Mikulski |
Nay |
MD |
D |
Sarbanes |
Nay |
MN |
D |
Dayton |
Nay |
ND |
D |
Conrad |
Nay |
ND |
D |
Dorgan |
Nay |
NE |
D |
Nelson |
Nay |
NJ |
D |
Torricelli |
Nay |
NM |
D |
Bingaman |
Nay |
NV |
D |
Reid |
Nay |
NY |
D |
Clinton |
Nay |
RI |
D |
Reed |
Nay |
SC |
D |
Hollings |
Nay |
SD |
D |
Daschle |
Nay |
VT |
D |
Leahy |
Nay |
WA |
D |
Cantwell |
Nay |
WA |
D |
Murray |
Nay |
WI |
D |
Kohl |
Nay |
WV |
D |
Byrd |
Nay |
WV |
D |
Rockefeller |
Nay |
|
|
Total |
35 |
AR |
D |
Lincoln |
Yea |
GA |
D |
Cleland |
Yea |
GA |
D |
Miller |
Yea |
IL |
D |
Durbin |
Yea |
MI |
D |
Levin |
Yea |
MI |
D |
Stabenow |
Yea |
MN |
D |
Wellstone |
Yea |
MO |
D |
Carnahan |
Yea |
MT |
D |
Baucus |
Yea |
NC |
D |
Edwards |
Yea |
NJ |
D |
Corzine |
Yea |
NY |
D |
Schumer |
Yea |
OR |
D |
Wyden |
Yea |
SD |
D |
Johnson |
Yea |
WI |
D |
Feingold |
Yea |
|
|
Total |
15 |
VT |
I |
Jeffords |
Not Voting |
|
|
Total |
1 |
AK |
R |
Murkowski |
Nay |
AK |
R |
Stevens |
Nay |
AL |
R |
Shelby |
Nay |
AZ |
R |
Kyl |
Nay |
CO |
R |
Campbell |
Nay |
ID |
R |
Craig |
Nay |
ID |
R |
Crapo |
Nay |
IN |
R |
Lugar |
Nay |
KY |
R |
McConnell |
Nay |
MO |
R |
Bond |
Nay |
MS |
R |
Cochran |
Nay |
MS |
R |
Lott |
Nay |
MT |
R |
Burns |
Nay |
NE |
R |
Hagel |
Nay |
NH |
R |
Gregg |
Nay |
NM |
R |
Domenici |
Nay |
OH |
R |
Voinovich |
Nay |
OK |
R |
Inhofe |
Nay |
OK |
R |
Nickles |
Nay |
PA |
R |
Santorum |
Nay |
RI |
R |
Chafee |
Nay |
SC |
R |
Thurmond |
Nay |
TN |
R |
Frist |
Nay |
TN |
R |
Thompson |
Nay |
TX |
R |
Gramm |
Nay |
UT |
R |
Bennett |
Nay |
UT |
R |
Hatch |
Nay |
VA |
R |
Allen |
Nay |
VA |
R |
Warner |
Nay |
WY |
R |
Thomas |
Nay |
|
|
Total |
30 |
NC |
R |
Helms |
Not Voting |
|
|
Total |
1 |
AL |
R |
Sessions |
Yea |
AR |
R |
Hutchinson |
Yea |
AZ |
R |
McCain |
Yea |
CO |
R |
Allard |
Yea |
IA |
R |
Grassley |
Yea |
IL |
R |
Fitzgerald |
Yea |
KS |
R |
Brownback |
Yea |
KS |
R |
Roberts |
Yea |
KY |
R |
Bunning |
Yea |
ME |
R |
Collins |
Yea |
ME |
R |
Snowe |
Yea |
NH |
R |
Smith |
Yea |
NV |
R |
Ensign |
Yea |
OH |
R |
DeWine |
Yea |
OR |
R |
Smith |
Yea |
PA |
R |
Specter |
Yea |
TX |
R |
Hutchison |
Yea |
WY |
R |
Enzi |
Yea |
|
|
Total |
18 |
Sounds like you fell off the last democrat turnip truck. Do you realize how much you sound like Richard Gephart, Henry Waxman, Hillary Clinton and Tom Dashle with that statement? You proud of yourself?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.