Congress Votes Itself Another Pay Raise

While millions of American's struggle with the higher gas prices and ominous consumer debt, our Congress voted itself a Cost of Living raise of 2%. That's a $3,300 hike in their salaries to a $168,500 annual total. This little item was buried in a back page of the Washington Post and not even reported in many news sources.

An attempt to block the raise was made by Rep. Jim Matheson (D-Utah) but was voted down largely along party lines by a 249 to 167 vote.

This comes on the heels of debate about raising the minimum wage. The current minimum wage is $5.15 per hour. Working a 40-hour week a wage earner would only make $10, 712 a year, well below the poverty level for a family of four ($20,000). With this kind of sub poverty wages, it is inconceivable that the GOP can speak of family values and traditional families. The mythical "traditional family" of yesteryear, where the mom stayed home and dad worked is impossible under the current wage guidelines.

A proposal that may or may not get to the floor for a vote was tacked on to an appropriations bill and would raise the minimum wage to $7.25 per hour. That still puts a head of household of a family four at $15,080, still below the poverty level. This amendment will likely be sacked before the bill is finalized, but at least someone is trying.

Our Congress needs to be held to the same standards they would hold us to. Though $168,000 is not a princely sum, it’s far more than the average American makes and should give us all pause. Remember these are the same congresspersons who regularly accept questionable contributions and perks like golf trips.

I would propose we put a brake on this elite group and peg their salary to the National Debt. The higher the debt, the lower their wages. We’d see a balanced budget and cuts in military spending in minutes.