Congressional pay, congressional staff pay....
Largest Federal Deficit since FY 2012
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Congressional pay, congressional staff pay....
Chris0nllyn
Well-Known Member
With them.
Social Security should be voluntary for generations that'll never see it. Medicare should go away and HSAs (or some form) should be used (along with maintaining the tax benefits) along with allowing shopping of insurance across state lines and group insurance plans.
MiddleGround
Well-Known Member
I agree with this!
Those people need to be brought down a few levels. Perhaps if they were paid like everyone else and didn't have the 'perks' that others are lacking, we wouldn't see the corruption we see on the hill.
? They actually are paid "like everyone else", as compared to all the other professionals working in DC.
That aside...the math of cutting pay is a joke if you are serious about reducing the Federal budget. I'm all for cuts in the size of - or even elimination of - various agencies and departments, eliminating thousands of jobs. But the gorilla in the budget room is still entitlement spending.
That and more too. But no large-enough group of Congress critters is going to even try...so the can will get kicked until it eventually blows up. Heck, Dems are all in love with proposing massive increases in entitlement spending..its a plank in their platform.
Chris0nllyn
Well-Known Member
Absolutely, which is why it's important that citizens who elect these people believe our financial problems are actually problems.
We've got people in this very forum that simply say "You didn't care about Obama's debt" and outside of being demonstrably untrue that sort of attitude is why the can keeps getting kicked. "We" allow it to.
I'd love to help....but nobody I've ever voted for in MD won and went to Washington.
I'll give my opinion. I didn't vote for him because I didn't think he had a chance, otherwise I would have if only to shake up the status quo. For to long the country's been lead (cough) by professional politicians who really don't care about the outcomes of their decisions as long as they get invited back to the party every year. Whether he does a fabulous job or not isn't really the issue, getting a non pol in the end itself. Do I really expect him to do a good job, yes. Mostly because I think he's done a passable job already. You wouldn't know it by listening to the majority of the media, but the things he's gotten passed have been game changers (the game being the status quo). Would I like the federal deficit reduced, yes, but I'm realistic enough to know that getting a supermajority to agree with each other is next to impossible. I think to do this would require something along the lines of physical threats and/or blackmail. Kind of rambling, yes the deficit is important to me, but barring a national emergency along the lines of a big bomb going off in congress impossible to fix quickly.
LightRoasted
If I may ...
If I may ...
All the ideas here are sound, if it were not for the system in which we operate. These ideas, operating with the framework of a debt based monetary system, will not work. It just shuffles around the problem, but are never a fixed solution. There is no accountability to the people when a private central bank issues a nations currency. Unlike where there is when the people, Congress, as it used to before 1913 did, controls it.
All the ideas here are sound, if it were not for the system in which we operate. These ideas, operating with the framework of a debt based monetary system, will not work. It just shuffles around the problem, but are never a fixed solution. There is no accountability to the people when a private central bank issues a nations currency. Unlike where there is when the people, Congress, as it used to before 1913 did, controls it.
More than half of the citizens are sucking one one gov tit or the other ... this will NEVER Happen
this country was doomed the minuet congress passed baseline budgeting
MiddleGround
Well-Known Member
You and I both know that MOST of those Congress critters are not earning their keep. They are spending 50% or more of their "work" time glad handing and getting ready for the next opportunity to keep their job instead of doing their job. Any group that gets to vote their own pay raises AND have a gold card to violate stock and trade laws are going to abuse it too.
I also agree that entitlement spending needs to be looked at and dealt with
I also agree that entitlement spending needs to be looked at and dealt with
And it will NEVER happen.
While that is all sadly true, we sure as heck aren't going to get anyone worth a spit by reducing the pay and benefits. There are numerous examples where honest Congress critters that have to maintain a home and family back in their districts have quite a bit of difficulty financially; Washington DC is an insanely expensive place to live.
MiddleGround
Well-Known Member
There are quite literally millions of people that live in the DC area and make no where near the salary of those in Congress. How do they survive?
These electees love to say how they are in it for the public service and strictly to serve the people but, lets see how many say that if they were to build and design a "Congressional Living Barracks" where every member would stay while in session or in town. Minimal comforts and given what is needed only to do their jobs. I wonder how many of them would not seek re-election?
It's good enough for service members that serve their country! Why is it not good enough for members of Congress?
There are quite literally millions of people that live in the DC area and make no where near the salary of those in Congress. How do they survive?
These electees love to say how they are in it for the public service and strictly to serve the people but, lets see how many say that if they were to build and design a "Congressional Living Barracks" where every member would stay while in session or in town. Minimal comforts and given what is needed only to do their jobs. I wonder how many of them would not seek re-election?
It's good enough for service members that serve their country! Why is it not good enough for members of Congress?
$174,000 a year to live in DC and maintain a home and family back in their district?... Like I said, go ahead and pay 'em 60 grand a year and see how many honest people run for those offices.
On the other hand, the founders wanted only educated men of means to serve in those elected offices, without compensation. So if we want a bunch of only wealthy people in those offices, we'd be returning to our roots. ;-)
Back in the day, Congress Critters often lived together in largish groups in any of the many boarding houses that existed. Lincoln did..and made many later-valuable political connections with his roomies.
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MiddleGround
Well-Known Member
C'mon now! You and I both know that they are not ONLY making $174K per year. It might say that on paper but... it is most assuredly not their only income/benefit of the office.
If they need to cut some fat from the budget and expect citizens to respect the decisions, they need to start with themselves. Lead by example.
I’m against political stunts, and that’s all that would be.
there was an article a while back, a couple of Congress Critters were sleeping in their Offices, and some Democrat filed a complaint with the Ethics Committee ....
[oh its worse the CBC]
Kinda puts Manchin's boat in perspective huh?
Yup...it does.