2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumDem Rep.: 'Members of Congress Are Underpaid,' Can’t Afford to 'Live Decently'
Dem Rep.: Members of Congress Are Underpaid, Cant Afford to Live Decently
Do you think members of Congress are overpaid or underpaid? Most likely youd go with the former, but Democratic congressman Jim Moran argues its actually the latter. In an interview with CQ Roll Call, Moran says, I think the American people should know that the members of Congress are underpaid.
The House recently took up a bill to freeze members paychecks, placing another halt on the annual cost-of-living pay increases they would normally get and keeping annual salary at $174,000. Moran believes that this is the wrong way to go, not necessarily talking about himself in particular, but saying there are plenty of congressmembers who cant live on that salar.
I understand that its widely felt that they underperform, but the fact is that this is the board of directors for the largest economic entity in the world.
The senior appropriator pointed out that some members have taken to living out of their offices to save money, while others have small little apartment units that make it impossible to spend the time they should with their families.
-snip-
http://www.mediaite.com/online/dem-rep-members-of-congress-are-underpaid-cant-afford-to-live-decently/
AUDIO here: http://blogs.rollcall.com/hill-blotter/moran-members-cant-afford-to-live-decently-in-d-c/
I think Moran needs to live with an ordinary American family for a month (or at a homeless shelter) so he'll learn what being underpaid really means!
Lets give them $10.10 an hour and have them work only 30 hours per week!
mike_c
(36,281 posts)Or just get a better paying job.
Warpy
(111,352 posts)with a bunch of clump footed college students upstairs.
He'd be able to afford that easily.
He'd get used to commuting.
catnhatnh
(8,976 posts)By how small his paycheck was of how long 30 hours of actual work seems....
frylock
(34,825 posts)Proud Liberal Dem
(24,438 posts)I'd gladly take $174K Maybe some of those struggling members of Congress are attempting to live beyond their means?
irisblue
(33,034 posts)and a Dem too...and has a sketchy history with the stock market (from Wikipedia) "In November 2011, author Peter Schweizer published a book, Throw Them All Out, which included an allegation that Moran used information he got from a September 16, 2008 briefing, in which Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke warned of an impending financial crisis, for his stock market activity:
"September 17, 2008, was by far Morans most active trading day of the year. He dumped shares in Goldman Sachs, General Dynamics, Franklin Resources, Flowserve Corporation, Ecolabs, Edison International, Electronic Arts, DirecTV, Conoco, Procter & Gamble, AT&T, Apple, CVS, Cisco, Chubb, and a dozen more companies."
Schweizer alleged that Moran made more than 90 trades that day." Can we toss him out of the party?
Raven
(13,900 posts)deathrind
(1,786 posts)a country... it is a corporation.
"but the fact is that this is the board of directors for the largest economic entity in the world.
Wow...
AlinPA
(15,071 posts)SwankyXomb
(2,030 posts)we are being told we have to support in the name of "party unity", the Blue Dogs, the Third Way, and other sorts of DINOs, this is exactly the sort of shit-for-brains bat-felcher we're talking about.
Hippo_Tron
(25,453 posts)When they complain about it, it's reeks of how completely oblivious they are to how the rest of us live. Congress needs to enact the kind of social safety nets that they have in Canada and Western Europe. Once they do that, I'd be fine with addressing the issues that they face with having to maintain two residences.
SharonAnn
(13,778 posts)DCBob
(24,689 posts)Very dumb comment.
LiberalAndProud
(12,799 posts)Since Jim is so underpaid, he won't mind.
Sunlei
(22,651 posts)office with a full staff. So sleep in your huge, multi rooms, 'office', free.
blkmusclmachine
(16,149 posts)williesgirl
(4,033 posts)sendero
(28,552 posts).... that this fellow do what we are ALL told to do when in his situation. GO FIND A BETTER PAYING JOB. And good luck with that, dillweed.
daybranch
(1,309 posts)you get what you pay for. When a Congressman is trying to keep two residences even if ine is an apartment, live in a very expensive city, fly home to see their family and or meet with constiuents as well as attend the various social functions, dress appropriately etc. , $174, ooo may not be enough. Burt then why don't they just accept the corporate jets, the cruises and vacations from lobbyists , I guess alot of people here have little respect for a Congressman and apparently think they could do a better job or believe thety cpuld hire someone at a lower rate to do the job as well. Yet it is this kind of thinking that opens our system up to the Koch Brothers, Alec etc. I really do not know how much they should get paid, but I certainly am not willing to cast aside the brave statements made without some knowledge of the actual situation. I see so many people with agendas who want to rationalize everything. I would rather know what I am talking about than make everything I say agree with what I want to believe.
I find a lot of these bitter comments very sad. I am a progressive populist and I recognize the country and so many are suffering but opinions without facts is of no help. These people he is saying are underpaid are probably the most honest of public servants. They likely are the ones who can feel our pain and want to do something about it. They are most like us.
Cosmocat
(14,574 posts)Maintaining two residences, particularly one in DC is pretty tough.
They also live on two year contracts, two years of $170,000 ... For an AVERAGE person it is hard to live at the level of having two residences with one DC when you might be unemployed in any two year period.
I tend to think they SHOULD be paid well and $170,000 is a fair rate on its own.
An answer would be to have something developed to provide REASONABLE living situations in DC for them - plenty of oversight of it.
But, minus that commitment I think $170,000 a year for again, being on a two year contract, is reasonable.
People need to step up to their own responsibility here.
Everyone wants to reelect THEIR idiot congressperson while pointing to the other 500+ idiots and screaming about the system.
Our system is fine.
What does not work in this country is 1) People not showing to vote 2) People collectively making bad decisions.
It really isn't THEIR fault, the bad politicians.
They are who they are.
It is the fault of the people who keep reupping their contracts.
This is a look in the mirror thing, collectively.
a kennedy
(29,710 posts)Response to Tx4obama (Original post)
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