I think the American people should know that the members of Congress are underpaid. I understand that it’s widely felt that they underperform, but the fact is that this is the board of directors for the largest economic entity in the world.
—Representative Jim Moran, quoted by The Washington Post
His argument is they can’t live decently in Washington on their $174,000 a year salary.
The Washington Post article goes on to say
Given Congress’s near-record-low approval ratings, of course, it’s unlikely many Americans will sympathize with members’ financial plights.
I’m afraid I’m one of the unsympathetic ones. How do you feel about it?
April 7, 2014
I am not qualified to comment on your politicians but you can say that I sympathise with you. I am allergic to politicians and bureaucrats whose sole aim in life seems to be to feather their own nests at the cost of the tax paying public. About our own clowns here is what a non politician candidate for the forthcoming elections, a lady who has left her lucrative bank employment to fight an election has to say. She reflects the angst all of us today in India feel about our politicians.
“I think there must not be a single one of us in this audience who has not watched with horror the scenes in our Parliament and in the Delhi Assembly with pepper sprays and mikes being torn out.
This five-year term has seen Parliament function for a total of only 345 days, that is one year out of five years and we can compare this with previous Lok Sabhas…. where Parliament functioned for four to five times this amount.
In this 15th term, only 165 bills have been passed, the lowest ever since Independence. There are now over 130 bills pending…. You can turn around and say this is a busy political establishment and that’s the way Indian Parliament runs. Let me share with you a bill, which was passed with great alacrity and speed. The name of that bill is salary allowances and pension of members of the Parliament. The Lok Sabha passed it in a record time of two days on August 27, 2010 and it was ratified by the higher house, by the Rajya Sabha in another two days on August 29, 2010. So it’s clear that when our representatives want to work they can work quite speedily.
Our political representatives must understand that if you are a public servant it does not mean that the minute you get elected the public becomes your servant, it means you enter a life of public service.”
It sounds as if your situation is even worse than ours!
I’m not too very sympathetic. $175,000 in the DC area isn’t going to stretch as far as it would back where they came from. Oh, well! If the pay isn’t enough, quit and find a better job.
I disagree with the idea that they are any sort of “board of directors.” They are supposed to be the representatives of the people.
I too thought the “board of directors” comment sounded arrogant. It would be nice if he was more concerned about Congress’s performance rather than the need for a raise.
How about a 2-tier salary approach? Since many (most?) members of Congress are already millionaires, maybe 174 K makes sense. From their point of view, not much, but at least a recognition of their position. But for members of Congress who are struggling to make it on middle-class funds and without succumbing to the lure of lobbyists’ “gifts”, I bet 174 K is not enough. Just think of their entertaining bills, (let alone rent in a major urban area, transportation back and forth to the home state) an everyday part of congressional life, I believe. If you want to have power in Congress, and therefore effectiveness as a representative of your constituency, you have to behave in ways that get noticed and responded to by the people who already have power — and money. What I don’t know, however, is the size of their taxpayer-funded expense accounts. If large, that would take a lot of strain off the 174K.
Yes, it would be nice to know how much of their travel, etc. are provided as perks.
I think Australia’s pollies are very overpaid.
What is their approval rate in Australia? Here it got down to 9% last November, but last month it was up to 15%.
I suspect that is the basic pay…and have many other allowances:
home, family, travel, perks (minor/major), holidays, transfers
probably free travel when necessary
Ours certainly do
My guess is you’re right. We shouldn’t shed any tears until we know what the reality is.