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Puck
The Texan
Joined: 05 Jan 2004
Posts: 5596
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 Wed Sep 15, 2004 7:33 am House votes to give itself pay raise |
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House votes to give itself pay raise
WASHINGTON (AP) -- With little debate, House lawmakers on Tuesday included themselves as part of a pay raise that all federal employees will receive next year.
The cost-of-living raise would be the sixth straight for members of the House and Senate, boosting the salaries of lawmakers, now $158,100, by about $4,000 in the new calendar year.
The civil servant COLA is part of an $89.9 billion Transportation and Treasury Department spending bill that the House is expected to pass Wednesday. The Senate has yet to take up the legislation.
The measure stipulates that civil servants get raises of 3.5 percent, the same as military personnel will receive next year. Under a complicated formula, that translates to 2.5 percent for members of Congress.
Like last year, the only House member to speak out against the automatic raise was Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah. "Now is not the time for members of Congress to be voting themselves a pay raise," he said. "Let us send a signal to the American people that we recognize their struggle in America's economy."
But by a 235-170 vote, the House rejected Matheson's procedural attempt to get a direct vote on the pay raise. In 1989, Congress decided to make annual cost-of-living pay increases automatic unless the lawmakers voted otherwise.
The pay raise would also apply to the vice president -- who is president of the Senate -- congressional leaders and Supreme Court justices.
This year, Vice President Cheney, House Speaker Dennis Hastert and Chief Justice William Rehnquist receive $203,000. Associate justices get $194,300 and House and Senate party leaders get $175,700.
President Bush's salary of $400,000 is unaffected by the legislation.
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Copyright 2004 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Find this article at:
http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/09/15/congress.payraise.ap/index.html
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Angeldust
The Mob Queen
Joined: 28 Jul 2004
Posts: 6498
Location: In your most wonderful, screwed up dreams. :P
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| Wed Sep 15, 2004 9:36 am |
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This is not an unusual phenomena. Its just that most people don't care enough to object to it. I don't think there are many people in any organization that will object to giving themselves a pay raise.
You know the saying: Talk is cheap -- except when Congress does it.
Perhaps there should be another body somewhere that controls pay for Congress, to avoid this in the future... What do you guys think???
-------signature-------
"You want to dance with the angels? Then embroider me with gold; and I will fly with the angels...and you can dance with me."
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Hitchhiker
Rear Admiral
Joined: 11 Aug 2004
Posts: 3514
Location: Ontario, Canada
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| Wed Sep 15, 2004 11:41 am |
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| Angeldust wrote: | | Perhaps there should be another body somewhere that controls pay for Congress, to avoid this in the future... What do you guys think??? |
Yeah, but then who would control pay for them? If it was themselves, we just have another problem. If it was Congress, then Congress could just pull the strings from behind. We'd need a third organization . . . ad infinitum.
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Link, the Hero of Time
Vice Admiral
Joined: 15 Sep 2001
Posts: 5581
Location: Kokori Forest, Hyrule
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| Wed Sep 15, 2004 2:28 pm |
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seriously, the only thing Congress can do quickly is declare war or pass a congressional pay raise.
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IntrepidIsMe
Pimp Handed
Joined: 14 Jun 2002
Posts: 13057
Location: New York
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| Wed Sep 15, 2004 3:29 pm |
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Woohoo for federal employees! 
-------signature-------
"Nelly, I am Heathcliff! He's always, always in my mind: not as a pleasure, any more than I am always a pleasure to myself, but as my own being."
-Wuthering Heights
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Angeldust
The Mob Queen
Joined: 28 Jul 2004
Posts: 6498
Location: In your most wonderful, screwed up dreams. :P
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| Thu Sep 16, 2004 1:08 am |
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| Quote: | | We'd need a third organization . . . ad infinitum. |
A valid point. Any other ideas?
| Quote: | | seriously, the only thing Congress can do quickly is declare war or pass a congressional pay raise. |
So true it is scary.
-------signature-------
"You want to dance with the angels? Then embroider me with gold; and I will fly with the angels...and you can dance with me."
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