On Congressional Pay Raises

Look, I want to say at the onset that under normal cirumstances I wouldn't begrudge Congress receiving a pay raise. But what I find unsettling is the mechanism by which they receive this bump; even if the economy is in the crapper, they still receive the increase. That’s quite a union they've got there in Washington.

I hate to come off sounding like a populist demagogue, but the hypocrisy demonstrated here is classic – these condescending clowns tut-tutted the Detroit CEOs for using corporate jets to fly to congressional hearings, but think nothing of receiving a 2.8% automatic pay raise on an average salary of $169,300 a year while the economy is tanking. Yes, I realize it’s a cost of living adjustment – but it’s the symbolism in a town built on symbols.

Hey Joe, where’s the “shared sacrifice” you preached to Americans during the campaign? Why not lead by example and freeze or decline congressional pay raises until the economic crisis has subsided? Sarah Palin did.

And they wonder why the American public loathes them.