Congress Raises Its Pay

Off Topic Politics & World Issues
21

[quote]Zap Branigan wrote:
Beowolf wrote:
Zap Branigan wrote:
LIFTICVSMAXIMVS wrote:
Zap Branigan wrote:
I think they should not get paid any salary. Maybe a housing and transportation allowance.

Then you are ensuring aristocratic rule. Only the rich would go to Washington. Would you work for free?

Most of our legislature is already rich.

Yes I would sacrifice a couple unpaid days a week to be a senator or a rep.

I also think the less time they spend in Washington the less access lobbyists would have.

Because we all know lobbiests aren’t the kind of slime balls that would follow a Congressmen home…

They would be too widespread for the lobbyists to be as effective.
[/quote]

I honestly believe they’d just hire more lobbiests… at least it would increase the job market a tad!

Though you’re probably right, staying in their districts would force them to face issues directly, instead of from a distance.

22

[quote]Beowolf wrote:
I honestly believe they’d just hire more lobbiests… at least it would increase the job market a tad!
[/quote]
Lobbyists will not go away as long as the Federal Government keeps spending money as if it materialized from a goose that lays golden eggs. Lobbyists are there to collect corporate welfare provided by the taxpayer.

The great thing is they also are paying off their political bribes with tax money too. Isn’t that brilliant that our gov’t is so generous to American business?

23

[quote]florianopolis wrote:
senator russ feingold is well known to not take these self aggrandizing raises.

also, he is was the lone dissenting vote against the patriot act. probably, the only one who read the damn thing before voting for it.

f[/quote]

Now if only America was ready for a twice divorced, jewish president.

I guess there’s still hope for 2012.

24

Why would the Democrats be any different than the Republicans.

They are all a joke.

25

Something else that should be factored in that has to do with the “how often do private employees get raises” theory…

How often to private executives get raises when their “company” is 10 trillion dollars in debt and growing?

Seems to me in the private sector 99% of Congress who voted to give themselves a raise would have been canned a long time ago…

26

[quote]Zap Branigan wrote:
I also think the less time they spend in Washington the less access lobbyists would have.
[/quote]

Lobbyists don’t have access to transportation, telephones or email.

27

Well, lobbying is largely a result of the federal government having far too much spending power. So, bring the federal government back to it’s constitutional limits. Subsidize this, subsidize that. Foreign/domestic aid (welfare) for this, foreign domestic aid for that.

28

[quote]vroom wrote:
Zap Branigan wrote:
I also think the less time they spend in Washington the less access lobbyists would have.

Lobbyists don’t have access to transportation, telephones or email.[/quote]

If those techniques are nearly as useful as face to face meetings why do the lobbyists even bother going to Washington?

29

[quote]Zap Branigan wrote:
If those techniques are nearly as useful as face to face meetings why do the lobbyists even bother going to Washington?[/quote]

Efficiency.

They can hand over suitcases full of cash much faster with all the politicians in one place.

However, they can certainly afford to be less efficient if necessary.