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Forum Post: Are our members of congress part of the 99% or the 1%?

Posted 12 years ago on Feb. 28, 2012, 12:39 a.m. EST by martymart (2)
This content is user submitted and not an official statement

Hello all, i have been doing some studying online about the House and Senate salaries as well as their schedule throughout the year and i have discovered something interesting. I first learned that previous to 1789 it was considered a public servitude to be a member of congress, so there was no pay. I also learned that the average salary as of 2012 for the House and Senate is approx. $174,000 per year. Also over the last 10 years the combined total average of "workdays" for congress is about 161 days out of the year.

Now to me $174,000 seems like a lot of money for less than 6 months worth of so-called work, and this is excluding bonuses, perks, and other benefits. Most hard working Americans don't even make that in 5 years worth of work! What i propose they do is turn it into a flat-rate system of pay, so that way they only make what they earn on the days they work. I am not against paying those who earn by the sweat of their brow but i am against greed, and our congress is plagued with greed. Let me know your opinion on this matter and keep this post alive.

13 Comments

13 Comments


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[-] 0 points by TheMisfit (48) 12 years ago

DC couldn't care less about you or I until it is time for us to vote. They thrive on the left/right fighting as it fires up their base and they see folks like OWS and the TEA Party as useful idiots that are little more than free "get out the vote" groups.

[-] 1 points by WatTyler (263) 12 years ago

100% correct!

But FWIW, I recently heard an NPR report on this topic, and virtually ALL members of congress have a net worth in excess of $1,000,000, and many have annual incomes from all sources approaching the same amount.

[-] -1 points by JuanFenito (847) 12 years ago

I will go ahead and rephrase that for you: "THE REPUBLICANS couldn't care less about you or I until it is time for us to vote."

Say thank you, troll. Then go away.

[-] 0 points by TheMisfit (48) 12 years ago

Man, it must be blissful living in such ignorance.

[-] 0 points by JuanFenito (847) 12 years ago

You would know. Go donate some money to Eric Cantor like a good little troll.

[-] 0 points by TheMisfit (48) 12 years ago

Reading your posts makes it seem rather obvious who the "troll" is. Now go climb back under Obama's skirt and let the government take care of you. I will get back to working for a living.

[-] 0 points by JuanFenito (847) 12 years ago

Sure. Go ahead and work like a slave for all I care. I will be busy fighting for justice.

[-] -1 points by JanitorInaDrum (134) 12 years ago

The top 10% couldn't care less about the lower 90%.

[-] -1 points by JuanFenito (847) 12 years ago

The Democrats don't have any greed...

But the (R)epelican'ts are Strife with it.

The Democrats do a thankless job and frankly, deserve more pay for it.

The (R)epelicant's don't deserve the stains on our armpits.

[-] -1 points by JanitorInaDrum (134) 12 years ago

http://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/list.php

Really? Explain this? Lemme guess, democrats hand over the lion's share of wealth they extract via their positions and give it to their constituents?

Some of the wealthiest in DC are life long democrat politicians, who started with zilch.

[-] -2 points by JuanFenito (847) 12 years ago

Yes, they do. I don't know if you are being a sarcastic jerk or something, but many Democrats are known to report more income than they made because they believe that much in supporting the country instead of being greedy nitwits.

http://www.opensecrets.org/pres12/superpacs.php Explain THIS you RepubliCAN'T troll.

I don't begrudge anyone the American dream of making a fortune and starting from nothing. What I DO begrudge is when you do it by polluting the environment.

[-] -2 points by JanitorInaDrum (134) 12 years ago

So I'll make it easy, that's nothing compared to what the dems will spend to stay in the club. Only morons buy into the bi-party garbage and should be executed on public television.

Go blow zenfag and horfriday, oh wait, blow yourself.

[-] -2 points by JuanFenito (847) 12 years ago

I'm not into bipartisanship like you claim! The Democrats are much better than the Repukes. Get lost.