$174,000 salary is not enough?

[CarmelHP]

There is an astounding level of ignorance on display. People spend an enormous amount of energy complaining about nonsense.

They pay Social Security tax.

There is no free lifetime healthcare, it's the same group policies as for other federal employees.

There is no free lifetime pension, it's the same system as other federal employees with 10 years service to vest.

HOWEVER,

Anyone for whom the job is too hard, too stressful, too unprofitable or too dangerous should resign or not run again when their term expires, instead of holding onto to the office like a cat clinging to the drapes. It's the highest honor that can be bestowed by the electorate to give one these offices. Don't like it, get the hell out and don't let the door hit you. If I don't like my job or pay, I don't get to vote myself someone else's money. I have to find a new job that I find more suitable. The whinging is unseemly, crass and vulgar. I hope their voters are offended by their ingratitude and send them packing.

 

[PistolBob]

Prior to 1984, neither federal civil service employees nor members of Congress paid taxes to Social Security, nor were they eligible for Social Security benefits. Members of Congress and other federal employees were instead covered by a separate pension plan called the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS). The 1983 amendments to the Social Security Act (P.L. 98-21) required federal employees first hired after 1983 to participate in Social Security. These amendments also required all members of Congress to participate in Social Security as of January 1, 1984, regardless of when they first entered Congress. Because the CSRS was not designed to coordinate with Social Security, Congress directed the development of a new retirement plan for federal workers. The result was the Federal Employees' Retirement System Act of 1986 (P.L. 99-335). Members of Congress first elected in 1984 or later are covered automatically under the Federal Employees' Retirement System (FERS), unless they decline this coverage. Those who already were in Congress when Social Security coverage went into effect could either remain in CSRS or change their coverage to FERS.

Retirement Benefits of Congress
January 2011
As Prepared by the Congressional Research Service

 

[ZombieApocolypse]

Can someone tell me why Congress-critters can't work from their own district most of the time? They should not NEED to live in DC as well as here. If I can run a software business from Salem, IN, then surely they can conduct business/conference calls/bribe arrangements/whatever from their home district. Surely we have the communication infrastructure for this, right?

Im sure they do it so the lobbyists etc can pay em all off at the same time, without them needing to travel to seperate states.

 

[PistolBob]

For those who dont like how much they make, go ahead get a campaign together and make a run for the House or Senate.

Most of those folks made or could make mroe than that in the private sector. Most politicians are lawyers, business people, etc. Usually fairly successful ones.

I dont make anywhere near that much, but it wouldnt be worth it to deal with that type of a job. Too much BS from those who give you $$, the people you work with, and the voters/public.

What it costs to run for Congress

Back in 1990, the average amount spent by candidates who were successfully elected to the Senate was $3.9 million and the amount spent by a winning candidate for the House was just $400,000, according to data from the Center for Responsive Politics. By 2000, those averages had actually doubled and as of 2008, the average amount spent by winning candidates was an astounding $7.26 million in the Senate and $840,000 for House candidates. All this for a job paying less than $176K...it's easy when you aren't spending YOUR money.

You have to wonder about a guy that spends 740 MILLION DOLLARS for a shot at the presidency....that pays about $500K per year. He isn't spending HIS money, you can bet on that. To win the presidency, then-Senator Barack Obama’s campaign alone spent $740 million, which is nearly $100 million more than the combined amount that President Bush and Senator John Kerry spent in the presidential race four years earlier.

CROOKS, every last damned one of them.

 

[Pocketman]

I don't have a proposal, only an idea. What about a reasonable base salary and then a "bonus" based upon performance? If the country is doing well, then they get compensated. If we're going down the crapper, then they get penalized.

 

[04DarkShadowGT]

What it costs to run for Congress

Back in 1990, the average amount spent by candidates who were successfully elected to the Senate was $3.9 million and the amount spent by a winning candidate for the House was just $400,000, according to data from the Center for Responsive Politics. By 2000, those averages had actually doubled and as of 2008, the average amount spent by winning candidates was an astounding $7.26 million in the Senate and $840,000 for House candidates. All this for a job paying less than $176K...it's easy when you aren't spending YOUR money.

You have to wonder about a guy that spends 740 MILLION DOLLARS for a shot at the presidency....that pays about $500K per year. He isn't spending HIS money, you can bet on that. To win the presidency, then-Senator Barack Obama’s campaign alone spent $740 million, which is nearly $100 million more than the combined amount that President Bush and Senator John Kerry spent in the presidential race four years earlier.

CROOKS, every last damned one of them.

You wont get an argument from me, well Im not sure Id lump Ron Paul into that mess, but most politicians are in fact crooks.

But thats the problem, most of the people who could really turn things around economically can make way more than 175K or 500K in a different, way less stressful job.