Please leave a comment indicating whether you believe you did or did not get your money’s worth from Congress this week.
What you paid
This week, taxpayers spent roughly $107 million on Congress.
Salaries of Members of Congress and their allowances/week:
Speaker of the House: $223,500/52 = $4,299
House and Senate Majority and Minority Leaders: ($193,400/52) x 4 = $14,877
Other Representatives and Senators: ($174,000/52) x 530 = $1,773,462
Allowance for staff salaries and misc: ($1,500,000/52) x 535 = $15,432,692
Non-salary money allocated for Congress: $4.656 billion/52 = $89,538,462
What you got
Staffers wearing jeans to work and taking long lunches!
It was spring break in Congress this week so neither the House of Representatives nor the Senate met. Members often take official trips out of the country (“CODELS” — or Congressional Delegations — is what they’re called) or go home to meet with constituents. (If you want to search the CODELS your member has taken, you can do so here.)
Do you know what your member did over the break? Did he or she hold a town hall? Meet with your local newspaper? Anything?
I have never once gotten my moneys worth from congress. Now, I know how much it costs me. Vote out the whole lot, Democrats and Republicans. Elect people from the non-elite class who know what it is to actually work and accomplish in the real world and who will take a pay cut. It’s a lot to ask, but the only thing resting on it is the constitution and individual liberty.
Speaking for myself, I’d pay them twice that to stay home and not do anything. No one’s property, wages or liberty is safe while these plundering banditti are in session.
Glen,
Why are you bringing up such a painful reminder so early in the morning?
The developers of the Nation Wide Cesspool Co are looking after themselves first, followed closely by their babied assistants.How lovely and rewarding for them!
Based on the damage they do when they’re in session, I consider this a bargain!
On average, a family of 4 pays $1000 a week in taxes (state, federal, local).
source: http://gregmankiw.blogspot.com/2010/03/taxes-per-person.html
breakdown by type of taxes: http://www.urban.org/publications/1000556.html
No, I’m not getting my money’s worth. Throw the bums out — all of them.
As a Soldier I swore an oath to defend the Constitution. Now I’m taxed to death in order to pay for the lavish lifestyles of those who subvert the Constitution I swore to defend.
Hell no! Time for a change. Time to make a change in Washington. Terms of office should be limited to two! Maybe they won’t rob the people anymore. They won’t have time.
How do they get there lavish salaries, pay raises, benefits, vacations?…….WE HAND IT TO THEM, through their unlimited power to tax us. Don’t blame them, friends; rather, we have ourselves to blame because until now we’ve been too lazy with our own selfish pursuits to keep a sharp eye on them.