How About A Congressional Pay Cut?

Wall Street didn't invent high living on the taxpayer's dime. Politicians mastered that art long ago.

There’s been a lot of talk lately in Congress about forcing executives at companies who receive taxpayer money to reduce their salaries and benefits. We think it’s a fair idea. When you see CEOs flying into Washington in private jets to beg for billion dollar handouts, something definitely needs to change. But there’s another group of pampered elitists who could use a dressing-down: the very people making these demands, our spoiled lawmakers themselves.

They may not pull in seven or eight figures like corporate fat-cats, but they’ve given themselves a very good life at our expense, and with perks galore.

The $165,000 a year starting salary for members of Congress is already four times the national average. And leaders in the House and Senate make considerably more, between $188 and 217,000. That’s about as much as an experienced brain surgeon makes. And we all know these folks are not brain surgeons.

But, as with CEOs, a plump salary is just the beginning of their compensation. CEOs have stock options and end of year bonuses. Members of Congress have political action committees. Most incumbents hardly have to bat an eye to win reelection every two or six years. Yet they raise hundreds of thousands, even millions in political donations. Why? So they can spend that cash on their own creature comforts. They eat at the finest restaurants, shop at the best stores, and travel like kings and queens–all in the name of their reelection campaigns. Joe Biden is one of the poorest members of the Senate. He doesn’t have millions in family wealth like many of his colleagues. But no matter. He uses his political warchest to maintain his 6800 square foot house and pay for his tens of thousands of dollars in train travel every year.

Worst of all, our leaders have granted themselves gold-plated benefits packages that most of us can only dream about. While most Americans slave for years to contribute to their (busted) 401Ks, members of Congress qualify for full pensions after a mere five years. Talk about a golden parachute. While 50 million Americans live without health insurance, members of Congress can sleep easy. They’ve got the best medical coverage on the market. They’ve also got their own gyms. Their own shops. And their own hairdressers–all on our dime.

Here’s an idea: how about we make our representatives go out and buy their own health insurance? Let them pay through the nose for huge deductibles and minimal coverage. Or, better yet, not even qualify because of pre-existing conditions. Maybe then, we’d finally see some reform of our disgraceful medical system. Or how about we make them retire on social security? You could be sure we’d see some movement on that issue, and quick.

And as for money, why in the hell should our representives make more than surgeons? Why don’t we peg their salaries to the national average? Or, better yet, to the average wage in the biggest cities in their districts or states? That might just convince them to pay attention to things like outsourcing, wage stagnation, unemployment, the cost of living.

You know, all that stuff the little people have to worry about day in and day out.