On Monday, House Democrats cancelled a vote on a Congressional pay raise. That’s not because they’re thinking of us poor taxpayers, of course, it’s because both Dems and Republicans smell constituency anger in the air. And you don’t anger those voters — they may kick you out next term.
But Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez really, really wanted that pay raise.
First of all, she said stripping the pay raise provision was “superficial.” And it’s “not even a raise.”
Then she went into some real pretzel logic explaining why a congressional pay raise is a good thing, y’all!
“Yep. Voting against cost of living increases for members of Congress may sound nice, but doing so only increases pressure on them to keep dark money loopholes open. This makes campaign finance reform *harder.*”
Got that? Because if you stingy people don’t want to pay us public servants mo’ money, we’ll be forced to make our money through loopholes.
Right. As if these clowns wouldn’t take dark money no matter how high that Congressional pay raise would go. Clinton Crime Family, anyone?
But AOC, as usual, goes way beyond Congress in her diatribe. Yep, everybody should get a pay raise — retail workers, illegals, teachers, bartenders, Congress critters — we all should get a pay raise!
Credit: giphy.
AOC also doubled down using her favorite social media platform.
It’s not a fun or politically popular position to take. But consistency is important.
ALL workers should get cost of living increases. That’s why minimum wage should be pegged to inflation, too.
Voting against cost of living increases is 1 reason why dark $ loopholes stay open.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) June 11, 2019
It’s true that there has been no Congressional pay raise since 2009. Right now members in both chambers make $174K per year, while the House speaker makes $223,500. The two party leaders in each chamber make $193,400. Here in the Midwest we’d find those to be more than sufficient salaries.
But apparently 174K isn’t enough for AOC since she lives in a luxury apartment in Washington, DC. And, by the way, that apartment complex doesn’t offer affordable housing units for the less well-off. You know, the little people whom AOC supposedly champions.
So Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is unhappy that she didn’t get a Congressional pay raise. Well, it’s not as if she’s locked into her current job. Miss Cow Farts can always go back to bartending and make those tips. You know, earn some cash under the table that she might not report to the IRS.
But wait! It looks like she may be trying to ditch the lowly life of a House Rep to enter the rarefied air of the Senate. Some sources are saying she wants to primary Chuck Schumer in 2020, or Kirsten Gillibrand in 2024.
AOC's possible next step: primarying Schumer in 2022 or Gillibrand in 2024 for a Senate seat from New York, sources tell Axios on HBO. https://t.co/Q2UyrtYyMY
— Axios (@axios) June 10, 2019
It’s not that AOC’s current salary is too meager for her to live on. It’s because that salary doesn’t match the size of her ego.
Featured image: Money American/flickr/cropped/CC BY-SA 2.0.
GWB says: both Dems and Republicans smell constituency anger in the air
AOC couldn’t smell constituency anger if it was scented like patchouli bath salts.
But Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez really, really wanted that pay raise.
Well, of course! How else is she going to pay for her apartment between when she next gets re-elected and gets her first paycheck?
This is why there is so much pressure….
Bullsh*t. There’s no “pressure” – it’s not like Congresscritters are living on the ragged edge of poverty.
It’s because there’s opportunity. And you know why that opportunity exists?
Because the federal gov’t has overstepped its Constitutional bounds in terms of power and regulation, which invites lobbying to induce carve-outs and carve-ins and loopholes and exemptions and barriers to entry.
If you want to eliminate lobbying, reduce the power of the federal gov’t back to a Constitutional level.
everybody should get a pay raise
And this woman has an economics degree. *smdh*
Obviously she slept in the day they discussed “inflation”.
Some sources are saying…
Heh. And those sources are about as reliable as DeBlasio’s snow removal teams.
In AOC’s brain, I think we may have found the source for Inertron…….
John C. says: Maybe she, and the others, should actually DO something to justify a higher salary. I mean, $174K is 3 times as much as I made per year at my peak salary. Or they could try living less large, though that would be difficult in the D.C. area, considering the prices. Perhaps pegging congressional salaries to the GDP might be a good idea, instead of inflation.
GWB says: Pegging to the GDP. Heh. The definitional changes we’d get from year to year would be YUGE!
If they want to justify a higher salary, then do something more AND something less. That is, start to work repealing all of the un-Constitutional bits and all of the buck-passing. There are several cabinet-level departments to shut down, and several more to significantly reduce. Then they need to take responsibility and actually pass laws to regulate things instead of enabling legislation that then leaves the regulatory agency to make the actual rules.*
That should keep them busy enough for the next year to actually keep them out of trouble. After that we’ll have to find something else to occupy their time. Like maybe dodge ball.
(* You know, if they hadn’t passed a law intended to reduce the actual decision-making they would have to do, Trump wouldn’t have the authority to divert funds for a national emergency. Heh.)
Kathy says: Agree, GWB! Well said.
Gilligan says: I really like the idea that was floated on Instapundit of pegging Congressional salary to the median income in the Congressional district. That means half of the people in the district make more and half make less. That would certainly give representatives more in common with the people in their districts and less with each other. It would also give them incentive to make their districts more prosperous. It might also be incentive to enforce immigration laws so that impoverished illegal immigrants are not driving down the median income in their districts.
Circe187 says: How about they actually WORK for their salaries instead of being on social media or whatever news network spouting off on how terrible Trump is at every turn every single day? They haven’t done a damn thing for this Country or the people to deserve any raise at all.
6 Comments