Galt's Gulch

Moran: Members Can’t Afford to Live Decently in D.C.

Posted by richrobinson 11 years, 4 months ago to The Gulch: General
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Rep Jim Moran(or is Moron) thinks congress is underpaid. Maybe he should just get out.
SOURCE URL: http://www3.blogs.rollcall.com/hill-blotter/moran-members-cant-afford-to-live-decently-in-d-c/

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  • Posted by freedomforall 11 years, 4 months ago
    Turn it back into a real swamp, and send all the lobbyists to unemployment lines. As for the "public servants" in con-gress, examine the voting record vs the constitution, and gut anyone who has violated the oath. Please make sure the press has a good angle for the video.
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  • Posted by airfredd22 11 years, 4 months ago
    Rich Robinson asked the correct question in his post regarding Senator Moran's desire to have the Congressional pay increased. One of the reasons that he states for the as he claims, needed pay raise is that Senators and Representatives can't afford to live in Washington. Oh woe is me.

    I took a look at the prices of upscale apartments in the ritziest sections of Washington and surprise surprise, the scale of decent apartments runs between $1,500 and #3,00 per month. Congressional pay runs about $174,000 depending on various factors for various allowances.

    Average individual personal income in the U.S. Is slightly over $43,300 and family income is around $54,000. And we wonder why Congress can't relate to the average American worker.

    With that kind of income, members of Congress should be able to afford to keep an apartment in the Washington D.C. Area. Of course that doesn't take into consideration that few members of congress understand the concept of living within their means. When have they ever done that while on the job?

    Below is a link to just one of many apartment rental websites you can check to see the type of apartments available and none of them are shabby by any means.

    Few average Americans would turn them down to live in.

    http://www.apartmentshowcase.com/search/...

    Being a member of Congress was never meant to be a full time career, but a service one gives to ones country for a time short of 30-40 years as so many members think their entitled to.

    Fred Speckmann
    commonsenseforamericans@yahoo.com
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  • Posted by jimslag 11 years, 4 months ago
    All the more reason to add modern technology and make them legislate from their home district. It would eliminate lobbyists as they would have a hard time going to hundreds of districts scattered across all 50 states (sorry Mr. President but there are only 50).
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  • Posted by $ Snezzy 11 years, 4 months ago
    If Congress were to stick to following the Constitution there might be little need for any member to be there for more than a few weeks per year.
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  • Posted by johnpe1 11 years, 4 months ago
    he has announced his retirement at the end of his current term -- at 68, having irritated lots of people recently, it couldn't be too soon.
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  • Posted by Herb7734 11 years, 4 months ago
    Awww. Poor baby.
    Maybe we should provide them with subsidized housing. I understand that Washington has more than its share of substandard places they'd love to get occupied. Perhaps they'll get to see first hand how the "other side" lives.
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  • Posted by NealS 11 years, 4 months ago
    Actually I think our electorate should be composed of people that don't need money, people that have already proven their own success, and not people that make their fortunes by representing us. Would you vote for someone that would volunteer to represent us without pay? Would Romney have decided to forgo his insignificant presidential pay? Did President Truman really buy and lick his own postage stamps?

    I really like the BOQ, Congressional Dormitory idea presented above by Ranter. After all those that "serve" in our Military live that way, and at minimal pay.
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    • Posted by Stormi 11 years, 4 months ago
      There is earning money, and getting more earmarks for family. If we wen twith electing the rich, we would have even more Pelosi and Reid types. Too many who have money, want even more by gaming the system.
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  • Posted by gafisher 11 years, 4 months ago
    We can and should set up some sensible public housing for our Senators and Representatives where they can bunk down for their once-a-month D.C. deployment. The rest of the time they'll have the luxury of living in the place they call home, among the people they represent.

    While we're at it, let's set Congressional salaries to, oh, let's say 25% over the median income in the District or state they represent, which would let them live as well as their constituents with a bit more to cover the cost of town meetings and travel plus occasional entertaining and of course generous support of favored charities, etc. (Such a salary standard would also encourage them to work toward raising the standard of living for their constituency, as it happens).

    Our most valuable public servants, our military, could only dream of having it so good.
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  • Posted by Temlakos 11 years, 4 months ago
    Then let them furnish their offices with sofa beds, camp out in them, and commute to their districts by rail every weekend. Come on, now. Where does Jim Moran get off demanding the privileges of a titled peer-of-the-realm?

    Then again, our fellow travelers elected an awful lot of Kip Chalmerses.
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  • Posted by $ MikeMarotta 11 years, 4 months ago
    It is an old story, going back at least 50 years or more, maybe 100 or more... It depends on how you want to live, what your family life is, what is back home to be supported... THE WEST WING had an episode where the Speaker of the House waited for enough Democrats to leave town before calling a vote. In fact, they were hiding out inside Congress and it hinged on a junior member who lived in his office. The story worked because the characterization of he Congressman who could not afford to live in Washington DC is a cliche.
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  • Posted by KYFHO 11 years, 4 months ago
    Why do they have to be in DC for months at a time? Why can't they teleconference. The majority of them are "phoning" it in anyway. Oh, I forgot. Any web based conferencing program would be built in the same way all the caca care sites were built. They created the quagmire that is DC anyway. And here in Oregon we have a rep...wyden, who lives in New York. None of the libtards here seem to mind at all.
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  • Posted by $ DARdaughter 11 years, 4 months ago
    Here's how to reign in Congress:
    1. Pay them the average their constituents make;
    2. Make them all live in dorms in DC, sharing a room with their fellow state Reps.
    3. Make them fly home every Saturday morning and return on Sunday night, on military aircraft just like our service members.
    4. Make them wear webcams 24/7 so their constituents can keep tabs on their activities.
    5. Ban any "backroom" or "closed door" meetings.
    6. No out-of-country activities whatsoever.

    FYI: NH only pays their State Reps $100.00 per year. They DO NOT have offices or staff. They pay out of pocket for any mailings, no reimbursement. Their phone numbers and home addresses are published public information. They only receive travel reimbursement based on mileage from their home/work. We have 400 of them. Pay doesn't keep anyone from serving if they want to.
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  • Posted by Kingboone 11 years, 4 months ago
    I personally think they are not paid enough. Imagine the quality of people that we would get if we could compete with private businesses instead of selecting congressman that could not compete in the business world.
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    • Posted by $ Thoritsu 11 years, 4 months ago
      Not convinced higher salaries would attract great leaders. How high would you go to attract a great CEO to Congress?
      On the other hand the districts could vote on goals for incentive compensation (written by who?). Maybe $500-750K + $1M ICP? That might sway a real business person.
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