On Tuesday, with little fanfare or public attention, the House of Representatives voted itself a pay raise. The raise was cleared when an amendment by Rep. Jim Matheson (D-UT) failed by a 263 to 152 vote, with both parties providing enough votes to pass it. (Akin to the seven year ethics truce, both parties agreed not to criticize the other for raising their pay.)
Majority Leader Tom DeLay said, "It's not a pay raise. It's an adjustment so that they're not losing their purchasing power."
Tell that to the families trying to live on the minimum wage, which hasn't been increased in 11 years. A full-time minimum wage worker earns $10,700 a year, or $5,000 below the poverty level for a family of three.
We're not, in principle, opposed to pay raises. But this year, Congress doesn't deserve one. They're working for their corporate donors, not for us.
Instead of doing something about gasoline prices as Americans get ready to take summer vacations, members of Congress are taking free overseas golf vacations paid for by corporate lobbyists.
Tell them they don't deserve a raise this year.
Instead of addressing the health care crisis, Congress passed a bankruptcy bill of, by, and for their donors in the credit card and banking industry despite the fact that Americans find themselves in debt because of soaring medical bills.
Instead of figuring out how to stave off the outsourcing of jobs overseas, Congress is readying to take up CAFTA, which benefits big business at the expense of workers.
They've abused their power for personal and partisan gain. That's why their approval rating is as low as it was in the early 1990s with the House bank scandal.
Speak out. Tell them they don't deserve a raise this year.