I read the articles on that congressman whining about his tiny salary, over 10 times my retirement income, and wondered what it actually cost us taxpayers to keep these clowns and frauds in such high clover...along with the few decent human beings who we pay to represent us. These figures are based on a report issued this past January by the Congressional Research Service, titled Congressional Salaries and Allowances, available as a Federal Government pub to anyone who asks for it, "news" media stars and common people alike.
My numbers are LOW, incomplete and very basic, but give a rough idea what we are paying these people and what we are paying for their comfort and convenience. I did NOT include the various higher paid offices - Speaker, President Pro Tem, etc, just the base salary for all members, House and Senate...
Here are the VERY basic costs - for each of the 535 members of Congress as well as the total amounts and total total...
Base Salary for each member $174,000
Office and Staff allowance, per member (avg) $1,353, 205
Expenses, per member $256,574
Total base salary $93,090,000
Total offices and staff (Basic) $573,900,000
Total expenses, basic $137,267,090
Total combined for ALL Congress $804,247,090
I apologize in advance if my math is off...and remember this is just base salaries and expenses. ALL members also get Federal Civil Service perks, including health insurance for them and their families (their choice of several programs), retirement benefits, and life insurance. ALL members must participate in Social Security, and all members must participate in the Affordable Care Act.
Source: http://www.senate.gov/...
Based on the numbers above, EACH member of Congress receives $1,503,265.59 per year.
Please recall their very small number of working days, long weekends and other perks. Understand we also pay for their offices and staff in their home states and districts, along with all the benefits and perks of every staff member of every legislator.
Something to ponder.
Have a good day
