Tier V Unemployment: Kirkpatrick Asks Lawmakers To Take Pay Cut
By Victor Hatley on September 3, 2010, 6:30 pm Posted in Finance NewsU.S. lawmakers are famous around the globe for being one of the few public servants in the world that get to give themselves raises. And in the past they have done so, liberally. In fact there hasn’t been very many pay raises that haven’t passed Congressional scrutiny and gone on to become set in U.S. legal stone. But the recent anti-incumbent climate, combined with unemployment, and the recession, has 75% of Americans thinking that our leaders aren’t earning their keep, and should have a pay cut, at the very least.
In Comes H.B. 4720
Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick (D-Az.) has introduced a bill that will reduce Congressional salaries by 5%, but it hasn’t been made clear if any of the perks are at stake. In an interview with Senior White House Correspondent Bill Plante, she said “Some people think it’s a great idea, a lot of people are pretty angry at me. So, I’m not very popular with my colleagues. But the American people get it. They think this is a great idea.”
There Is Some Support
Rasmussen polled and found that 75% of those questioned believe that our leaders should take a pay cut until the economy improves…kind of a performance incentive. Ms. Kirkpatrick does have some Congressional support also. So far she has 21 co-sponsors standing behind her. The 5% cut to a $174,000 paycheck would not bother this many. She said “We need to put our money where our mouth is, and we need to show leadership, we need to listen to the American people.” I thought this was their job…that’s what I get for thinking.
Historical, But At Least It’s Not 100%
Congressional salaries haven’t been cut for more than 75 years, so this would indeed be historical. When she was asked if this would help the public opinion of our leaders, she said “Absolutely. Everywhere I go people think this a great idea… So many people are out of work, so many people have taken a 100 percent pay cut because they don’t have a job. So, it’s all about jobs and restoring the economy and getting folks back to work.”
Related posts:
- Unemployment Extension: Guess What A Senator Makes Yearly
- Unemployment Extension:What’s Obama Saying About It
- Tier V Unemployment: Rich Lawmakers Got Richer As We Struggled In ’09
- Unemployment Extension: Democrat-Republican-I’m American
- Silencing Healthcare Critics: Congress Reels In Big Business To Talk
