Congress - Interesting Thoughts

[Malice]

Honestly...
I am in favor of voting ALL them out.
In what job, can you receive a salary, and only work 100 days a year?
I think they need to be required to work a minimum amount of days, like 208 days a year. That means (without any vacations) they work 4 days a week.

This has NOTHING to do with who is in power, Dem or Rep...
I find that this has gotten insane.

My other thought is, if you are in the Senate/Congress/Mayor/Governor
You must RESIGN from office, before you can run for President.

I find it mind boggling, that Obama/McCain have been basically, not working, since December, to win another job. Once again, if I stopped doing my job here, I would have been fired...

What are your thoughts on this?

 

[lazur]

Honestly...
I am in favor of voting ALL them out.
In what job, can you receive a salary, and only work 100 days a year?
I think they need to be required to work a minimum amount of days, like 208 days a year. That means (without any vacations) they work 4 days a week.

This has NOTHING to do with who is in power, Dem or Rep...
I find that this has gotten insane.

My other thought is, if you are in the Senate/Congress/Mayor/Governor
You must RESIGN from office, before you can run for President.

I find it mind boggling, that Obama/McCain have been basically, not working, since December, to win another job. Once again, if I stopped doing my job here, I would have been fired...

What are your thoughts on this?

They should work 40 hour weeks minimum like everyone else has to...

 

[Malice]

According to:
PR Watch

Nearly sixty years ago President Harry S. Truman infamously derided the 1947-1948 Congress as the "Do-Nothing Congress" for meeting for only 108 days. Well, Harry must be rolling in his grave, because the current U.S. House of Representatives (now on their annual August break) is projected to spend a mere 79 days in session in 2006.

This is largely due to their extended "district work periods" in which they go home and meet with constituents, campaign and fit in a few rounds of golf. While most Americans returned from their holiday vacation in the first week of January, the House took nearly the entire month off, commencing the session on January 31st. In February, the House met for only 47 hours, an average work week for many Americans. While the year still has over 4 months to go, the calendar leaves a maximum of only 16 additional days for the House to complete its business. Meanwhile, the Senate is also projected to have a light workload this year, devoting only 125 days to legislative business, a 34-day drop from 2005.

So, if you're looking for a taskmaster Speaker, look no further than Newt Gingrich, who kept the House in session for 183 days in 1995 as he was implementing the Contract with America following the 1994 "Republican Revolution," an increase of 59 days from the previous year.

 

[bell110]

Yeah, plus their rediculous salaries and benefits.

 

[Zen]

Malice im pretty much in accordance with you here.

i do not think their payroll should be voted on by anyone but the american populace.

if i could vote for my own salary, the weekly knot of cash would go sky high!

 

[SuBe]

Malice im pretty much in accordance with you here.

i do not think their payroll should be voted on by anyone but the american populace.

if i could vote for my own salary, the weekly knot of cash would go sky high!

I would agree with this. There should be a Set Salary, put up to a vote. Then, every year, there is a Vote whether they get a Cost of living increase or not.

 

[Gilpesh]

I would agree with this. There should be a Set Salary, put up to a vote. Then, every year, there is a Vote whether they get a Cost of living increase or not.

They vote or America votes? Cause that would always pass if it was them voting.

 

[DeaDheaD]

Malice im pretty much in accordance with you here.

i do not think their payroll should be voted on by anyone but the american populace.

if i could vote for my own salary, the weekly knot of cash would go sky high!

It should be illegal for congress to vote themselves in a pay raise.....this is what causes people to lose faith in their government.

 

[Addendum]

My other thought is, if you are in the Senate/Congress/Mayor/Governor
You must RESIGN from office, before you can run for President.

I find it mind boggling, that Obama/McCain have been basically, not working, since December, to win another job. Once again, if I stopped doing my job here, I would have been fired...

What are your thoughts on this?

You do know that other Congressmen that have run for president have done the exact same thing. So why get upset about it now, when no one batted an eyelash prior to 2008?

 

[SuBe]

They vote or America votes? Cause that would always pass if it was them voting.

American People vote. Not Congress.

 

[Mr Sparkle]

congress should get back into the kitchen and cook my damn dinner dammit!

 

[SuBe]

congress should get back into the kitchen and cook my damn dinner dammit!

I will agree with this. But, you'll only get Mac n' Cheese.

 

[Malice]

You do know that other Congressmen that have run for president have done the exact same thing. So why get upset about it now, when no one batted an eyelash prior to 2008?

Your missing my point...these are just the last two...
It irritates me to know end.

Governors taking off....Congressman, Senators...etc...
These (including Biden and Palin now to be honest) are just the latest batch.

 

[Malice]

Dont forget all the people that ran up to the convention but were knocked out.

 

[wiegeabo]

Just throwing out some general numbers:
365 days in a year (we'll ignore leaps)

There's 52 weekends in a year, so that's 104 days with no work. Brings us to 261 days.

Subtract holidays (Congress could work them, but I'm being nice), and that's closer to 250 days (which I'll use because it's a nice round number).

Now, normal salaried people get at least 2 weeks for vacation, 10 working days, each year. I am going to be very, very generous and give Congress a full 50 days (10 weeks) of vacation. We're down to 200 days.


So, I agree. If they have the work to justify it (and, really, they usually should), then Congressmen should work at least 150 days in session, and 50 at home meeting with, and listening to, constituents.

 

[wiegeabo]

I also agree, you should not be allowed to run for office without resigning your current position. I might make an exception for those currently in their last year of their term anyway, but I wouldn't allow them to run for both offices at the same time.

 

[SuBe]

Just throwing out some general numbers:
365 days in a year (we'll ignore leaps)

There's 52 weekends in a year, so that's 104 days with no work. Brings us to 261 days.

Subtract holidays (Congress could work them, but I'm being nice), and that's closer to 250 days (which I'll use because it's a nice round number).

Now, normal salaried people get at least 2 weeks for vacation, 10 working days, each year. I am going to be very, very generous and give Congress a full 50 days (10 weeks) of vacation. We're down to 200 days.


So, I agree. If they have the work to justify it (and, really, they usually should), then Congressmen should work at least 150 days in session, and 50 at home meeting with, and listening to, constituents.

Give'm $50 a day and Gas Allowence.

 

[Malice]

Either resign...or they "take vacation" or a "leave of absence" which they get doced for...
But then again, they take vacation whenever the hell they want right now

 

[wiegeabo]

It should be illegal for congress to vote themselves in a pay raise.....this is what causes people to lose faith in their government.

Didn't see anyone clear this up (which they probably did and I missed it), but the 27th Amendment prevents Congress from raising their salary until the next term of office for the Representatives (basically the next election).

It's a start, although Congress has still been able to nearly raise its salary every years since the amendment was adopted in 1992.

 

[Hobgoblin]

It would be nice if we could pass a law that forced every member of Congress to work a minimum number of hours per week. (Voting pay raises for themselves would be gone too.) Sadly, such a law would have to be passed...by Congress.

 

[Addendum]

Your missing my point...these are just the last two...
It irritates me to know end.

Governors taking off....Congressman, Senators...etc...
These (including Biden and Palin now to be honest) are just the latest batch.

There's always going to be something that irritates someone.

 

[MaskedManJRK]

I will agree with this. But, you'll only get Mac n' Cheese.

And it'll probably be half-cooked and have some defect from China that causes you to s**t out from your eye sockets.

 

[Gilpesh]

American People vote. Not Congress.

Then we agree for once! t:

 

[SuBe]

Then we agree for once! t:

Yeah, first time for everything.

 

[Gilpesh]

Yeah, first time for everything.

Oh no.... THE APOCALYPSE! LOOK OUT!



But on a serious note, the people really need to be in charge of Congress' pay. Cause well... technically we're their bosses.