Democrats To Block Own Pay Raises

Originally Posted by Cnn.com

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A week after the GOP-led Senate rejected an increase to the minimum wage, Senate Democrats on Tuesday vowed to block pay raises for members of Congress until the minimum wage is increased.

"We're going to do anything it takes to stop the congressional pay raise this year, and we're not going to settle for this year alone," Democratic Leader Harry Reid of Nevada said at a Capitol news conference.


"They can play all the games the want," Reid said derisively of the Republicans who control the chamber. "They can deal with gay marriage, estate tax, flag burning, all these issues and avoid issues like the prices of gasoline, sending your kid to college. But we're going to do everything to stop the congressional pay raise."


The minimum wage is $5.15 an hour. Democrats want to raise it to $7.25. During the past nine years, as Democrats have tried unsuccessfully to increase the minimum wage, members of Congress have voted to give themselves pay raises -- technically "cost of living increases" -- totaling $31,600, or more than $15 an hour for a 40-hour week, 52 weeks a year, according to the Congressional Research Service.


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Originally Posted by Lex

This is a piggy back off of our discussions on the Minimum Wage increase being nixed by Republicans. Here is that thread.

Democrats vow to block pay raises until minimum wage increased

Now THIS should get interesting.

Originally Posted by Dr Rock

although this clearly reeks of electioneering, it is nevertheless a step in the right direction (assuming they're serious about it)

Originally Posted by dong20

Not to dismiss minimum wage as unimportant and I applaud the sentiment but wouldn't you rather have them channel their energies into addressing the other weighty issues that the article refers to?

I'm to far removed to really grasp this but it seems plausible that the thought of the Republicans being hit were it hurts may give the Democrats some leverage.....

Originally Posted by dong20

Not to dismiss minimum wage as unimportant and I applaud the sentiment but wouldn't you rather have them channel their energies into addressing the other weighty issues that the article refers to?

I'm too far removed to really grasp the nuances of this but it seems plausible that the thought of the Republicans being hit were it hurts may give the Democrats some leverage.....

Originally Posted by Lex

Minimum wage, to me, IS a weighty issue.

Living on $5.15 an ahour makes everything else kind of a moot point.

Originally Posted by mercurialbliss

Wouldn't it be nice if every working class person automatically received a raise every year?

Originally Posted by Lex

Minimum wage, to me, IS a weighty issue.

Living on $5.15 an ahour makes everything else kind of a moot point.

Originally Posted by mercurialbliss

The sickening irony is that the pay raises are automatic and the Democrats MUST pass an amendment to block them. Wouldn't it be nice if every working class person automatically received a raise every year?

Originally Posted by dong20

Try a spell over this side of the pond....the weather is crap and the food is worse but I get an index linked+ raise each year, by way of compensation maybe...

Back on topic, broadly similar crap happens with our lying scum, err politicians voting themselves outrageous rises and allowances each year.

Minimum wage is not currently index linked but there is a campaign to make it so, it's £5.35 (from Oct 06) per hour once you're over 22.

Originally Posted by Rikter8

No kidding.

I dont know of any liveable apartments that are less than $400 a month, and that doesnt include utilities, Gasoline, food, etc.

Who can live on a minimum wage job, and be self supportive of themselves?
But, when they make the kind of money they do in congress, they loose grasp of reality on what the rest of us HARD WORKING citizens have to do, to keep this world going round and round.