This is one of the many problems that American voters, particularly those on the right side of the aisle, have with Congress. You have Republicans constantly saying (whether genuine or disingenuous) there isn’t anymore money to pay for the basic operations of government, but then they get some sweet pay raises.
You can look no further than Paul Ryan, who was recently elected as the new Speaker of the House, succeeding the failed tenure of John Boehner.
Ryan, the former Republican Vice Presidential candidate in 2012, will receive a pay hike from $174,000 to $223,500. Indeed, the House Speaker is the third-highest of all elected federal officials and the higher paid member of Congress (the president earns $400,000, while the vice president earns just over $230,000).
Ryan is already worth millions, but if he wanted to show that he’s serious about returning Washington to a sound fiscal picture why doesn’t he forego his raise and just return his salary to the Treasury? Yes, it represents a fraction of a fraction of a percent, but that’s not the point.
Better yet: rank and file senators and congressmen shouldn’t be paid six-figure salaries in the first place with tremendous benefits and pensions. All paid for by the taxpayers of the United States.
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