President Obama Approves a Pay Raise for Congress – Timing is Everything

Just because I felt like writing a little something today before I head off to the gym to attempt my program of, hopefully, shedding 20 pounds, I though I'd share a little something.

While the hours tick down till Ryan Seacrest declares a new year, and we head off a fiscal cliff, which means each of us has more taken out of our meager paychecks…the President, the other day, has gone ahead and approved a pay raise for Congress.

His timing is impeccable.

If you remember, during a recent news conference, he was talking tough about how the “other side” has to do its job.

Giving the impression that there was much to be done, he went ahead and gave them a pay raise anyway.

Interesting!

Not to say that he doesn't bear his own amount of responsibility in the current debacle...but still, granting members of Congress a pay raise during the current negotiations is unconscionable!

According to this:

Obama signed an executive order last week that will lift a ban on pay freezes for federal employees.

So who benefits? Vice President Biden, for starters. According to disclosure forms, Biden made $225,521 last year. After his raise which goes into effect March 27, 2013, he’ll be taking home $231,900.

Rank-and-file members of Congress, meanwhile, will see a $900 bump -- up from $174,000. Congressional leaders will receive a slightly higher raise, with the House speaker receiving a $1,100 salary increase to $224,600. The top two Senate leaders will see pay rise $1,000, to $194,400.

Some have questioned why the President would give Congress a pat on the back at a time when neither Republicans nor Democrats have been able to come to a compromise on how to head off $600 billion in automatic tax hikes and spending cuts that will kick in Jan. 1, which could possibly drag the U.S. economy into another recession.

Isn’t that the truth….why indeed give Congress a pat on the back at the very time neither he nor members of Congress can come up with a way to prevent us from having more taken out of our paychecks come January 1st?

I would say to the President, sign an executive order freezing the salaries of members of Congress, including yourself, Mr. President, until some type of deal is worked out.

And then live like the rest of us. In a world where pay raises are sparse…if at all!

Oh, and by the way…Happy New Year!