President Obama signed an executive order last week that will lift a ban on pay freezes for federal employees. Rank-and-file members of Congress – including the outgoing Congressman in our district, Tom McClintock – would all see a $900 bump next year, up from $174,000.
No word from Tom about that, though some Senators want to rescind it. But Tom — a “lifer” politician who already stands to collect a healthy government pension for his endless years of pounding sand in the California legislature — sure has been vocal about the deal to avoid the “fiscal cliff” for our nation.
“Now the Congressional Budget Office warns us that Mr. Obama’s ‘eat the rich’ crusade will actually result in throwing 200,000 middle class families into unemployment. Ernst & Young estimates 700,000 lost jobs,” Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Calif., said on the House floor.
As usual, Tom was on the losing end of the majority vote. But as usual, he’s carving out a good career (and retirement) for himself, playing his constituents like a violin with his polished political rhetoric.
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It will be interesting to watch how the new Congress deals with the House Speaker position. Boehner is vulnerable and Cantor is ascending, but it appears that the butt-kissing all worked out in the end and so we can sleep tonight peacefully, fully recognizing that tomorrow will bring more nonsense, and that the nonsense will continue well into the next presidential campaign. I really don’t like this system of federal gov’t very much.
Check out the details…ve-r-r-r-r-r-r-ry interesting.
http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2013/roll659.xml
From the Daily Kos- They only call it class war when we fight back.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/01/09/1053088/-An-open-letter-to-the-people-who-hate-Obama-more-than-they-love-America
Why not give everyone a pay raise equal to McClintocks? I consider that to be fair.
The 27th Amendment says otherwise, but they will get their extra $900.
AMENDMENT XXVII
No law, varying the compensation for the services of the Senators and Representatives, shall take effect, until an election of Representatives shall have intervened.
Here’s my understanding of how congress thumbs its collective nose at the 27th Amendment:
Technically, members of congress doesn’t receive increases in compensation these days –– they get annual coast of living adjustments (COLAs) as set by a commission they created in advance of the 27th Amendment being ratified in 1992. And the increases automatically take effect unless congress votes “NO” on the commission recommendation. (They don’t have to vote “YES” –– just merely not vote “NO”).
By structuring it that way, they don’t technically vote for their own pay increases. In fact, they don’t vote at all –– and by not voting, the COLA increases are implemented, but not considered “compensation” for purposes of the 27th Amendment.
Pretty clever, huh?
So far, at least, taking the phony backdoor raise as a COLA increase, has withstood legal challenges.
“members of congress doesn’t…”????? YIKES!!!!
Next time I’ll be sure to have all six cups of morning coffee before trying to comment.
I hate to ruin the fun, but the bill passed by Congress to avert the fiscal cliff included a provision that blocked the pay raise.
Nothing beats the facts when it comes to spoiling a good story.
Gov. Chris Christie and other notable Repubs pissed at GOP and Boener for delaying Sandy funds!..Republican party is still imploading as we speak.(Nice to see Christie trash his own party when it is deserved)
George, You forgot to mention it was the Senate, not the House, that blocked that provision, for now. Your political hero was not a leader in this instance either. Hope you take some “happy pills” in the New Year.
You forgot to mention that the House concurred with the Senate’s action. If you think McClintock is one of my “political heroes,” you’re living in a parallel universe that has no connection to reality.
It looks like you ordered a new supply of exaggeration pills for 2013.
Happy New Year George Boardman! Laugh; be happy!
The one good thing McClintock did this week was vote NO on the extension of the FISA Act or better known spy on American citizens without probable cause act.
The fiscal cliff was a bunch of bs and the best thing for American citizens would have been if nothing happened at all and had the incoming congress address the issues as a separate deal.
Yeah, but the wound still festers. Congress is broken, and the brokenness is called corruption.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/03/opinion/collins-looking-forward.html?hp&_r=0
“Representative Joe Walsh of Illinois was defeated by Tammy Duckworth, a military veteran who lost both legs in Iraq and who Walsh claimed was not one of “our true heroes.” Walsh was also an excellent reminder of an important rule in American politics: refrain from criticizing the other party for fiscal irresponsibility until you can work out a resolution of that child support issue.”
McClintock is a disgrace to California. Maybe Bot Issa and McClintock could rule the moon with Captain Newt moonbeam?
Rep. McClintock voted NO on funds for Hurricane Sandy. What a disgraced he is to Calif. I know he has problems about where his residence is but he is suppose to represent CA. The residence of CA care about our country and is very aware that natural disaster can happen anywhere expecially if you live in CA. Bye, Bye in 2014.
Talk about ‘jumping from the frying pan into the fire,’ I moved to
G.V. from Issa’s district. As a businessman, he sure is willing to waste untold amounts of other peoples money on investigations of everything — it seems — Obama does. And I called McClintock’s office and spoke to a staff member re. a problem and realized from the response given to me, they would do next to nothing and what they would do would be useless. I believe congress representatives should have their health plans altered: HMOs only, with a $5,000 deductable. And, no pension if net worth exceeds a set amount.