About a week ago POLITICS 24/7 started a petition effort designed at showing Congress that we oppose the automatic pay raise that they will be accepting this year.We are not going to go into the obvious and numerous reason s why. Besides we already did when we launched the petition. Suffice it to say that the times we are in do not merit a pay raise for those who have their hands in our cookie jars and are manipulating the economy for the worse as we speak. Beyond that, I will not ramble on with my own strongly held opinion.
Instead I present to you the words of others in regards to the Congressional pay raise.
They are the words of some of the people throughout America who have signed the petition opposing the pay raise. They are the hard working people. People from the middle and lower classes who are all dramatically effected by what those in the political class do to them.
Ms. Mati Falconetti of Hopatcong New Jersey wrote……..
“With the economy being in the shape it is in, and billions of jobs being lost, taxes in New Jersey being raised, I don’t see why and or how Congress should get an increase in any of its budgets including salaries. It would not be fair especially when the common citizen is in a devastated financial situation”.
Ms. Bernadette Sava of Huntington Beach California wrote……..
“End the greed now and start serving the people or step down to allow someone who will!”.
Patsy Hicksop of Socorro New Mexico added…….
“This is a disgrace for Congress–they only represent themselves, not the American people in the worst economic situation in decades”.
Saint Paul Minnesota’s John Sturm was particularly angry with Congress when he wrote……..
“How could you people have the audacity to complain about CEOs getting million-dollar bonuses while their companies are going bankrupt when you vote for a pay raise for yourselves while the country is in a recession and headed for a depression? Why don’t you make a law that says if you want to SERVE in Congress (since that’s what you’re SUPPOSED to be doing), you have to read the Constitution at least once. Oh yeah and that Declaration of Independence thing.”
Mr. Biaggio Rinaldi from Granby Connecticut directed his anger at one of his two United States Senators, the one who ran for the democratic presidential nomination:
Mr. Rinaldi wrote……….
“Sen. Chris Dodd should give back the part of his salary to the Treasury when he took up residence in Iowa”.
One of my favorites came from Mrs. Gaelyn Keith of El Dorado Hills, CA. She wrote:
“Reduce spending before there is another Boston Tea Party”.
Another emotional but accurate petition signatory wrote…………
“If you take this pay raise, you will be showing the people on “Main Street” just how concerned you are about their welfare. A pay raise for you at this time of economic crisis is not only laughable; it is ludicrous. Show the people of America you care. Stand up for America and for the constituents that put you in your seat. Imagine what they are going through. Look at the unemployment numbers – how many of them are getting a pay raise? Please, use your influence and ask fellow members to say no.”
That came from Andrea LaGrow of Rincon Georgia.
Then there was Richard Lewis of Lynn Massachusetts who wrote……..
“I’m going backwards every day and you give yourself a raise. how about you let us do your reviews for now on, if you do good you get a raise if not your out of luck. I’ve had it with you all just getting a raise some of you have done nothing, why would you think you deserve a raise“.
I think it is clear.
Congress has an approval rating in the teens and the people do not believe that, in the middle of tough economic times, now is the time to accept more money from the people they are hired to serve.
Stephen Hibbard of Plymouth Massachusetts said it best when he signed the petition opposing the pay raise and wrote:
“The idea that these wasters are even thinking about a raise right now is sickening. I take home 20k a year. Where is my raise? Oh yeah I don’t get a say on my salary. Why should you? I think the House should vote for the Senate’s raises, and vice versa. They should vote NO!”
We are all opposed to this, yet in our nation which is based on the will of the people, only some people are going to get what they want. They are the 535 members of Congress who despite our feelings, are going to accept the raise. A raise which they conveniently arranged to be automatic so that they could not be blamed for voting themselves the raise.
So what are we to do?
Well if you have not already signed the petition do so. If you have, get others to do so as well.
In addition to that call and write your Congressperson and United States Senators.
In addition to that write a letter to the editor to both your major daily newspapers and your local weekly newspapers.
An undeniable proliferation of public denouncements of the pay raise for Congress is the only way that we can get our representatives to do the right thing.
Let them know that although they did not vote for the raise, they could easily propose and support legislation that repeals the raise. Without doing that, their acceptance of the pay raise is as good as having the nerve to vote for a pay raise.
Truth be told, legislation to repeal the pay raise has already been proposed.
Arizona freshman Democrat Congressman Harry Mitchell, got 34 co-sponsors of his bill and an updated version introduced by Mitchell and Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, has 70 to 80 co-sponsors.
So while you write your representatives and demand that they reject their raise, tell them to support the Mitchell-Paul bill….or else! And while you are at it, let Congressmen Mitchell and Paul know you appreciate their bill. Thank them for the effort. People always hear from others when they have a problem or complaint but we often to neglect to give people the proper attention and appreciation that they deserve when they have done something right.
Click on Congressman Paul’s and Mitchell’s name to send them an email.
To contact your own Congress member click here. There you will find what you need to get in touch with them.
For those of you here ,where I live, in New Jersey, find your local newspaper and their contact information here.
If this pay raise goes through the only ones to blame are ourselves. After all, would you reject a pay raise if your boss was giving you one? So these folks in D.C. are only doing what comes natural to them….taking money. But unless we make it clear that if they do not repeal the pay raise, we will be firing them come election time.
But before we have to wait for their reelection efforts, let us prevent the pay raise from continuing through to fruition and let them know we oppose it and that we will oppose them if they accept it.
AND DON’T FORGET………….
BE SURE TO SIGN THE PETITION URGING THE NOMINATION
OF SENATOR BECK FOR LT. GOV.
ONCE UPON A TIME, GOD WAS MISSING FOR SIX DAYS………
Eventually, Michael, the archangel, found him, resting on the seventh day.
He inquired of God. “Where have you been?”
God sighed a deep sigh of satisfaction, and proudly pointed downwards through the clouds, “Look, Michael. Look what I’ve made.”
Archangel Michael looked puzzled, and said, “What is it?”
“It’s a planet,” replied God, “and I’ve put Life on it. I’m going to call it Earth and it’s going to be a great place of balance.”
“Balance?” inquired Michael, still confused.
God explained, pointing to different parts of earth. “For example, northern Europe will be a place of great opportunity and wealth, while southern Europe is going to be poor. Over there I’ve placed a continent of white people, and over there is a continent of black people.”
“Balance in all things,” God continued pointing to different countries.
“This one will be extremely hot, while this one will be very cold and covered in ice.”
The Archangel, impressed by God’s work, then pointed to a land mass and said, “What’s that one?”
“Ah,” said God “That’s Washington State, the most glorious place on earth. There are beautiful streams, hills, and forests. The people from Washington State are going to be handsome, modest, intelligent and humorous, and they are going to be found traveling the world. They will be extremely sociable, hardworking, high achieving, and they will be known throughout the world as diplomats, and carriers of peace.”
Michael gasped in wonder and admiration, but then proclaimed, “What about balance, God? You said there would be balance.”
God smiled, “There is another Washington…wait til you see the idiots I put there.”
Submitted by Jon, Emmitsburg, Md.
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the title bout in this year’s politcal lineup.
the Treasury. The hope was that he could avoid an embarrassing reelection loss by saying “sorry, I have to leave to answer a higher call to duty”.
It has been reported that Jack Kemp has cancer.
he was President but during the mid 80’s I also came to appreciate a Congressman from my home state of New York. My own Congressman was Scmuck Schumer and not exactly a heroic political leader. But Jack Kemp was and although Kemp was from Buffalo and I was from Brooklyn, the distance did not takeaway any sense of the Congressman’s impact on me.
and they were supported by all that freedom in a free nation meant.
As the 1988 campaign began, I found myself traveling to campaign for Jack Kemp in New Hampshire and eventually became a low level field director. I will never forget sitting on campaign busses traveling to every Notch from Dixville to Zealand and relaying between the state’s North White Mountains and Great North Woods to its southern sectionss of Portsmouth and Seabrook in the Seacoast region and Nashua, Concord and Manchester in between. I was often honored beyond belief to sit next Jack Kemp on the campaign bus and have the opportunity to brief the would-be-President on events at our next stops and update him on how the door-to-door events at previous stops went.
With his maverick image in place, in 1996 the Republican nominee for President, Bob Dole picked Kemp to be his Vice Presidential running mate. The selection was something of a surprise, not least because Kemp and Dole had policy disagreements in the past and had been rivals in 1988. Dole had generally been skeptical of massive tax cuts preferring to emphasize deficit reduction but the electoral dynamics of 1996 converted Dole to the merits of tax cuts. In this context Kemp was an ideal vice presidential choice. He symbolized vigorous tax cuts and was able to generate enthusiasm among Republican activists. Kemp was well known nationally because of his football career and visionary economic and defense policies; and it was hoped that Kemp’s energetic style and manner would balance Dole’s age.
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