Congressman Jim Moran Proclaims Congress Needs a Pay Raise

Congressman Jim Moran Cries Out for a Congressional Pay Raise The fiery, bombastic, hot-tempered, anti-Semitic, always colorful Congressman Jim Moran of Virginia’s 8th Congressional District announced earlier his retirement from Congress. The lifetime Congressman is a living , breathing, walking, bloviating argument for term limits. The now politically liberated Congressman said Thursday Congress needs a pay increase: “I think the American people should know that the members of Congress are underpaid.” Congressman Moran is not known in Washington as a deep thinker, but rather for thinking more with his fists than his brain. Second, our “underpaid” members of Congress earn $174,000 annually, which puts them in the top 2% of America. However, the top 2% can still demagogue against the top 1%. These are some of the benefits our “underpaid” members of Congress receive: 1) Full vesting of pensions after 5 years of service. They only contribute 1.3% of their salary to their pensions. Congressman Moran is in line for a Congressional pension estimated to be as high as $100,000 annually. 2) Free, preferred parking at Reagan National Airport and Dulles International Airport. 3) Bipartisan international junkets on “fact finding” missions 4) First class tickets at taxpayer expense. Then Speaker Nancy Pelosi topped that by flying military jets back and forth to San Francisco from D.C. 5) A Congressional gym 6) Death benefits 7) Heath insurance, albeit now through the District of Columbia Exchange 8) House and Senate Dining Rooms, often operating at a loss 9) Congressional barbershops, often operating at a loss 10) House and Senate gyms, which remained open during the government shutdown. The House gym includes a heated swimming pool, sauna, basketball court, paddleball courts, a steam room and flat screen TV. The Senate gym includes tennis courts 11) Hitting on interns, pages, and secretaries – at least in the past 12) Occasionally supplementing the Congressional income on the side 13) Insider trading. Members of Congress can legally trade on inside information. Third, our elected representatives are part-time workers. Congress may technically be in session for extended periods during the year, but members of Congress are not. 5 day weeks are anathema to our elected, public servants in D.C. The proposed 2013 House Calendar had 239 days off. Our “underpaid” Representatives currently hold a 15% approval rating by the public. If only they were paid what they were worth? Congressman Moran also remarked that “A lot of members can’t afford to live decently at their job in Washington. He’s not one of them. He resides across the Potomac at home within easy commuting range of the Capitol. We’re not sure about the home. The once-millionaire is going through his third divorce and lost his millions gambling in the market. Members of Congress knew the pay when they ran for office. They have free will and determinism. THe Representative noted that members of Congress have now gone three years without a raise. The millions of Americans who lost their jobs and benefits, or saw them reduced over the past half decade, are hardly sympathetic to Congressman who have received a frozen $174,000 each of the past three years. Congressman Moran never forgot that we the public are serving the “public servants” rather them serving us.