Congress gives themselves a raise while denying one for SS recipients.

Congress and a double Standard:

It appears that congress is still stuck in that childhood ego, the ME syndrome. They make sure to take care of themselves in more ways than one, but as for the rest of us, it appears we are mere peasants, or as the attitude permeates around Washington, “let them eat cake” So it’s little wonder congress has an overall rating of only 22%, and the majority of Americans want to remove the existing congress of and start anew next term. Both the republicans and democrats have one agenda, it’s called the ME agenda, ME first, and it’s all about ME, a syndrome that most of us outgrow with age, but unfortunately politicians never seem to grow up.

The base salary for US Congressmen is $174,000 plus benefits, plus official expenses (such as for staff, travel, office equipment supplies, totaling around $1.5 million per year

The current salary (2010) for rank-and-file members of the House and Senate is $174,000 per year.

• Members are free to turn down pay increase and some choose to do so.
• In a complex system of calculations, administered by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, congressional pay rates also affect the salaries for federal judges and other senior government executives.
• During the Constitutional Convention, Benjamin Franklin considered proposing that elected government officials not be paid for their service. Other Founding Fathers, however, decided otherwise.
• From 1789 to 1855, members of Congress received only a per diem (daily payment) of $6.00 while in session, except for a period from December 1815 to March 1817, when they received $1,500 a year. Members began receiving an annual salary in 1855, when they were paid $3,000 per year.

Congress: Leadership Members' Salary (2010)
Leaders of the House and Senate are paid a higher salary than rank-and-file members.

Senate Leadership
Majority Party Leader - $193,400
Minority Party Leader - $193,400
House Leadership
Speaker of the House - $223,500 (Nancy Pelosi)

A cost-of-living-adjustment (COLA) increase takes effect annually unless Congress votes to not accept it. They accepted it!

There is no reason they are paid any sum in excess of the $3,000 they were paid in 1855, they receive much more from speaking engagements, and outright graft.

It seems the more they are paid the worst they become as legislatures.

A backlash appears to be growing all across the country. But it is not based on their attitude about us their constituents. Instead it is a broad based dissent about the Democratic Party, which has given the impression of a wishy washy party, that even though they held control over both houses they were still unable to get their act together, that is except to give themselves more money.

Republican candidates now hold a 10-point lead over Democrats on the Generic Congressional Ballot for the week ending Sunday, June 13. That ties the GOP's largest ever lead, first reached in April, since it first edged ahead of the Democrats a year ago.

While solid majorities of Democrats and Republicans support the candidates of their own party, the plurality (47%) of voters not affiliated with either major party prefer the Republican candidate, while 19% like the Democrat. These findings have remained fairly consistent for months now.

However what would be best for the country; remove them all and start over.

Threats against Members of Congress Mount over Health Care Vote

America is taking its frustrations to heart, attacking at least four Democratic offices in New York, Arizona and Kansas while at least 10 members of Congress have reported some sort of threats, including obscenity-laced phone messages.

Both sides of the American landscape are involved in this Republican generated, exaggerated and overblown debate, which has been exacerbated by FOX news semi conscience semi anchor Glenn Beck, and the Tea Party whose leaders have a track record of deception, including the infamous Edwin Meese III, the former Attorney General under Ronald Reagan who was forced to resign over several inappropriate acts.

Amazingly the people haven’t taken to the streets over the corruption emanating from congress and the white house over the Lobbying efforts of the Banks and the insurance companies, which created an atmosphere of crisis, a situation from which America has now become another financially devastated nation.

But for some reason the health care bill has evoked extreme emotions and deep rooted feelings all across America. As reports from both Democrats and Republicans are increasing, partly to blame is Sarah Palin.

Gun imagery was used in a posting on the Facebook page of Sarah Palin urging people to organize against 20 House Democrats who voted for the health care bill and whose districts went for the John McCain-Palin ticket two years ago. Palin's post featured a U.S. map with circles and cross hairs over the 20 districts.

Of course McCain defended Palin, saying it was commonplace practice and "part of the lexicon" to refer to "targeted" congressional districts.

If America is going to riot, it should be over a real not a perceived issue. Health Care is without doubt a payback for Big Insurance companies, but America needs a real solution to our insurance dilemma, unfortunately this administration is committed to big business.

In today's financial world borrowing and lending billions of dollars is standard practice. When the lenders become fearful that a lot of that debt can't be repaid, they stop lending. Commercial paper, the main instruments through which businesses finance their daily operations, becomes suspect. This explains why the Federal Reserve Bank, the European Central Bank, and other national banks stepped in to pump money into the financial markets.

Those actions have at least temporarily averted a much more defined crisis, but, there could be a good deal more trouble in store for the insurance industry, who insured loans against default, so how do we avert such a looming and pending environment, we structure a scheme where the insurance industry has a hidden bailout.

Americas may not stand idly by and accept another massive bailout, financially we can’t! So government created an illusion and called it health care!

An American Perspective

American Politics Is A System Underscored By Defaults:

Sadly, in American politics, parties and their torch pass by default, incompetent administrations that linger too long in office, set the stage for political backlash.

From Richard Nixon, the Republicans’ gain to office was because of the warring Johnson Administration, as Americans tired of a war that we were losing and which seemed to never end. To Jimmy Carter, the peanut farmer, who gained office not because he had a plan for the direction of this country, but because of the backlash against the corruption of the Nixon Administration!

Ronald Reagan was an actor who played the role of President, both on and off the screen, was a popular candidate, not for his historical achievements, but because of his recognition as an actor. He was undoubtedly popular, but was one of the worst politicians of this century, taking this country in the wrong direction, and the beginning of our decline as a nation. It was under Reagan that American businesses began to outsource employment. Some 2200 businesses were provided government grants to relocate to Mexico. Reagan easily won office as a backlash against Carter, a one-term President, who had no direction for this country.

To Bill Clinton because Bush 1, had lost the confidence of the nation, and as he had lost touch with the American people, serving only one term, a backlash required change. Bush 2, by deception, and the allegations that surfaced afterward of rigged elections, and swift boating. Finally to Obama because of the corruption of the Bush 2 Administration, a backlash against the Republican party as a whole, due primarily to corruption both within the White House and Congress.

The current administration, in sum and substance, is afraid to act on its own and for the people that elected it, is being controlled by the Republican minority. A party disenfranchised by its own members, who elected the opposition because the American people demanded change. Change that was promised, but change, because of the fear this party has to offend any corporate contributor, we will never see.

Money is the root of the problem, it is the lifeblood of a politician, and is underscored by those who require favours and for those favors are willing to pay.

For this reason, no “real” legislation to aid the American People is anticipated, during the Obama term, and the Republicans may yet return in 2011, due primarily to the incompetence of the Democrats, garnered more by fear than direction.