Oh My God Republicans Are Stupid

11:01 pm EST January 10th, 2006 | Politics | 19 Comments

Proposed congressional response to the Republican scandal with Republican criminals and Republican politicians? Raise the salaries of politicians! Because, congressmen aren’t already out of touch with the average American with their six-figure salaries…

Every time I think Democrats are the stupid losers, Republicans do their best to set my line of thought straight.

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19 Responses to “Oh My God Republicans Are Stupid”

Quaker in a Basement says:

January 11, 2006 at 12:01 am

Sowell was pushing this same line of bs last week.
Ryland says:

January 11, 2006 at 2:01 am

Democrats never vote themselves undeserved pay raises? Come on, Oliver.
Frank_D says:

January 11, 2006 at 6:01 am

BTW, what Thomas Sowell said was, “It’s not because those turkeys in Washington deserve it. It’s because we deserve a lot better people than we have in Congress.”

He also said:

Whatever the problems faced by the country, the number one priority of elected officials is to get re-elected… Cheap politicians … currently [cost] the taxpayers more than a trillion dollars a year…
[R]emember that a trillion seconds ago, no one on this planet could read or write… That’s the kind of money our cheap politicians are spending in order to keep getting re-elected.
Since re-election is the key, term limits are effective only in so far as they get rid of re-election. If the limit is three terms, then two of those three terms will be spent trying to get re-elected — and the third term will be spent trying to get elected to some other office.

One thing to be said in his favor is that this could lead to Congress “as it was intended to be”: Senators serving one or two terms, and going home; Representatives serving one or two terms, and going home.

It struck me yesterday, rather cynically, that Members of the Judiciary Committee were pointing out how careful they had to be about Alito, because he was going to have a lifetime position, when many of them have been on that Committee as long as 10 years, and in Congress twice that long.
Frank_D says:

January 11, 2006 at 6:01 am

I think I’ve been hanging around this blog too long.
The Reps may not be stupid, but Rich Lowry sounds crazy!

To paraphrase Will Rogers: Give ‘em pay raises? That will only encourage them!

The idea that these clowns, who practically have lifetime “tenure”, free lifetime medical care, and a 100% salary protected pension plan, need more money, is enough to make to me curse like a frameone.

I told you, and I told you, they’re all crooks.
Diamond LeGrande says:

January 11, 2006 at 7:01 am

My goodness, Frank, you’re coming around …

Any amount by which Congress can raise its own salaries pales in the face of the amounts in question in the various scandals. Also, aren’t Congressional salaries theoretically capped to a percentage of the Presidential salary? I know that’s the way it is in most states. And George Bush Jr. isn’t exactly griping about his pay.
JWG says:

January 11, 2006 at 8:01 am

Any amount by which Congress can raise its own salaries pales in the face of the amounts in question in the various scandals.

Abramoff gave Republicans $200,000 over 6 years. How does this particular scandal compare to their salaries?
Frank_D says:

January 11, 2006 at 8:01 am

DLG: I have long said that all Congresshumans and Senators are crooks. I was just surprised that Rich Lowry would buy into such a crazy idea.
elrod says:

January 11, 2006 at 9:01 am

Congressional salaries is more of a symbolic issue than anything else. Though one could make the case, as Sowell does, that higher pay would attract better candidates, it’s not likely the public would read it that way. I can see paying teachers more money because they make an entire career out of serving the nation’s youth. But politicians are not supposed to be permanent players in Washington. They are supposed to be the people’s representatives until they fall out of touch. Their salaries should be enough to keep them comfortable, but not enough to make them rich.
Orwellian says:

January 11, 2006 at 9:01 am

I would REALLY love to see a Democrat pick this as their good fight for the moment. I know that I haven’t seen MY income go up as much as Congress’ has in the last 5 years. And while I may not have the statistics in front of me, I doubt that the average living wage has.

The question that lingers in my brain is: WHY? Why pay them more? They get plenty of sideline money, gifts, and trips, apparently. (And I doubt sincerely that will change any time soon, despite whatever “substantial reforms” may be discussed – lobbying is an American way of doing things and always will be.)

This is ridiculous. Who will be the man or woman in Congress to stand up and say, “No. Stop. The budget is out of control already. We’re losing jobs overseas at a breakneck pace and the Average Joe is having a harder time making it today. There is ZERO reason for us to get a raise right now.” It’s time that the Republican leadership got sent a clear message that they’ve gone off the rails and I think there are few things that you could more easily rally the American people behind than stopping a Congressional pay raise.

If you need further proof, read above. Frank_D and I actually agree!
Quaker in a Basement says:

January 11, 2006 at 11:01 am

Abramoff gave Republicans $200,000 over 6 years.

That’s how much came out of his own pocket and was properly recorded with the FEC.

That’s not the problem.
JWG says:

January 11, 2006 at 12:01 pm

That s not the problem.

I’m just going by what OW and Howard Dean are yelling about (since Abramoff didn’t give any money to Democrats).
qkslvr_wolf says:

January 11, 2006 at 1:01 pm

Whoops, meant to use

One thing to be said in his favor is that this could lead to Congress as it was intended to be : Senators serving one or two terms, and going home; Representatives serving one or two terms, and going home.
qkslvr_wolf says:

January 11, 2006 at 1:01 pm

Frank, was it you that was just telling me the other day that term limits are a bad idea? Because it sure sounds like youo agree with them:

“One thing to be said in his favor is that this could lead to Congress as it was intended to be : Senators serving one or two terms, and going home; Representatives serving one or two terms, and going home.”
Frank_D says:

January 11, 2006 at 2:01 pm

No, it wasn’t me. I think that Senators and Representatives shouldn’t be the same as career civil servants, but I don’t think term limits is the answer.

I know what is not the answer: More pay and more perks.

Where I live, the Mayor and the Councilmen are deliberately part time, and get paid very little.
Maybe the answer is to pay Congresshumans about $34,000 a year, and no benefits, like so many other people in the US of A
Quaker in a Basement says:

January 11, 2006 at 2:01 pm

I m just going by what OW and Howard Dean are yelling about

Well, if either of them are yelling about the direct campaign contributions Mr. Abramoff gave to Republicans, they’re missing the real story.

I’ll be honest: I haven’t looked closely at what Dean said on the Sunday shows. But as Dugger and I discussed the other day, it’s possible for a crook to give honest money. Abramoff’s legitimate, above-board, out-of-his-own pocket, FEC-documented campaign contributions aren’t what got him in trouble.
Quaker in a Basement says:

January 11, 2006 at 2:01 pm

Maybe the answer is to pay Congresshumans about $34,000 a year, and no benefits, like so many other people in the US of A

Frank, that’s the most sensible thing I’ve ever seen you post.
Dugger says:

January 11, 2006 at 4:01 pm

“Congressional salaries is more of a symbolic issue than anything else. ”

Thus spaketh Elrod correctly.

Dugger
Jadegold says:

January 11, 2006 at 6:01 pm

Actually, raising salaries would be a good thing if they were accompanied by such things as caps on campaign donations or real campaign reform. By itself, salary hikes are meaningless.
Frank_D says:

January 12, 2006 at 7:01 am

Jadegold: Don’t you thnk caps on campaign donations violate the concept of free speech, especially political speech?
I do.