General Discussion

kpete

(71,954 posts) Sat Mar 2, 2013, 11:27 AM Mar 2013

We shouldn’t expect answers to tough problems when politicians in DC have no skin in the game.

Congress, White House get full pay during sequester
3/1/2013 1:33pm by Chris in Paris 26 Comments

Even if the sequester shuts down much of the federal government, including your Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid payments, and unemployment benefits, for starters, unlike other federal employees the salaries of members of Congress and the President will not be in jeopardy. Their salaries won’t be cut.

Isn’t that convenient? Not only does the DC political class get the best government-subsidized health insurance, and perks that haven’t existed in decades for working Americans, they also have nothing to worry about when it comes to the sequester.

This is yet another example of why DC politics is broken.

Senior politicians in Washington have nothing to lose by being extremists. Sure they might have to listen to a few complaints from the 99% about longer lines at the airport, or maybe additional people being out of work, but for them life is good. They live in a city where property values didn’t drop that much during the past decade, and have actually been increasing since January of 2009. Life as a senior politician in Washington, DC is pretty good, in addition to creating a false of sense of prosperity.

MORE:
http://americablog.com/2013/03/politicians-avoid-pay-problems-during-sequester-budget-cuts.html

3 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

We shouldn’t expect answers to tough problems when politicians in DC have no skin in the game. (Original Post) kpete Mar 2013 OP

I disagree. 99Forever Mar 2013 #1

Articles like this always make the same wrong assumptions PSPS Mar 2013 #2

You hit right square on, on the core problem IMO! "Congress is so thoroughly corrupted that, even if RKP5637 Mar 2013 #3

99Forever

(14,524 posts)

1. I disagree.

Reply to kpete (Original post)

Sat Mar 2, 2013, 11:33 AM

Mar 2013

They have "skin in the game," just not in the same place as us little people. Their "skin" is in keeping the scam going so they can continue to rake in the millions, while bending us over and raping us. And the greedy screwing isn't just being done by "Republicans."

PSPS

(13,573 posts)

2. Articles like this always make the same wrong assumptions

Reply to kpete (Original post)

Sat Mar 2, 2013, 12:01 PM

Mar 2013

The shortcomings can be pretty much summed up in the opening sentence:

Even if the sequester shuts down much of the federal government, including your Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid payments, and unemployment benefits, for starters, unlike other federal employees the salaries of members of Congress and the President will not be in jeopardy. Their salaries won’t be cut.

First, this isn't going to "shut down much of the federal government" let alone "your Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid payments." Some payments could be delayed a day or two, I suppose, but this won't have any effect on Social Security.

Second, the assumption that things would be different if "salaries of members of Congress" were in jeopardy is laughably naive. Congress is so thoroughly corrupted that, even if their federal salaries were zero, they would still do just fine. They're all "on the pad" and get most of their money under the table. Take Mitch McConnell for example. His annual salary is $193,400. Yet his net worth jumped from $2 million to $30 million from 2005 and 2010. Obviously, he isn't dependent on his federal salary at all.

RKP5637

(67,080 posts)

3. You hit right square on, on the core problem IMO! "Congress is so thoroughly corrupted that, even if

Reply to PSPS (Reply #2)

Sat Mar 2, 2013, 12:12 PM

Mar 2013

their federal salaries were zero, they would still do just fine. They're all "on the pad" and get most of their money under the table."

I still don't think many Americans really get how corrupt this government is ... in many many ways. Too many still live in la la land, motherhood and apple pie, and thumping the bible. Despite all that is going on, the citizenry of this country is very naive ... and played like a fiddle by the politicians. And too many walk around with "deer in the headlight looks" when one tries to explain anything to them. And then we have the "my country right or wrong crowd." And tribes of bible thumpers.

Reply to this discussion