http://www.wsbtv.com/2investigates/25949135/detail.html

Amid the recession, Channel 2 Action News has learned congressional staffers are enjoying pay raises.
Congressional staff members are paid with taxpayer money. Public records on the 20,000 congressional staffers show most of them are young, work 60 hours a week, and paid less than $30,000. But, pay records and receipts obtained by Channel 2 Action News found that isn't the case with senior political aides.
Those records showed Congress has boosted its internal budget every year since the recession started in December 2007. The internal budget is the money set aside to pay staff. House office and staff expenses stood at $1.2 billion in 2008, and went to $1.3 billion in 2009. The budget increased again to $1.37 billion this year, and is set to equal $1.42 billion for 2011.
"People who work in Washington, in some cases, don't have a connection to what happens outside the beltline," said Tom Schatz, with the watchdog group, Citizens Against Government Waste. "They get paid regardless of their experience."
Among Georgia legislators, the records showed both Sen. Saxby Chambliss and Sen. Johnny Isakson hiked pay for their congressional staff and each handed out nearly $3 million total.
Among representatives, David Scott, Lynn Westmoreland, John Lewis, Phil Gingrey and Tom Price each raised their overall staff pay by tens of thousands of dollars last year, according to the records. Only Rep. Hank Johnson kept his expenses even.
A spokesman for Rep. Scott issued a statement that read: "The congressman's office has had an explosion of requests for constituent services during the economic downturn. Thus, the demand for staff has increased. However, any staff salary changes have been relatively modest."
Former congressional staffer Brad Fitch said the workers are earning their money. "You have to appreciate that this is a group of of people that are making less than they are in the private sector. About 20 percent less. They're working longer hours."
Critics disagreed and questioned whether political staffers earned a raise.
"Congress spends money on bureaucracy. You have tens of thousands of staffers. The more government grows, the more inefficient it becomes," said former congressional staff member Brian Riedl.
A Channel 2 producer took a camera to Capitol Hill on a Friday afternoon to see how efficient Congress was working. Staff was going in and out of the offices of local legislators, but some of the doors to other legislative offices were locked. Piles of newspapers were piled up outside the door of one Indiana congressman.
I lost my job with the State of GA because of budget shortfalls. I lost my health insurance and possibility of a pension. My husband lost his job due to cancer, and finally found another one making less than half of what he was making before.

I'll bet a lot of these staffers are relatives.

Most of the representatives listed except for Lewis and Scott are Republicans. The two senators are Republicans.

If anyone thinks the Republicans represent us on any issue, well, here's your sign.