Thread: Comparison of Congress Salaries/Wages Earners 1800 to 2008

Americans need to question all our elected officials more closely. Don't forget all the perks: great medical coverage, free food, make the laws; and etc.... add to my list.

http://www.alipac.us/ftopicp-740761.html#740761
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Salaries and Benefits of U.S. Congress Members

http://usgovinfo.about.com/library/weekly/aa031200a.htm

* From 1789 to 1815, members of Congress received only a per diem (daily payment) of $6.00 while in session. Members began receiving an annual salary in 1815, when they were paid $1,500 per year.

(TODAY EQUALS)

Congress: Leadership Members' Salary (110th Congress)
Leaders of the House and Senate are paid a higher salary than rank-and-file members.
Senate Leadership
Majority Leader - $188,100
Minority Leader - $188,100

House Leadership
Speaker of the House - $217,400
Majority Leader - $188,100
Minority Leader - $188,100

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Now what are common Americans Citizens earnings comparison.
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Cost of Food Prices and Wages in the 1800's

http://oldrecipebook.com/1800s-livingcost.shtml
Think it was easier living during the Industrial Revolution? Here's some of the prices for food they were paying per week just to live.

1 bag of flour $1.80
Small measure of potatoes daily at .17 per day $1.19
1/4 lb of tea .38
1 qt milk .56
1 lb cheap coffee .35
Sugar 3 1/2 lb $1.05
1/2 ration meats per week $3.50
4 lb. butter $1.60
2 lb. lard .38
Dried apples for treats .25
Vegetables .50
Soap, starch, pepper, salt, vinegar, etc. $1.00
2 bushels of coal $1.36
Kerosene .30
Sundries .28
Rent $4.00 week

Total $18.50

The average wage earner only made $16.00 a week. Some trades only made two, three, four, or six dollars a week. This family spent $2.50 more a week than the father made, and had nothing left for entertainment or clothing. The men driving the horse drawn streetcars in New York in the 1880's made $1.75 a day working 14 to 16 hr. a day.
During the Industrial Revolution, even children were employed, and working 14 to 16 hours a day.

About $850 annual earning for American Citizens in 1800's. And today the annual wages makes under $10 per hour or less. So the average American is probably earning less than $25,000 annual.

What happened that the elected officials are receiving about 9 (nine) times more than the American Citizen making $25,000. Remember in 1800's the elected official only were getting double the Average Americans annual earnings of $850. In the 1800's the elected official were earning about $1580.

What ratios are they using to get 9X the earning of American Citizens?

They should never make more than the median income of the country. Evertime I have heard of them voting themselves a raise it just makes my blood boil!!!

member of Congress, the Senate etc has their very own charity set up in order to take in bribes and payoffs. They receive a salary from that charity organization and pay out a few dollars here and there to their fellow politicians and maybe a few cents to what the charity was named after in order to make it look legitimate...

You can pretty much bet if that was the standards they used for today, we sure wouldn't have the problem of "lifers" just taking up residence and getting their pay-offs to boot. I seriously doubt our founding fathers expected it to be a permenant career, with all these life long perks. Think they forget they are there to serve us......not us serving them. They are there to represent us.....not get their own personal agendas across.

Most have so much money they don't NEED all these extra perks while the rest of us scrounge by. I can tell you THAT (their pay and perks)would by on my price cutting agenda for sure.

AND DONT FORGET THEY MAKE US PAY FOR THEIR HEALTHCARE, GASOLINE, LUNCHES, PLANE RIDES, HOTEL ROOMS ETC.