Is this becoming a trend? Instead of using his time in front of the cameras to champion the rights of working and middle class Americans, Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-FL) showed his true colors yesterday by arguing that members of Congress deserve a raise.
Huh? Evidently, his six-figure salary isn’t enough:
Rep. Alcee L. Hastings made the politically tone-deaf case for raising salaries for members of Congress Monday, pointing to the high cost of living in the District of Columbia.“Members deserve to be paid, staff deserves to be paid and the cost of living here is causing serious problems for people who are not wealthy to serve in this institution,” the Florida Democrat said at a Rules Committee meeting, referring to the average member’s $174,000 annual salary. “We aren’t being paid properly,” he later added.
In fairness, as the article points out, Rep. Hastings is one of the ‘poorest’ members of Congress. But having no wealth as a federal lawmaker is like being the lowliest member of the country club. Remember, the guy makes $174,000 annually, as do all his colleagues. Is that not generous enough? And while that does not necessarily put him in the vaunted one percent, he’s doing pretty damn well all things considered. So if he were serious about the financial cares and concerns of ordinary people—like, say, his constituents—wouldn't he put their interests first?
Apparently, however, the cost of living in DC is just too expensive for him to devote himself to such trivial matters. Well done, sir.