…House lawmakers Tuesday accepted a $3,300 pay raise that will increase their salaries to $168,500.

The 2 percent cost-of-living raise would be the seventh straight for members of the House and Senate.

— Associated Press, June 14, 2006

A bid to boost the U.S. minimum wage failed Tuesday as Republicans in the House of Representatives pushed back an effort by Democrats to force a vote on the measure.

House Speaker Dennis Hastert, an Illinois Republican, said last week that he wanted to hold off on debating minimum wage legislation until possibly after the November elections. House Majority Leader John Boehner also said he probably wouldn’t allow the legislation to reach the House floor this week.

— Bloomberg News, June 20, 2006

Remember, you elected these officials. Those representaives who – a week after their seventh straight raise – declined to debate if their minimum wage constituents deserve a raise after about a decade. Hey, it’s not like the cost of essentials, such as housing or gas, has risen over the last 10 years. What’s the rush? I’ve gotten my raise…

And don’t get me started on the whole “…until possibly after the November elections…” quotation. Too many things wrong – yet painfully realistic – about that comment to comment.

And people wonder why I don’t vote…

UPDATE: After I read this over, I think there might be an impression that I object to the salaries given to our representatives. This is not the case – for the most part, it seems low. Most are lawyers and so on who could (and, after leaving Congress) do better in the private sector. And they know this.

My issue is that these reps keep getting raises (less than COLA, really, so not out of line), but refusing to discuss those who really need – at least – that COLA raise.

And the sequence this year – yes, we’ll take a raise…[week passes]…let’s not discuss that minimum raise issue – is troubling.

Who are these representaives representing?

*sigh* Yes, this is a rhetorical question.