Of all people, conservative retired Congressman Jason Chaffetz<\/a> (R-UT) tossed out the idea that Members of Congress should be given a monthly housing stipend in the amount of $2,500. As \u201cThe Hill\u201d reported<\/a>, \u201cLawmakers of both parties aren\u2019t endorsing Rep. Jason Chaffetz’s suggestion that they be provided a $30,000-per-year housing stipend \u2014 but also say the outgoing lawmaker has a point.\u201d<\/p>\n Remember that Chaffetz is the one who said<\/a> with regard to health care reform:<\/p>\n And, you know what? Americans have choices. And they\u2019ve got to make a choice. So maybe, rather than getting that new iPhone that they just love and they want to go spend hundreds of dollars on, maybe they should invest that in health care. They\u2019ve got to make those decisions themselves.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n It seems that he has little regard for those people who are struggling to make ends meet; people who need to choose between a now-necessary smartphone and the basic human right of health care coverage. But he is concerned about the expenses that he and others in Congress have when it comes to finding affordable housing in the pricey Washington, DC area.<\/p>\n The Hill further reports:<\/p>\n \u201cLawmakers acknowledge it’s a nonstarter to try to convince the public that a six-figure salary more than double the median American income isn’t enough.\u00a0Rank-and-file lawmakers earn $174,000 annually.\u201d<\/p>\n $174,000 is an excellent salary for most Americans, but by some definitions<\/a>, it is still below the top range of middle income. It is reasonable for Americans to want representatives who can focus on doing their jobs rather than worrying about making ends meet. Being a Member of Congress often means having two homes, one in their home district or state and the other in the Washington, DC area. The annual salary is high when compared to the median income<\/a> of Americans ($52,000), but it is not high enough that Members and their families do not have to worry about meeting expenses.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Chaffetz\u2019s suggestion can serve as the opening round of a discussion of how much Members of Congress should be paid so that they are without financial worries and are free to focus on doing the \u201cpeople\u2019s business.\u201d<\/p>\n The flip side of the argument includes factors such as (a) Members of Congress really don\u2019t work that hard [they are scheduled<\/a> to be in session in Washington only 133 days<\/strong> in 2017], and (b) they are not particularly good at their jobs [witness gridlock while the fabric of the New Deal and Great Society is unraveling].<\/p>\n So, here\u2019s a proposed compromise:<\/p>\n It\u2019s a \u201chot rail;\u201d a \u201cthird rail of politics\u201d for Members of Congress to suggest raising their pay. But truth be told, when they are doing their jobs, they deserve far more money than they currently are legally making. But the pay increases must come hand-in-hand with reform that will save money and bring about more responsible government.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Of all people, conservative retired Congressman Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) tossed out the idea that Members of Congress should be given a monthly housing stipend<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":37276,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[29,661,1683,1868,273,113,16,573],"tags":[3042,604,3043],"yoast_head":"\n\n
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