Letter: Congressmen get their raises no matter what

Monday, Feb. 23, 2004 | 9:23 a.m.

As of Jan. 1, members of Congress received a pay raise of $3,400 a year, their sixth increase over the last seven years. The annual salary for a representative or senator is now $158,100.

Once upon a time, there had to be hearings when a raise was being considered, followed by a vote in each house to approve it. So pay raises were usually hard to obtain. Many congressmen, however, didn't like the idea of having to face constituents after voting to boost their own pay. Enter a new system.

For approximately the past decade, pay raises for members of Congress have been automatic. The only way to stop a raise is for Congress itself to block it. An occasional senator or House member will introduce such legislation, but it regularly gets killed in committee -- and the killing is done very quietly.

There are no hearings, debates or votes. And, of course, there's no media coverage alerting the people. Members of Congress will even boost their pay during a recession, when high unemployment ravages many Americans. They will even increase their own salaries at times when they have approved huge federal deficits, even when the nation is at war.

It would be wise for the people to ask their own representative and senators why they didn't introduce and support legislation to stop this outrage -- especially during these extremely shaky economic times.

KENNETH L. HOVEY