The U.S. Congress Works Only 138 Days a Year. This is a Problem That Must Be FIXED.

Sunday April 30, 2017

We (the taxpayers) pay each Congressman/Congresswoman a minimum base salary, ranging from $174,000 to $223,000 a year. They are in Washington D.C. "working", only 138 days a year. Each week, Congress is "in session" for just 19 pitiful hours!

Source: www.thoughtco.com...

As of this writing, the United States faces an imminent Government Shut-Down. Major Tax-Reform needs to worked on, Urgent ObamaCare Repairs are Needed, and Kim Jong (North Korea) is threatening to use Nuclear weapons on a target of his choosing, any day now.

Congress put these important items on the back-burner, and galloped away on a 2 week Easter vacation, that ended just 6 days ago. Five days from now, on May 4th, the House will adjourn for ANOTHER WEEK of vacation!

Members of Congress constantly state that they work for, and serve at, the pleasure of American citizens. If that's the case, how can we demand that they work AT LEAST as many hours as we do on our jobs? What entity controls the work schedule of Congress? Who can we write?

This is ridiculous!

-CareWeMust

The problem with Congressional pay ... is that they pay themselves ... from our pockets.

Talk about having found a good way to make money!!

a reply to: carewemust

They 'sit' for only those times. For the rest of the time they should be handling inquiries from their constituents and preparing documents to provide for the 'house' to vote on.

It is bad enough that they sit for 138 days where they behave like kindy kids throwing around insults and pandering to anyone with a camera.

The system has many flaws. If the place was run properly, each vote would only take about ten minutes.

P

No wonder nothing is ever accomplished.Their like Temps.

a reply to: [post=22183056]carewemust[/post


Why would you want them working more hours?
They screw things up plenty bad in the time they work now.

a reply to: carewemust

Really well look at this for most people.....

There are 365 days per year available for work.
There are 52 weeks per year in which you already have 2 days off per week, leaving 261 days available for work. Since you spend 16 hours each day away fron work, you have used up 170 days, leaving only 91 days available.
You spend 30 minutes each day on coffee break which counts for 23 days each year, leaving only 68 days available. With a 1 hour lunch each day, you used up another 46 days, leaving only 22 days available for work.
You normally spend 2 days per year on sick leave. This leaves you only 20 days per year available for work. We are off 5 holidays per year, so your available working time is down to 15 days.
People usually have 14 days vacation per year which leaves only 1 day available for work.

a reply to: pheonix358


Just before their 2 week Easter-Egg hunt ended, Senator McConnell requested the big 100-member Senate briefing on North Korea, because they were out of the loop during that vacation. After the briefing, they whined about how it was a waste of their precious time.

a reply to: carewemust

Then is your problem with the system or is the system flawed because of the idiots that we the people elect.

I think it is the choices of the people that should be examined first.

The people are always on about their precious rights without a word for the responsibilities that come hand in hand with those rights.

Come on, all of the votes are up for sale .... and it is legal.

P

Sounds like they should vote themselves another raise.

a reply to: jafo1973

That's an interesting dissection and analysis of an American's work-year! Since we have built an economic powerhouse "working" only 1 day a year, our efficiency must be incredible. We should teach Congress how to mimic our work patterns.

I say pay them more to work less days a year.

No sense in giving them more opportunities to impose even more unconstitutional edicts upon us.

It's clear that they weren't even intended to work as much as they do, after all, it had to be specified that they had to at least meet once a year in Article 1.

a reply to: pheonix358

We can "throw all the bums out", and replace them with all new faces, but it won't change their annual work schedule.

a reply to: carewemust

I agree. They should be working less than that. Even that bit of time is enough to screw us all over royally.

In fact, I'd pay them to stay home and NOT work.

Hold on just a minute !!

Don't people realize the Congress people have to make time for all the meetings and special appointments with lobbyists ?

My God already.

a reply to: carewemust

Aint gonna lie. If I was in congress and i knew i could get away with it and still make bookoos of money.... I'd do the same thing. Work sucks anyways.

Especially in politics. Work really has to suck. Yea... they dont do much.... but its got to be extremely tiresome going to work and arguing with the opposite side all day long.

Screw it, give me lots of vacations. Then we can come back and argue in front of the cameras for a couple days. Then back to vacation.

originally posted by: Idreamofme
a reply to: carewemust

Aint gonna lie. If I was in congress and i knew i could get away with it and still make bookoos of money.... I'd do the same thing. Work sucks anyways.

Especially in politics. Work really has to suck. Yea... they dont do much.... but its got to be extremely tiresome going to work and arguing with the opposite side all day long.

Screw it, give me lots of vacations. Then we can come back and argue in front of the cameras for a couple days. Then back to vacation.

And there's the reason why socialism / communism just cant work in the mass scale.

Get some work ethic people!

a reply to: carewemust

Lobbyist control the government and have everything they want right now so it doesn't matter how much Congress works.

Nothing will change. The rich will get richer and the poor will get poorer.

The OP rage is under the delusion the government represents the people. It does not it. Money talks, everything you post is BS.

Okey-dokey then. The general consensus amongst ATS regulars is that Congress is pretty much worthless, but deserves the salary and benefits we afford them?

If that's how Americans feel, I withdraw my request for info on how to make them work more hours on our behalf. And I'll tell our local Congressman to STOP trying to make the teachers work more days a year for their $90,000 salaries.

Less work...more pay and play for everyone!!

a reply to: carewemust

No. They don't deserve it.

But I'm not sure how to keep them from doing what they think their job is.

There was an ATS thread a couple years ago, perhaps from a whistleblower who said Repubs are required to spend 4 hours per day raising money and votes were timed to accommodate this. So half their time is raising money for the party to help reelect them and the rest on business. I do not think this is a repub issue but also dems. parties need to go away.