Day Off With Pay

Several members of Congress should be writing a check to the United States Treasury.

The National Taxpayers Union reports that federal law requires House and Senate members to have their pay reduced for any absence not based on illness of the official or family member.

The NTU conducted a study of missed votes for the 2003-2004 Congressional session. The study criteria ignored absences for non-voting days and it gave credit for the entire day as long as a member was present for only one vote.

Using this generous criteria, NTU still found that more than two-dozen officials missed days of work and should have had their salaries adjusted but didn't. More than a half-million dollars were paid in salaries for missed work. Most truants were running for higher office such as President or Vice President, or House members running for the Senate or Governor.

Leading the list were Presidential wannabes. John Kerry owes taxpayers $91,000. Missouri's ****** Gephardt $81,000. John Edwards, more than $63,000. All Democrats. The leading Republican is South Carolina's Jim DeMint who made the leap from House member to the U.S. Senate. He owes over $23,000.

According to reports, House and Senate administrative officials haven't been enforcing the law for years. Nonetheless, Kansas Senator Bob Dole did the proper thing in 1996 when he resigned from office for his presidential run.

Two of the top three debtors are extremely wealthy. Edwards made an estimated $50 million as a trial lawyer and Kerry twice married millionaire heiresses. Kerry's second wife has a fortune of nearly one billion dollars so we'd think at least he'd make good on his debt to society. But we won't count on it.

And that's The Point.

I'm Mark Hyman.

Fox45 News

Sorry if this was posted twice my puter fupped duck

Interesting...

EI

so does your man w owe any money for his six week vacation just prior to 9/11.

in case you don't know it and i'm sure you don't, he has taken more vacation time then any president in history.

and no one even knows he's not working.

That is because he is working 24/7 as the president where ever he is. Whether it is in Crawford Texas, DC or any of the places he is at the present time. He is still the president even when on the campaign trail and is required to take action as the president no matter where he is.

Those in congress on the other hand missed votes which is their job so they were really malfeasant in their sworn duties

Or are you just to filled with hate for Bush to even realize that

EI

i am to full of contempt, not hate. there is a difference.

Wonder if Kerry's going to use these funds to pay back his debt????

http://www.townhall.com/columnists/robertnovak/rn20050212.shtml 

Kerry's continuing campaign

Robert Novak

February 12, 2005

WASHINGTON -- In the same e-mail to Sen. John Kerry's supporters announcing his presidential campaign's $1 million gift to the Democratic National Committee (DNC), Kerry requests new contributions in a way that assures he personally gets the credit for the fund-raising.

The e-mail contains a link to the DNC donor site. When clicked, it shows Kerry is the referrer of funds he requests. The 2004 presidential nominee declares: "Join me with a contribution of your own to show the incoming DNC chair [former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean] that you want to support organizing in your community."

A footnote: Dean's closest political associates reject the prediction by his former campaign manager, Joe Trippi, that Dean would break his promise not to run for president next time if he is elected DNC chairman. They say Trippi never was close to Dean and has not seen him or talked to him for months.

Hmmmmmmmmm

Hog

It is kind of irritating when these people were overpaid by a sum that is more than alot of people's annual wages. Then they vote to give themselves raises, while pulling moneys from their local state govt employees or freezing their wages.

0patience

i believe there is a law on the books that gives an automatic pay raise, unless the congress votes it down each time the raise becomes automatic.

so technically they are not voting for a raise for themselves, they are simply not voting against it.

nadar brought that information to the public years ago.

Sorry EI... you know I voted for Bush... but malfeasant??

Word of the day folks - malfeasant.

Now ya gotta use it in a sentence.

Talk about a threadjack. Where's THIS thread gonna go?

The noun "malfeasant" has 1 sense in WordNet.

1. malfeasant -- (one guilty of malfeasance)

Malfeasance: the doing of an act in an improper, wrongful, or unlawful manner

Now you know

i saw a question once that asked

what would you do with an employee who missed work regularly, could determine his own salary (with or without your approval), had become and embarrasment in public, and lied constantly?????

answer: fire him

bad news: you can't fire congress

btw both parties abuse this system. just because one abuses it more don't make the less offending party any better