Mitchell and Paul make strange bed fellows

What is worse than having to vote yourself a pay raise then having to run for reelection? Well Congress took care of that in 1989 and decided to make it so they would receive an automatic cost of living increase unless they voted it down. I bet we all wish we had that power.

Well Republican conservative and Presidential candidate Ron Paul (Texas) and District 5 Democratic Congressman Harry Mitchell are saying not this year. Mitchell today sent Speaker Nancy Pelosi a letter today saying this years increase should be blocked as part of the economic stimulus package. The $4,400 increase would raise the congressional pay to nearly $170,000.

Mitchell and Paul make an unlikely team, but if they can garner enough press for this proposal the public would overwhelmingly support Congress forgoing their 2009 pay raise. “It doesn’t make sense for Congress to approve a pay raise for itself while the American people are going through tough times,” Mitchell said. “I hope my colleagues will agree that this is the wrong time for Congress to raise its own pay and that doing so sends the wrong message to the American people.”

Below is a copy of the text Mitchell sent to Speaker Pelosi.

January 23, 2008
The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
Speaker
United States House of Representatives
U.S. Capitol Building, H-232
Washington, DC 20510

Madam Speaker:

Yesterday our colleague Dr. Ron Paul and I introduced H.R. 5087, a bill to block the automatic pay raise Members of Congress are scheduled to receive next year.

I hope you will agree that this is the wrong time for Congress to raise its own pay and that doing so sends the wrong message to the American people. I urge you to support H.R. 5087 and include it as a part of the upcoming economic stimulus package.

As you work with the President and Republican leadership to build a bipartisan economic stimulus package to strengthen the nation’s weakening economy, I know you are familiar with the statistics: nationwide inflation shot up 6 percent in 2007 and the same gallon of gas that cost $2.20 a year ago costs more than $3 today. New home construction dropped 25 percent, the largest decrease in 27 years. Fears of a recession have sent the stock market into a tailspin. Unemployment is up; home sales are down; and markets around the world are on shaky ground.

Even in my home state of Arizona, which for so long seemed immune to economic woes that plagued other parts of the country, is feeling the effects of the Bush recession. Unemployment in my state rose 42 percent between September and December alone, and now 143,800 Arizonans are unemployed. In the East Valley, which I represent, foreclosures increased more than 500 percent in 2007 and in metro Phoenix, 10,000 homes were foreclosed – an 88 percent increase over 2006. Home prices fell 11 percent.

The American people didn’t get a pay raise this year. I do not know how in good conscience, we, as their representatives in Congress can not only accept one, but insist on another one for next year. When I campaigned for Congress nearly two years ago, I heard from the people in my District that they were disappointed that Members of Congress approved their own pay raise, but cut critical services that made a significant impact on the lives of everyday Americans. Americans are suffering right now and I hope this Congress has the courage to change course.

Thank you, as always, for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Harry E. Mitchell

Member of Congress