part 2 responseI
If you are truly fiscally responsible would you not have submitted a no vote for a pay increase?
You can rationalize this all you want, cost of living ect. Bottom line is can't someone just STAND UP and do whets RIGHT?
Couldn't you and your peers decline or vote no on the increase?
I am just asking for those of you in Congress to sacrifice the same as we are being asked to. The government wants us to do our part in getting the economy back on track, I want Congress to do the same.
If you are truly in Congress to Serve the People.......understand your actions speak louder than your words.
Your peers will follow you, if you will lead them. All you have to do is stand up and do what is right. We will support you if you will lead and challenge others to do the right thing. I teach my kids that in every thing they do there will be 2 choices. One will be easy and one will be hard. The right one is usually the hard one!

Congressman Akin,
I am aware of the law and understand the US Constitution articles that you speak of.
Here is the bottom line for me. Due to the economy and other factors, I do not expect a pay increase for the next 18 months. The company I work for is experiencing a decline in revenue therefore we all have to do our part in keeping the company financially sound. All raises and bonuses have been frozen for now.
Why can't congress do the same?
Even though the Constitution allows you to have an increase in pay, does that mean it is the right thing to do?
Does it seem fair to allow Congress to vote for their own compensation?
With the ability to vote for your own pay increase, how do you not vote no?
Do you understand how this looks to the people, the tax payers.

part 2
Congress' annual cost-of-living adjustment was implemented in January 2009. The adjustment was derived from a complicated formula which involves looking at the percentage increase in the Employment Cost Index (private industry wages and salaries that are not seasonally adjusted). The derivation resulted in an adjustment less than 3% annualized. By way of comparison, Social Security recipients received a 5.8% COLA increase for 2009.
I share your concern regarding fiscal responsibility. Last year, my office returned over $50,000 of our office's budget allocation to the House Administration Committee. Over the course of my tenure, I have returned nearly a million dollars in such a fashion. Our office is among the few to accomplish efficiencies sufficient to achieve this. In fact, the vast majority of offices return none of the taxpayers' money. We work hard throughout the year to constrain our office's spending.

Letter from my Congressman on a self voted pay increase.

Thank you for contacting me regarding the recent pay increase for Members of Congress.
The U.S. Constitution, in Article I, Section 6, requires that Member of Congress "shall receive a Compensation for their Services, to be ascertained by Law, and paid out of the Treasury of the United States." Consequently, it is incumbent upon Representatives and Senators to vote for their own compensation - an awkward but constitutionally-mandated responsibility.
The recent trend, based on the Ethics Reform Act of 1989, has been to adjust Members' pay on a regular basis by scheduling annual cost-of-living adjustments. These cost-of-living adjustments are similar to what other federal employees and social security recipients receive and are based on a percentage of the existing congressional salary.
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