Did you ever wish you could vote yourself a $3,100 pay raise? Congress did just this over the weekend. That Republicans allowed this in the midst of calling for needed cuts elsewhere proves two points: 1. The Republicans really aren't serious about spending cuts; 2. The majority party has a tin ear and doesn't know what's about to hit them. Can you visualize the ads? The Republicans voted themselves a pay raise while they cut Medicare and school lunches. The Republicans voted themselves a pay raise while they rejected an increase in the minimum wage. The Republicans voted themselves a pay raise while the deficit ballooned. You get the picture. The inaccuracy of such ads will matter little next to their effectiveness. It doesn't matter that Democrats went along. It doesn't matter that such pay raises are generally automatic. It doesn't matter that the pay raise is not great as a percentage of current salaries. What matters is that as the ruling party Republican incumbents will get blamed for this by crafty challengers. This will be exploited.

More and more people in government have become removed from real life. Especially since most of them spend their entire ‘working’ lives on the public dole. They become insulated elitists who, because they don’t live in the real world, have no problem gorging themselves.

If we all worked in the public sector, we would be accepting of the monetary largesse that using other people’s money provides.

Here in the Republic of Taxachusetts, we observe on a regular basis local and state governments complaining about shortages of funding yet, we see state employees getting raises (usually retro-active) proportional by percentage to some CEO compensation.

It’s typical for the usual private sector employee to get single digit (which sometimes means 0%) raises. Many businesses have even done away with the cost of living increases.

Getting tougher out here folks.

I agree Dan. Most of our federal politicans could go without a pay raise for at least a few years, even if it is to show that they are serious about cutting spending. I would like to see how the vote went, I still feel there's a minority group of Republicans that believe in fisical restraint (maybe this is just an illusion).

ASDF, what is your view of Mitt Romney and fisical conservatism? I'm sure we will hear a lot from him in the future.

The average Mass. resident is getting gouged more everyday and they know it. Taxes, fees, insurance, home and transportation costs continue to spike faster than the income people need to support those expenses. Romney continues to work to hold the line but is pi$$ing against the tide in a state that is dominated by liberal democrats.

He’s a good man and has tried to apply the finite rules of business to the operation of our state in order to maintain fiscal accountability and responsibility. His common sense approach has been a breath of fresh air.

However, he has had problems pushing his agenda through a legislature dominated by an elitist bunch of entrenched layabouts.

So, for them and us, it’s been business as usual.