Hating hypocrites… and feeling good about it

If you are sick and tired of listening to congressmen pontificate about cutting the federal deficit, think … hypocrites.

Late last year, as the federal budget was floundering and the deficit was rising, members of Congress from both parties were giving bonuses to staff members.
House member gave more than $21.5 million more on their office payrolls for the last quarter of 2010 than they spent on average for the fourth quarter for the last three years.

Wait, it gets worse.

Defeated and retiring lawmakers paid an average bonus of about $4,000 to staff members. Returning lawmakers paid an average $2,300, according to LegiStorm, a Washington-on-the-Deficit watchdog group that tracks congressional pay.

The money came out of the average $1.5 million allocated to each office for expenses including salaries, travel and bottled water purchases — money that, if unspent at the end of the year, goes back to the Treasury, thus helping reduce the deficit

Topping the list was … want to hazard a guess which party, GOPer or Demogogue?
Chances are you guessed wrong. Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite (R-Fla.) paid out more than $200,000 in bonuses. Rep. Doris Matsui of California paid her staff an average bonus of just under $9,000 and said “these are young people who are working very hard ta very moderate pay.”

The average staff members earn between $30,000 and $60,000 a year.

All together now: Elected officials just don’t get it.