Congressional approval ratings are in the dump, but boy...do they ever have it
This year, the 112th US Congress has had an approval rating in single digits. Dumping toxic nuclear waste in your backyard had higher positive numbers. So I thought it would be interesting to get a better idea of why the public has a more affirmative opinion on something that will positively kill you than on its guardians and leaders, elected to protect you.
So let’s look at Congress as a whole and some statistics.
Members: Representatives: 435
Senators: 100
Total: 535
Annual Salary:
Speaker: (1) $223,500.
Leaders: (4) $193,400.
Members: (530) $174,000.
Total Congressional cost: $93,217,100.
Congressional working breakdown for 2012:
Days in session: 145
Average hours/day: 4
Total Hrs. in session: 580
Ave. Days absent: 25
Ave. hours attended 480
Ave. pay/Hrs. attended: individual $362.50/hr.
Ave. cost/hr congressional session $194,202.25/hr.
(above does NOT incl. per diem/benefits)
Federal Minimum Wage : $7.25(no benefits)
2011 Median US household earnings: $29,451.
(Roughly 2 weeks Congressional pay)
2012 Total Bills passed: 210
Congressional cost/bill passed: $443,890.10
(NOT including staff)
Bills read entirely by representatives: Average: 4 or 2%
So the next time you consider Congress, consider this: At best it’s a part-time job and like most part-time jobs in the real world, you would be earning minimum wage or slightly higher.
