House Plans Only 109 Workdays In 2012

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor released the 2012 House calendar today, and lawmakers will be spending even less time in Washington next year than they did this year.

There are just six scheduled working days in January. Three in August. And five in October. In all, the House of Representatives is scheduled to be in session 109 weekdays next year, and will be in recess 151 weekdays - meaning recess days will outstrip working days by nearly a 3 to 2 margin.

Source

Now members of the House are paid $174,000/yr so for 2012, they effectively just scheduled themselves to be paid $1596.33 per scheduled day. Figuring eight hours a day that is just less than $200/hr. Less than some lawyers for sure, but most lawyers do not have the task of fixing the problems of the country as their job description.

I really miss that old rule of the Jamestown Colony: "If you don't work, you don't eat."

You do realize I hope that just because they are not sitting at house functions it does not mean they are not working on house issues right? Many of these people have other jobs as well, mostly in other government positions of various nature.

I think you have skewed the results to benefit your particular agenda, what ever that may be.

Less time in session means less time to do more injury to the American people. I don't care if they are being paid for nothing. In this case, Hear Hear!

I'd love to pay them a full salary and restrict their sessions to that of a few WEEKS a year. We might really have some room to recover if they could simply stop doing more harm.

To be fair, the average (key word) representative does have to go home and campaign, which includes listening to their constituents complaints at various local events. Only the really powerful reps get to get away with less work (like Pelosi or Cantor). The others usually have something going on nearly every day when they are away from Washington D.C.

The Senators and the President on the other hand, with their longish terms, get to take massive vacations and vote "present" while getting away from local constituent scrutiny.

Yeah, this means less time making laws and more time listening to the people (in theory). Perhaps it is a better plan?

Heh-heh. That's funny. Article I of the Constitution:

The Congress shall assemble at least once in every Year, and such Meeting shall be on the first Monday in December, unless they shall by Law appoint a different Day.

I *wish* the bastards would meet one day a year. I'd be happy to pay the salaries if they'd just STOP! Or if they'd spend the time trying to reverse some of the damage they've done....

Admitttedly, I don't know enough about the background of these purported workdates, but when I was employed previously to being laid off, I would have relished a cushy schedule like this. With full pay, to boot? Hell...

reply to post by Ex_CT2


I agree that would save billions a year right there.
They would have to figure out a new way to hook up with their Mistress's,
but their smart, sure they would find a way.

Originally posted by mileysubet
You do realize I hope that just because they are not sitting at house functions it does not mean they are not working on house issues right? Many of these people have other jobs as well, mostly in other government positions of various nature.

I think you have skewed the results to benefit your particular agenda, what ever that may be.

Really? Please tell me about these "other jobs" they have.

Actually they use the time off to campaign, raise money to campaign with, and in general do everything in their power to retain their seats. Because that is the most important thing. Retain your seat at all costs. Actually doing their job is secondary (hell that's probably way too generous on their actual priority list) to Election season.

And as for making as much as some high priced lawyers.. no surprise there. A good deal of them practiced that profession before they were elected. With the country in the state it's in, it seems a little ballsy to go and shorten the time you actually spend doing your job? Geez you would think for that kind of money they could at least go thru the motions, and pretend to be doing something?

Oh wow! I just figured out the solution to all our financial problems: we just all need to become politicians. This really is ridiculous. I could rant all day about politics, but instead I will just say that there are way too many politicians who are greedy, immoral, with chemical imbalances in their brains. Many of these, if we got to know them, would probably not be the people anyone would want running their country.

Its pure bullsnip. Absolute bullsnip they would announce this.

People are struggling to pay for frigging gas, food, clothes these days and the tax WE pay goes towards these mothersnipers salary to "work" 109 days a year?!

What has this country come to? Class warfare at its finest. Our day is coming.

And #ing spare me bro about "all the other work" they do on the side....on the side of a golf course, strip club, vacation estate in tahiti is more like it. And we all know they do virtually no work. They have other people make the calls, send the emails, and reschedule important meetings while they are out banging the secretary.

reply to post by amongus


Since 1990 the House has only averaged 112 days a year...

Who cares how many days they're sitting in the Capitol casting votes and talking to C-SPAN cameras? It's not like they're blowing off committee meetings or constituent services. Well, they might be, but this isn't evidence of that.

Originally posted by amongus

Originally posted by mileysubet
You do realize I hope that just because they are not sitting at house functions it does not mean they are not working on house issues right? Many of these people have other jobs as well, mostly in other government positions of various nature.

I think you have skewed the results to benefit your particular agenda, what ever that may be.

Really? Please tell me about these "other jobs" they have.

A small amount of research will prove this, don't be lazy. Oh wait your not being lazy you are just bending/skewing the numbers to your desire, and not taking in account the other issues, but what ever, I am used to that type of behavior lately on ATS.

we should just give most of them a two weeks notice and not worry about how many days they have to show up

reply to post by Ahabstar


Be fair, it's an Olympic year and most have probably organized free trips so they can use up their free tickets to watch their favorite events and taxpayers expense in London..

Of course it's all official business even for their partners and friends they take with them..

But like someone else mentioned, the less time they spend making laws to screw us, the better..

that 109 days too many.

Originally posted by Resinveins
Actually they use the time off to campaign, raise money to campaign with, and in general do everything in their power to retain their seats. Because that is the most important thing. Retain your seat at all costs. Actually doing their job is secondary (hell that's probably way too generous on their actual priority list) to Election season.

So true, and it's infuriating We don't pay them to perpetually campaign to keep their job (which job description is apparently "to perpetually campaign" in their eyes), we pay them to sit their butts down in DC and solve the country's problems. All the politicians regardless of affiliation seem to think that "solving problems" means "figuring out ways to postpone them so they become someone else's problems". I am so sick and tired of them blaming each other for lack of action, then passing so-called "spending reductions" that turn out just to be slight reductions in the spending INCREASES, then postponing those "reductions" so that they don't take place until 10 years down the road (IE, after they're gone) all while drawings a big fat salary for working a few days a month and then retiring to an insane golden parachute pension courtesy of hard-working taxpayers who are so worried about paying bills that they can't even consider retirement. My opinion is the &^%* politicians are the 1% in this country that the 99% should be marching to Washington to tar and feather.

Originally posted by Vikus
To be fair, the average (key word) representative does have to go home and campaign, which includes listening to their constituents complaints at various local events. Only the really powerful reps get to get away with less work (like Pelosi or Cantor). The others usually have something going on nearly every day when they are away from Washington D.C.

The Senators and the President on the other hand, with their longish terms, get to take massive vacations and vote "present" while getting away from local constituent scrutiny.

Wait..
You're okay with representatives getting PAID NOT to do their jobs..but to take time off to campaign to KEEP their jobs?
Ive got ajn Idea.. how about they do their jobs.. if they do a GOOD job.. they will probably need less time to argue their position as to why they should keep their jobs.

jebus what the hell is wrong with some people?
You think this is acceptable?