Stover Challenges Shimkus: No Congressional Pay Raise Until Congress Takes Care of Working Families
Congressional Pay Raise $31,600
Minimum wage up 0
Living wage - Priceless
Stover Challenges Shimkus: No Congressional Pay Raise Until Congress Takes Care of Working Families
Danny Stover, candidate for the United States Congress in Illinois’ 19th District, is calling upon his opponent, incumbent John Shimkus, to reject a Congressional pay raise until such time that Congress mandates a raise in the federal minimum wage.
“As a constituent of Rep. Shimkus, I would like to see him do the honorable thing and vote to give American workers a raise before giving himself and his colleagues one,” says Stover.
The minimum wage has not been raised since 1997, the second-longest period of time the wage has gone without being adjusted for inflation. In that time 530,000 more American families have dropped below the poverty line, according to the US Census Bureau. In those nearly ten years, however, Congress has seen fit to raise it’s own annual salary by more than $30,000.
John Shimkus, however, has allowed his own salary to increase based upon rising cost of living, while steadfastly refusing to help American families living on a minimum wage that has dropped 17% of its value in the last ten years alone.
"His position illustrates neglect and abandonment of working Americans,” says Stover.
The Congressional pay raises occur automatically with the approval of a certain appropriations bill each year. This automatic increase, signed into law in 1989 with the Ethics Reform Act, adjusts the salaries of Members of Congress based upon the rising cost. Congress can, however, vote down the pay increase, as it has done five times since the law was passed.
The questions that Mr. Stover is asking are simple - Are Members of Congress the only ones suffering from rising costs of living? Are they the only ones having to pay $40 at the pump to fill their cars to get to work? Are they the only ones suffering from the rising cost of health care in this country? Are they the only ones trying to send their kids to college?
The answer is, of course, no. If the cost of living has risen enough for Members of Congress to raise their own salary by $30,000, then it’s gone up enough to warrant a raise in the abysmally low minimum wage.
"Nation wide, profits are up and incomes of average americans are down," Mr. Stover points out. "People are deeper in debt, the employment rate has fallen while poverty is on the rise. Health care costs and gasoline prices erode our income".
About 48% of minimum wage earners are between the bread-winning ages of 25 and 64, contrary to the rants of opponents about teenagers in entry level jobs. They’re office assistants. They’re child-care teachers. They’re landscaping workers. Even a good majority of those teenagers working minimum wage jobs live in households making below-average income.
It’s time to treat the plight of America’s working families with the same respect that Congress gives itself. Don’t raise Congressional salaries until the minimum wage has been raised.
Minimum wage up 0
Living wage - Priceless
Stover Challenges Shimkus: No Congressional Pay Raise Until Congress Takes Care of Working Families
Danny Stover, candidate for the United States Congress in Illinois’ 19th District, is calling upon his opponent, incumbent John Shimkus, to reject a Congressional pay raise until such time that Congress mandates a raise in the federal minimum wage.
“As a constituent of Rep. Shimkus, I would like to see him do the honorable thing and vote to give American workers a raise before giving himself and his colleagues one,” says Stover.
The minimum wage has not been raised since 1997, the second-longest period of time the wage has gone without being adjusted for inflation. In that time 530,000 more American families have dropped below the poverty line, according to the US Census Bureau. In those nearly ten years, however, Congress has seen fit to raise it’s own annual salary by more than $30,000.
John Shimkus, however, has allowed his own salary to increase based upon rising cost of living, while steadfastly refusing to help American families living on a minimum wage that has dropped 17% of its value in the last ten years alone.
"His position illustrates neglect and abandonment of working Americans,” says Stover.
The Congressional pay raises occur automatically with the approval of a certain appropriations bill each year. This automatic increase, signed into law in 1989 with the Ethics Reform Act, adjusts the salaries of Members of Congress based upon the rising cost. Congress can, however, vote down the pay increase, as it has done five times since the law was passed.
The questions that Mr. Stover is asking are simple - Are Members of Congress the only ones suffering from rising costs of living? Are they the only ones having to pay $40 at the pump to fill their cars to get to work? Are they the only ones suffering from the rising cost of health care in this country? Are they the only ones trying to send their kids to college?
The answer is, of course, no. If the cost of living has risen enough for Members of Congress to raise their own salary by $30,000, then it’s gone up enough to warrant a raise in the abysmally low minimum wage.
"Nation wide, profits are up and incomes of average americans are down," Mr. Stover points out. "People are deeper in debt, the employment rate has fallen while poverty is on the rise. Health care costs and gasoline prices erode our income".
About 48% of minimum wage earners are between the bread-winning ages of 25 and 64, contrary to the rants of opponents about teenagers in entry level jobs. They’re office assistants. They’re child-care teachers. They’re landscaping workers. Even a good majority of those teenagers working minimum wage jobs live in households making below-average income.
It’s time to treat the plight of America’s working families with the same respect that Congress gives itself. Don’t raise Congressional salaries until the minimum wage has been raised.
