HUFFINGTON
08.05.12
AP PHOTO/JESSICA HILL
CAPITOL HILL
“That’s three times—that’s three
of my family’s—three times what I
make,” the constituent stammered.
He described himself as a builder
who’d been having a hard time finding work since the economy tanked.
Duffy pushed back against the
perception that his salary meant
he was a member of the nation’s
white-collar elite.
“I guarantee that I have more
debt than all of you,” Duffy told
the town hall attendees. “With
six kids, I still pay off my student
loans. I still pay my mortgage. I
drive a used minivan. If you think
I’m living high off the hog, I’ve
got one paycheck. So I struggle to
meet my bills right now.”
Duffy may have debts, but the
reality is that, when compared to
the population at large, members
of Congress still manage to live on
the uppermost portion of the hog.
A congressman’s salary is more
than three times the median income of American households—
currently about $49,445. That
paycheck comes fully loaded, with
generous health insurance, retirement benefits and other perks that
set lawmakers apart from average
Americans—and set them up for a
lifetime of fortune and comfort.
So, all gestures of austerity aside,
the guys and gals on the couches are
still doing very, very well, thank you.
Sen. Chris
Dodd (D-Conn.),
right, shares
a laugh with
Connecticut
Attorney
General Richard
Blumenthal at
the Democratic
Party’s summer
picnic in 2006.