Another Great Idea?!
The United States has one of the best forms of government on the planet. But there has developed a loss of transparency and direct involvement of the people and by the people in the last few years that, to my mind, borders on the criminal.
The government has been throwing a lot of taxpayer dollars at business and industry lately - without direct taxpayer approval. At least, I don't remember any rush to the voting booth to register my thumbs-up or thumbs-down on any of this. Making matters worse, we read about Bank of America - happily taking billions of dollars - and cutting off credit to the businesses that keep America employed. Boo! Hiss!
Now, we have the automaker bailout idea. In simple terms, you're either for it or against it; in principal and in practice. Well, did you know that if the package goes through Congress, we'll be handing the judiciary a pay raise?! I didn't either.
This kind of (pardon the term) crap is what makes me crazy! It isn't enough, $14,000,000,000 more bailout cash that this country doesn't have. Now, buried in that bill is a raise for US District Court judges.
Under 2008 rates, U.S. district judges earn $169,300 annually, while circuit judges get $179,500. Supreme Court judges are paid $208,100 except for the chief justice, who earns $217,400. Judges receive the salary for a lifetime, even after they retire, if they meet certain service and age requirements. The most recent raise, aside from cost-of-living increases, was in 1991. Under the proposed legislation, new salaries would range from $218,000 to $279,900.The rationale for this increase is that first-year associates in private law firms make more than a US district judge and increasing pay would . . .
Lynne Marek
The National Law Journal
January 11, 2008
Does it really matter what excuses we're given? This is not the time to increase spending to a group that already averages income higher than most of the workers in this country!
At least, I'm not seeing $169K on my tax forms. How about you?
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God Bless!
Jules
