This is why everyone hates Congress...

Well, one of the many reasons I suppose:

With economy in shambles, Congress gets a raise By Jordy Yager (A few excerpts)
A crumbling economy, more than 2 million constituents who have lost their jobs this year, and congressional demands of CEOs to work for free did not convince lawmakers to freeze their own pay.

Instead, they will get a $4,700 pay increase, amounting to an additional $2.5 million that taxpayers will spend on congressional salaries, and watchdog groups are not happy about it.

Currently the average lawmaker makes $169,300 a year, with leadership making slightly more. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) makes $217,400, while the minority and majority leaders in the House and Senate make $188,100.

“It is probably never going to be politically popular to raise Congress’s salary,” he said. “I don’t think you’re going to find taxpayers saying, ‘Yeah I think I should pay my congressman more’.”

http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/with-economy-in-shambles-congress-gets-a-raise-2008-12-17.html

I really, really wish I could have a job where I could do nothing I promised to do, irresponsibly spend someone else's money to no effect, and then have my salary automatically increase. Also, I'm sure that when Democrats decide the ceiling of what "rich" is, that it will be slightly above that $217K that Pelosi makes so that her taxes don't get raised, just everyone who makes slightly more money than her.

Here is my question: If Congress can admonish CEOs of failing companies for taking bonuses and forcing them to only make $1 a year, can't we as taxpayers demand that they do the same thing?