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Squatting in the Peoples' House
Author: BobR    Date: 2011-02-16 12:05:49

We've all heard mention of coworkers who "live at the office". This is often meant as a subtle put-down against over-achievers, those who are willing to sacrifice their personal lives to get ahead in their professions, where most people prefer a more balanced lifestyle. Imagine, though, if you worked with someone who actually lived at the office? Imagine that at the end of the day, they roll out a sleeping bag and sleep right there on the floor? You know they're getting paid enough to have their own home... why would they do that?

That's a question for numerous of our country's legislators. In a recent WaPo article, they describe several freshman House Reps that are living in their offices. Are they not getting paid enough to afford a place to live? Of course they are - their salary is several times the national average for all Americans. So what is their rationale?

In a word - politics.

Many were carried into office on a message of austerity and fiscal restraint. Yet how much of that really rings true?

These legislators usually spend three nights a week snoozing in their offices. Finding a place to shower is the easy part. They walk through tunnels to use the facilities in the House gym.
[...]
These gestures strike some as hypocritical: This freshman class ran on a promise to save taxpayers money. But living in one's office would seem to do the opposite - taxpayers have to spring for extra electricity, extra showers.

Not only are they NOT paying for the electricity they use after hours, not only are they NOT paying for the hot showers they take, they are in essence stealing from the taxpayers of DC. Every time they flush one of their partisan turds down the bowl, it's the sewage treatment plants that were funded by DC taxpayers that takes care of it.

They are also not contributing to the local economy from which they take by not paying rent (and thus property taxes - indirectly), along with the electricity and water and gas they're not paying for. What do you suppose they think of that?

They are joining several dozen incumbents who sleep in their offices: some to save money, some to make the same point about Washington's evils. It's not that housing in the city is beyond reach, since a congressman makes $174,000 per year. But they don't want to be seen paying rent here.
[...]
"This city is seductive," said Walsh, a former investor and tea party favorite who upset the Democratic incumbent by 292 votes. "Many of the freshmen will probably turn. But I won't. I came here to be a model of this kind of representation."

So - they are looking down their noses at a city and its hard-working people working for low wages to clean out the wastebaskets of these ingrateful squatters. To add to the indignity, the residents of DC don't actually get any representation in the House which these elitists seem to think is their dorm room.

One thing Republicans have always been very good at is political theatre. This fits solidly in that category. The only problem is - the plot of this story has more holes in it than a straight-to-video murder mystery. None of them have thought beyond the political statement they are trying to make to understand the reality of their actions. They take without giving anything back, then claim they know how to balance the budget. Their claims ring as hollow as their actions.

One can only hope the American people aren't buying a ticket to this show.

 

55 comments (Latest Comment: 02/17/2011 01:24:24 by TriSec)
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