The House of Representatives is currently comprised of 435 members. Much like the Electoral College, these members are a direct representation of the states population. The state of California has the most representatives with 53 while smaller populated states like Vermont have only one. The Senate is two members per state for a total of 100 senators. The annual salary for each of these 535 members of Congress is $174,000 with the exception of the Speaker of the House and the Majority and Minority leaders which receive a slightly higher salary.
Pay Raises for Congress
I am an employee of the state of Tennessee and for the last two years (and most likely the next two years) I have not gotten a pay raise, not even a cost of living increase. Tennessee like many other states is in a budget crisis. The federal government is also in a budget crisis, operating in a deficit of well over a $7 trillion. Yet, members of Congress receive a cost of living increase each year automatically and have since 1989.
Term Limits for Congress
Currently, the only term limits within the Federal government rest with the President. Neither the House of Representatives nor the Senate has term limits. A term in the House is two years and in the Senate is six, but at the end of a term congressmen and congresswomen can be re-elected and re-elected indefinitely.
Higher Standards for Congress
When I was a senior in high school, our class of approximately 250 students voted for more or less twenty "superlatives." There was a male and female nominated in a variety of categories such as: best all around, most likely to succeed, best personality, most talented, etc. A classmate was nominated and elected by the students for most school spirit. But, the principal of our school wouldn't allow him the victory because he had changed a grade on a school computer when he was a sophomore.
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