Carney 2009

A guest post from our friend KAR


The Congressman Carney apologists have had a busy week, there were at least 3 letters this week by those insisting that Carney was entitled to, and had earned a pay increase. It has been noted that last year the 10th district representative voted against the increase, and when it passed he donated it to charity; very commendable indeed.

Correct if I’m wrong, but the fact that Carney donated the raise to charity doesn’t alter the fact that he accepted the increase. He merely donated it and took a tax write-off for the contribution; while still commendable it doesn’t answer the question of what he is going to do this year.

Does the congressman feel that congress performed in a way that merits an increase? Does he feel that he is entitled to an increase based on his own performance in office? His is salary this year, absent any largesse, will reflect 2 pay increases.

He cannot have it both ways, if he is that opposed to the increase he should try to drum up support from his colleagues to forego the increase. It’s doubtful he will do that, most likely he will feign opposition, maybe even vote against it, but at the end of the day he will most likely accept it.

Many American taxpayers are facing hard times and have had to make tough decisions regarding how they spend their money, congress shouldn’t be immune from the same concerns and fears, heck you could make a case that they are responsible, at least in part, for the plight of the American taxpayer.

The fear among many republicans in the 10th district is that Carney, when he feels secure in his position, will start to show his true nature, maybe we’re beginning to see that change. A quick glance at the recently released campaign expenditures and fundraising shows that Carney raised over 2.3 million dollars, a lot of those dollars, just under 50%, came from special interest PACs. It’s safe to assume that those groups are going to want to see a return on their investment.
Let’s all keep a close watch on our wallets and hope that come 2010 we will be able to return the seat in the 10th to a fiscally responsible republican.