House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer of Maryland said Sunday he wants the House to approve the plan by the end of the month, sending it to the Senate in time for action before Congress leaves on its mid-February break.

The new Congress is sworn in this week.  And by mid-February, they need a break.

That got me thinking–just how much are we paying these clowns?  Trusty Yahoo! Answers provided me with the answer I needed–as of 2008, a Congressperson’s salary was $169,300 for the House or the Senate (more for party leaders).  Some people would argue that they deserve this pay, due to having the weight and expectations of the country essentially on their shoulers.

I might even agree–if they actually worked full time, rather than taking a break a month after they were sworn in.  And if we didn’t hear about all the trips they apparently go on (my wife sat by one of our Senators last year on a plane ride to Vegas–just a day trip, apparently, but considering we’re not from Nevada, was it needed?).  And if they didn’t take 3-6 months off every few years (or every other year) to get themselves (or their cronies) re-elected (or while they try for a better office).

And what do they do when they’re in office?  Well, as of late, they spend as little time possible debating ways to “jumpstart” the economy.  Personally, I think maybe we should take the roughly $91 million dollars in salary (not to mention benefits and off-the-book perks), and add that to the money we use for these bailouts.  See how much they like it when we start taking money from THEIR pockets.