All in favor of higher wages ...

All in favor of higher wages ...

Chicago Tribune: It used to be that members of Congress had to ask themselves if they deserved a pay raise before giving themselves one.

Wouldn’t you love to have a system like that in your workplace? All in favor of higher wages, raise your hand. Motion carries unanimously! It’s so much more direct than the usual model, with all those troublesome judgments about job performance and payroll targets. The ayes have it.

That’s how it worked until 1989, when Congress came up with an even better way to reward itself for a job done medium-well. Lawmakers now get automatic cost-of-living increases every year, unless they vote not to take them. No debate, no vote and, if they’re lucky, no public outcry. This year’s $4,700 stealth raise brought congressional salaries to $174,000 a year.

Not everyone in Congress thinks this is the way to do business. Some lawmakers return mid-term raises to the U.S. Treasury or donate it to charity. Congress opted to forgo the raises several times during the 1990s and again in 2007. Sens. David Vitter R-La., and Russ Feingold. D-Wis., have repeatedly sponsored measures to do away with automatic increases.

Senate takes the lead

With layoffs, pay cuts and salary freezes running rampant in the real world, the Senate actually passed such a bill last week. Incredibly, House leaders are still resisting. “I’m not for it, so I’m not going to commit to bringing it to the floor,” says Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., the No. 2 Democrat.

Calling the bill would almost certainly result in its passage. Lawmakers know that taxpayers aren’t feeling particularly generous these days, and automatic raises are out of step with today’s economic uncertainties. Avoiding a vote, though, would allow House members to duck the heat for their actions, just like they do every year at raise time. Haven’t we had enough of that?

As bosses go, the American taxpayer is notoriously hard to please. History will be made the day Congress gives itself a raise without a round of grousing from the citizenry. It’s no wonder lawmakers prefer the passive approach to enhancing their paychecks. But it’s cowardly and self-serving, and it’s time for it to stop. Lawmakers should have to take an up-or-down vote, in broad daylight, before helping themselves to another penny of taxpayers’ money.