WP: Culture Shock on Capitol Hill: House to Work 5 Days a Week

[kskiska]

Wednesday, December 6, 2006; A01

Forget the minimum wage. Or outsourcing jobs overseas. The labor issue most on the minds of members of Congress yesterday was their own: They will have to work five days a week starting in January.

The horror.

Rep. Steny H. Hoyer, the Maryland Democrat who will become House majority leader and is writing the schedule for the next Congress, said members should expect longer hours than the brief week they have grown accustomed to.

"I have bad news for you," Hoyer told reporters. "Those trips you had planned in January, forget 'em. We will be working almost every day in January, starting with the 4th."

The reporters groaned. "I know, it's awful, isn't it?" Hoyer empathized.

For lawmakers, it is awful, compared with what they have come to expect. For much of this election year, the legislative week started late Tuesday and ended by Thursday afternoon -- and that was during the relatively few weeks the House wasn't in recess.

more…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/05/AR2006120501342.html

[Bozita]

1. Let's hear it LOUDLY for unpaid overtime!

Good on the Dems!

[Toots]

15. five days a week = overtime

:rofl: :rofl:

[Renew Deal]

2. "Marriages suffer. The Democrats could care less about families -- that's what this says."

:rofl:

That's from Jack Kingston R-Moran

Personally, I love that the bastards will be put to work. Americans work even harder than these fools.

[Hosnon]

4. Haha...so what...is this guy anti-work completely? All jobs take us away from family. nt

[SoCalDem]

5. Buy a fact, Jack.. It's why they call it "service"..

If your family cannot tolerate you being away from them, perhaps you should have waited to run, until the kiddies were grown & gone.

[krispos42]

8. Then quit, whiner. Appreciate the free ride you've had the last 6 years.

Or else get your ass out of the seat and let a responsible adult do the job you're to busy to do. Nobody is forcing you to be an elected public servant. You work "at will", and can leave voluntarily at any time, Mr. Kingston.

Personlly, I'd LOVE to make $165,200 a year, Mr. Kingston. And I'd LOVE to do it the way you do, working an average of not quite two days a week.

But instead I have to work four 10-hours shifts a week, 51 weeks a year, for less than a quarter of what you make, Mr. Kingston.

So shove it, Mr. Kingston. What are you going to do next, complain about how much your taxes are?

The Jack Kingston Whinery

"Creating Great Whines Since 1955"

[Deja Q]

21. *DING* *DING* *DING* -- We have a winner!

[calimary]

26. You need to look him up in www.congress.org, and write this out

in a snail mail message, AND SEND IT TO HIM. So it's ON PAPER, where other eyes will see it, and it's on record. Maybe since it's brief enough, you could send it on a larger-sized postcard, so the message is out there in public for anybody who touches it to read. Plus, it's the most secure because postcards ARE out there completely in the open. No way anyone could suspect it of anything amiss.

[Freeusfromthechurch]

40. Do I hear a K.O. Special Comment topic?

[krispos42]

52. If he uses my post, I want cash

I'll be modest. $5,000 under the table, and a photo op with me and Keith.

[Tellurian]

11. Yes, Jack..If the heat is too much for you..

then resign and stay home.
Let someone else do the job you were elected to do.

Oh, and btw, Jack. What about the husbands and wives you sent to Iraq,
who leave their families at home without seeing them for a year or two?..
What are you insinuating, Jack, you're somehow BETTER than them?

[Brazenly Liberal]

12. So what is Jack doing about this?

I know the GOP is all about family values for everyone. :sarcasm: So is he sponsoring legislation that makes OUR work week three days long? Is he ready to say "screw corporations! American families are what matters! Full pay for three days work!"

[Arkansas Granny]

18. I would like to remind Mr. Kingston that his service is voluntary.

Isn't that what they say to our soldiers and their families when they voice their concerns over the hardships that they endure while they are called up to fight Bush's war in Iraq?

[InsultComicDog]

23. How about the families

of military personnel who are separated for a year at a time? How about worrying about them instead of you having to work more than a two day week, you selfish bastard? Unfreakingbelievable.

[calimary]

27. In fact, ALL of these are good points to be written down and sent

via snail mail (see post 26). Or email. Or phone calls via the TOLL FREE Capitol Hill switchboard.

Wonder where he stands on this measure I heard about yesterday that would ensure seven paid sick days a year for the American worker - which could be used for Mommy or Daddy to stay home with a sick child? After all, aren't the "R's" all over family values like so many cheap suits?

[Marie26]

24. LOL!

What a pack of whiners.

[CottonBear]

31. Jack Kingston is a Moran for sure. I know his dad who happens to be a decent guy.

However, his son is a real piece of work. At least he's not my congressman. I'm oh so fortunate :scarcasm: to have the hideous Charlie Norwood (R-GA) as my representative :(

[Quantess]

41. When is Kingston up for re-election?

Voters just might grant his wishes, next election.

[stanwyck]

43. Fatcat elitism from the right

What? WORK five days a week? A few weeks out of the year?
When will I play golf with lobbyists? When will I play poker with Halliburton/Enron/Corporate execs. who get no-bid contracts?
When will I jet off, at taxpayer expense, on a "fact-finding" mission...to Bali?
The horror.
Working is for....little people.
(like taxes.)

[JerseygirlCT]

53. So is he all in favor of instituting a 2.5 work-week nationally?

I mean, is *his* marriage the only important one here?

[Auntie Bush]

3. Now that's what I call good news! A 5 day work week...what next?!

Get their lazy a**es to work for the American people.

I bet a lot of them will quit! It's hard work! Does that apply to the president? Maybe he'll quit!

[ChairmanAgnostic]

22. accountability AND a new ethics law? that is so anti-GOP! how dare they?

what an ass. I wonder if he understands what he did to his re-election possibilities with this statement.

[madmax]

6. Right on!!

I worked 12 hours / 5 days a week. I was a single mom commuting to NYC from NJ. Manage to buy and fixer upper and did the fixer upper work on weeksends until it was done. Don't cry for me Congressmen and women. Welcome to the real world!!!

:bounce:

[DarkTirade]

7. Yeah, the democrats just got themselves a nice fixer-upper house too... :)

[cassiepriam]

9. What next? Actually passing laws that help the public, not just the rich?

[dbt]

10. This ain't NEARLY enough!

Each and every Member of Congre$$ needs to live in barracks and wear uniforms. Married with children? TFB. You can have three days of leave once a quarter to visit the spouse and the offspring.

And that's after your wages and benefits are brought into line with the majority of your constituents'.

There's plenty of work to take your mind off how bad you've got it--and Work Makes Freedom.

:grr:
dbt
Remember New Orleans

[Target_For_Exterm]

13. This is what's called loafing on the public dime.

In the real world it gets you fired. These idiots need to go out and get a real job and see how understanding their boss is about their need for "family time." I predict a lot of job turnover for these losers.

[Vinca]

14. Kingston - what a disgusting piece of work.

$165,000 plus the best benefits available to man and he wants it to be a part-time job. Maybe in 2 years we can make his wishes come true and let him stay home with the family full time. This annoys the hell out of me.

[fladonkey]

16. Quit Whining...

I have a full time job plus three part-time home-based businesses - I sell Avon, do gift baskets, and handle PR and marketing for local musicians.

[trof]

17. "Teams of paramedics on emergency stand-by."

In an interview with Amalgamated Press, Washington D.C. Metro Area Director of Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) Scott Williams said "We're hoping for the best, but planning for the worst."

Williams went on to say "We know that this new 5-day work week will be quite a shock to the systems of many of our more senior members of congress. We will have the capitol building encircled by as many ambulances as we can spare from more routine service. Medical triage stations will be set up at all building entrances. We're expecting to have to treat a lot of cases of mental and/or physical exhaustion and possibly shock and severe coronary thrombosis."

In related news, pharmaceutical manufacturers report plans to increase the production of such drugs as Xanax, Halcion, Valium, and Ativan. Many facilities will soon begin operating 24 hour shifts, 7 days a week.

[Odin2005]

37. LOL

:rofl:

[tecelote]

19. Notice the slant of the article...

Lyndsey Layton gave a lot of ink to the sniveling.

The media is still trying to prop up the poor republicans.

In the end, the first paragraph sums it up.

"Forget the minimum wage. Or outsourcing jobs overseas. The labor issue most on the minds of members of Congress yesterday was their own: They will have to work five days a week starting in January."

Forget the average American. That's what they do best.

[lonestarnot]

20. Oh my gosh! Not 5! Five! Damn! Five!

[One_Life_To_Give]

25. It's still a short week!

Who starts at 6:30PM on Monday?

Talk about out of touch Republicans. How can you complain about these hours. Heck most people need to be at work by 8AM on Mondays. And they don't get to leave on Fridays till 5PM.

[Cerridwen]

28. Only 5 days? Yeah, then do they go home and do laundry, groceries

take care of the yard, car maintenance, kids, clean the house, take out the trash, fix the toilet, fix the leaky faucet...and all the other crap the rest of us can't afford to hire "a service" for? Volunteer work? Get out the vote campaigns?

When they start working 40 +- hours a week AND take care of their kids, their homes and their cars...maybe then they'll "catch a clue".

I wish to Dog! we could get citizen statespeople again.

[RebelOne]

29. I betcha that they won't be working 8-hour days.

They will be working 5 days a week, but I'll be willing to bet that they will be short days.

[Morgana LaFey]

30. Wow! Talk about punishing the opposition.

I like it. I like it very much. Could THESE be the grown-ups we've all been waiting for?

[goforit]

32. roflmao! I hope a punch clock will be used to verify their honesty.

[napi21]

33. They could always MOVE to DC or VA!

I remember hearing that they first initiated this part time schedule because a lot of the congressmen's families didn't want to move, and to get to DC in time to be at work Monday AM would mean traveling Sunday evening and Saturday mornings, thus only being at home for part of Sat and oart of Sun.

To this I say, part of taking a job means getting to work on time, and if yyou have to travel to do that, then that's what you do. If you don't want to travel and don't want to move, then THIS JOBS NOT FOOR YOU!!!!

[erpowers]

34. Republicans are Lazy

What the reaction to this schedule change shows me about the Republicans is that they are lazy. They are lucky that someone like me in not in the leadership role in Congress. I would make them work the same work schedule as the regular Americans work. 9:00a.m.-5:00p.m. Monday morning thru Friday evening and at the most a 30 day vacation. I know American on average get only a two week vacation, but I think a 30 day vacation is good. I think the Republican should begin to think that maybe the American people voted them out because the people saw them in the districts too much and not doing enough in Congress.

[progressoid]

35. HA HA!

[Kber]

36. The real impact will be on fundraising time

which will hurt repbulicans more than dems. But the repubs can't exactly say so can they?

I'm starting to really respect Nancy Pelosi!

[Odin2005]

38. Hoyer to Pukes: the grown-ups are home...

:D

[butterfly77]

39. LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT HARDWORK!

[Renew Deal]

42. Digg is all riled up about this too.

http://digg.com/politics/Congress_Will_Actually_Work_5_Days_A_Week

[badgerpup]

44. Whoops...

"Marriages suffer. The Democrats could care less about families -- that's what this says."
is going to go right up there with "macaca" in
"Things I thought were smart, but now I really really wish I hadn't said."
:hurts:
Macaca was what started the downhill slide for Allen...
I think this petulant comment has just screwn Jack Kingston's chances for running for Preznit...:rofl:


edit to get whiner's name right :)

[wishlist]

45. ABC news reported recently that 2005 Congress worked least in history

An ABC news nightline type show the other night reported that this Congress will break record for being in session less than any in history. The reporter roamed the empty halls and showed vacant hearings rooms in disarray. The Repub Congressman they interviewed complained about being tired and deserving time away from DC while on the other hand the Dem Congressman complained about Congress being shut down too much and not enough work getting done. ABC news reporter stated that this Congress has only passed 2 of 10 needed budget bills this year.

[ebayfool]

47. It's intentional on the budget bills - repubs are trying to leave landmines for our guys.

http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB116537033474441872-cPFTnuPnOq5O8ZJmEfdfVC8Fg4U_20071206.html

Some Republicans Take a Scorched-Hill Tack

Leaving Budget Decisions
To Democrats Could Disrupt
New Leadership's Agenda


snip/

Like a retreating army, Republicans are tearing up railroad track and planting legislative land mines to make it harder for Democrats to govern when they take power in Congress next month.

Already, the Republican leadership has moved to saddle the new Democratic majority with responsibility for resolving $463 billion in spending bills for the fiscal year that began Oct. 1.

[wishlist]

49. I heard that Repubs/ Bush Admin may furlough federal employees 1/2007

Friends of mine in several Federal agencies were told months ago to expect to be put on involuntary furloughs (cutting back civil servants' workweeks to only 4 days a week). They originally expected the furloughs this year, but now they are hearing that the furloughs will occur early next year. My first thought when I heard this is that it seems manipulated so that the shortchanged public and disrupted federal employees will blame the Dems for the budget crisis.

[wishlist]

48. Typo- meant to write "2006 Congress worked least in history" n/t

[ebayfool]

46. Well ... they WILL need extra time for investigative hearings.

So much to investigate, so little time! I'm hoping they will use lots of the extra work-time schedule to delve deeply & thoroughly into the corruption & lies of the last 6 years.

And proceed accordingly w/the proper trials ... :evilgrin:

[eridani]

50. That's Republican family values for you

Only their families have any value--other families are worthless by definition.

[bklyncowgirl]

51. There's a tough new teacher in town. Ms. Nancy lays down the law at Kindergarten Kongress

Children we will have school from Monday to Friday and no recess.

[Joe Bacon]

54. Nancy needs to enforce the Civil Service leave rules on these clowns

If newly hired Federal Civil Servants get only 4 hours of sick leave and 4 hours of annual leave every 2 weeks, then Nancy should impose that on the Congress too.

If they go over that, AWOL 'em and don't pay them!

[qwlauren35]

55. Is it possible?

That they do "constituency work" on the other days? Or anything else of value???

[classysassy]

56. They want have time

to collect their bribe money.