Our elected officials are at it again; mismanaging the affairs of state and trying to line their own pockets. Our congressional leaders tell us they need a raise, however, bills that would accomplish that (or fail at it) are never clearly, cleanly and independently passed when C-SPAN shows the world what is going on. No, they attach such raises to other bills, hidden in arcane language and passed after midnight when hardly anyone is watching, and not openly debated on the House or Senate floor.

You see, $140,000 a year is not enough. They work eight months of the year, three or four days a week. They have time to pass nonsense bills like establishing national pickle week, doling out funds to support research on mood music for fish farms, and arguing endlessly on a twice soundly defeated flag burning amendment. For their too-meager salary, they spend millions; some spend tens of millions, to get that low paying job. If the pay requires holders to “sacrifice” so dearly, why do so few surrender their seats; and why do so many covet the pain of being so poorly paid? I smell rat, or worse here.

Many in Congress claim to be “fiscally conservative,” yet they seem dismissive, forgetful or arrogant of the huge national debt hanging over our and our offspring’s heads. When the economy is booming, we ought not have tax cuts; we need a payoff of the debt. Ken Petress Presque Isle