Congressman laments $172,000 salary

Georgia Republican Phil Gingrey is under fire for complaining about his compensation at a closed-door meeting.
"Man, Congress is a dead-end job. You're surrounded by fat-cat lobbyists making twice as much as you, you hear nothing but complaints from your constituents and you take home a measly $174,000 a year."

It's enough to get one Congressman, Phil Gingrey of Georgia (pictured), tied up in knots. He complained about it in a closed-door meeting Wednesday, and his comments have spread like wildfire.

Gingrey observed that poorly paid Congressional aides have a future on K Street -- a street in Washington D.C. known for the lobbying companies headquartered there.

Aides "may be 33 years old now and not making a lot of money," Gingrey said, according to two aides who relayed his comments to The National Review. "But in a few years they can just go to K Street and make $500,000 a year. Meanwhile I'm stuck here making $172,000 a year."

It just tugs on the heartstrings, doesn't it? Gingrey was actually off by a couple thousand. Members of Congress have made $174,000 annually since 2009.

The median household income in Gingrey's home state of Georgia, meanwhile, is $49,736 a year.

http://t.money.msn.com/now/congressman-im-stuck-here-making-dollar172000

I saw that and my thought was why did he run then? He knew what it paid when he ran. It should have come as no surprise.