[CIC visited Capitol Hill and delivered the following letter, along with candy lollilops as symbolic reminders, to selected members of the House Administration Committee denouncing secret attempts by Congress to give itself a pay raise. Shortly thereafter, it was announced that consideration of the "per diem" pay raise proposal is being delayed].

March 27, 2001

Honorable John Doolittle
1526 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515

Dear Congressman Doolittle:

On behalf of our 65,000 members, I am writing to express our opposition to any attempt to give you and your colleagues a pay raise through a per diem supplement. Maybe this symbolic lollilop will help remind you that the American people don’t want to be taken for suckers on this issue.

At $145,100 per year, your salary is already exorbitant enough and far exceeds by nearly three times the income of an average American family. To sneak through an additional pay raise of nearly $25,000 on top of this salary, by implementing a per diem supplement, is an outrageous fleecing of public money. The American people are smart enough to know that even if this pay raise is taken from the MRAs, it still comes from our tax dollars! Please don’t try to fool us.

In closing, as you enjoy this candy, I hope you give serious attention to the people’s concerns on this issue. Nothing outrages tax-paying citizens more than a politician who starts to get greedy at the public trough.

I look forward to hearing your response.

Sincerely,

SCOTT LAUF
Executive Officer