Worthington Globe LTE: Walz won't be taking a pay raise

Looks like we're not the only one annoyed when newspapers complain of congressional pay raises, but fail to note that some Representatives are refusing the automatic pay hikes.

Margaret Erickson writes in Walz won't be taking pay raise

I note that on Jan. 2, the Daily Globe reprinted an editorial that originally ran Dec. 29 in the Fairmont Sentinel. Titled “A pay raise? Now??”, the piece suggested that in these hard economic times it would be appropriate for members of Congress to forgo their annual “cost-of-living” pay increases.

I’d read this editorial before; it was referenced in the political blog bluestemprairie.com, with a short additional comment. The Bluestem Prairie editors added:

“We agree with the editors, faulting them only for a glaring omission: neglecting to tell their readers that Congressman Walz has already refused his raise — and last year’s raise as well. He will continue to send both sums back to the U.S. Treasury.” :

Since Rep. Tim Walz, whose district includes both Fairmont and Worthington, has pledged to return his Congressional pay raises until there is a balanced Federal budget — and is carrying out that pledge — I think it’s appropriate for readers in the First Congressional District to know about it.

Erickson refers to the "editors" of Bluestem Prairie.  BSP is a one-heifer cow pen, bovine blogging with an addiction to the annoying editorial "we."

One-person political blogs are increasingly rare, but given the hacking of Soapblox today and the subsequent silencing for the moment of the diverse community at the Minnesota Progressive Project (formed by the merger of MNBlue and Minnesota Campaign Report), perhaps it's still helpful to have an few small blogs around.

We don't always agree with the MNPP's writers, but hope to see them back soon. The week long absence of the rightwing Residual Forces blog was no different, and we were pleased when Triple A returned.

Note: Yesterday, we posted about other appearances of the automatic congressional payraise outrage narrative in the state's media, in which no one venting about this issue seeem capable of asking whether our senator (we have but one for the moment) and memers of Congress are accepting the raise. See More Minnesota media mum on Walz when kvetching about congressional raises Surely, the traditional press is not so obsessed with cute puppy contests that they can't email communication staffers and ask the simple question.

We did so.  Perhaps the editors decrying the raises are waiting for a press release from Walz that Republicans can scold for self-promotion.