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News & ArtsWednesday, March 30, 2011
Politics GOP Congressman Struggling to Make Ends Meet with $174,000 Salary
Posted by Charles Mudede on Wed, Mar 30, 2011 at 4:57 PM
TPM has the video that the GOP does not want you to see:
3
Cry me a river. Perhaps he should have visited Planned Parenthood rather than have 6 kids if he can't afford them on $174,00 a year plus perks. I WISH I made $174,000 a year - I don't even make that in 3 years. My car is 16 years old, and I purchased it new way back when I was young enough to handle working 2 full-time jobs and still have a bit of a life.
Mr. GOP whiner/washed out tv star - you should count yourself lucky that you even have a salary, particularly one where you won't have to do much other than kiss Boner's ass rather than actually work, let alone think. Truly though, you should just fuck off.
Mr. GOP whiner/washed out tv star - you should count yourself lucky that you even have a salary, particularly one where you won't have to do much other than kiss Boner's ass rather than actually work, let alone think. Truly though, you should just fuck off.
4
A used minivan, oh the horror!
But has it been used by anyone but them?
Also, maybe $174,000 would go a little further if they DIDN'T HAVE 6 FUCKING KIDS!
But has it been used by anyone but them?
Also, maybe $174,000 would go a little further if they DIDN'T HAVE 6 FUCKING KIDS!
5
I make 24,000 after taxes, yet still can survive without being a whiny bitch. He can go fuck himself.
And people who have a numerous children can't complain, no one forced you into that situation.
And people who have a numerous children can't complain, no one forced you into that situation.
6
You should check what the Democratic Party of Wisconsin put together to mock Duffy:
http://d21971ua898zk6.cloudfront.net/39/…
Had me laughing out loud!
http://d21971ua898zk6.cloudfront.net/39/…
Had me laughing out loud!
8
well $174,000 not counting bribes from fortune 500 companies that is....
also, people with 6 fucking kids should be shunned by society and have to pay massive taxes/fees on top of it
also, people with 6 fucking kids should be shunned by society and have to pay massive taxes/fees on top of it
9
Just because this place is dominated by the ambitiousless poor doesn't mean $174,000 is that much money for a family of eight.
10
@9, Maybe he should have fucking thought of that before having six children. Oh, and just because you think you have a point doesn't make you any less of a condescending twit.
11
Gee....he should have considered having his wife have some abortions or use a rubber.
Better yet...he should just cut his throat, he's obviously struggling more than anyone else out there.
Better yet...he should just cut his throat, he's obviously struggling more than anyone else out there.
12
@9: and yet, he's more than happy to lay off several hundred thousand government workers who "have a job" with little consideration for its effects on their ability to pay their debts. What a tool.
13
The bribes go into his campaign war chest - he's not allowed to spend them on his kids. That doesn't come until he gets kicked out of office and goes through the revolving door to work as a lobbyist for those F500 companies.
14
Yes, but he "worked hard" to get where he is today, dontcha know. And everyone else who works long hours, does manual labour, holds multiple jobs, goes without extended benefits or a pension, takes whatever they can find just to scrape by until something better comes along...well, clearly they're all lazy bums who aren't working hard enough and can't be bothered to run for congress.
15
Not only would it take most of us several years to earn that much, he doesn't even have to pay FICA taxes on all of his income making his overall tax rate lower than those of us who pay FICA on all of our earnings.
17
It's not that I care how many kids he has --- what gets me is that, when other people have a lot of kids and not a lot of money, if they have to use things like food stamps, people like him feel it's OK to tell them, "well you shouldn't have had so many kids if you couldn't afford them." THAT's why he should go fuck himself.
19
Ooooo. The party of fiscal responsibility. Struggles to raise a family on $174,000 a year? The Democrats need to get some balls, take this and run with it.
20
@19 Indeed. How about a campaign drive to make that the minimum wage for everyone? Seems fair to me.
21
Adding further evidence of the Wisconsin Republican mental meltdown is the Dane County GOP nonsensical attack on judge Sumi claiming her to be a far left organic shopping liberal who attends all these foie gras serving cocktail parties...
Oy Oy Oy, that is even richer than Walker et. als' Koch brothers fatted livers combined.
Oy Oy Oy, that is even richer than Walker et. als' Koch brothers fatted livers combined.
22
Oh yeah, also it was couched as some sort of "apology" for their criticism of her statements yesterday on her previous injunction.
The jackasses have really lost whatever marbles they may have had.
The jackasses have really lost whatever marbles they may have had.
23
Wow. I had no idea the crazy was becoming an epidemic in Wisconsin.
Forty years old and he's been so busy changing jobs that he's still paying off student debt even while spawning six rugrats. I mean, has he done anything for more than two years at a time? Besides, apparently, shtupping Puck's ex? Would it have killed him to practice interruptus a little more frequently? Or keep track of his wife's rhythm method chart a bit better? If he wants to stop driving a used (poor baby) minivan, perhaps he should stop begetting children who will undoubtedly grow up in intellectual if not financial poverty and start actually working for a living, maybe even build a career that doesn't depend on a mask of charm and the connections he can call through his father's law firm.
Aside from the fact that I would love to be making a third of his salary right now (no law degree, no connections, and not "cute"), and wouldn't mind a more recent vehicle than the '95 model I'm currently driving.
I wish I could remember the word for an arrogant, stupid, whiney, neoconservative asshole who hasn't yet been discovered cheating on his current wife. Oh, wait. That's right. Republican Congressman.
Carry on, Duffy. You're in good company.
Forty years old and he's been so busy changing jobs that he's still paying off student debt even while spawning six rugrats. I mean, has he done anything for more than two years at a time? Besides, apparently, shtupping Puck's ex? Would it have killed him to practice interruptus a little more frequently? Or keep track of his wife's rhythm method chart a bit better? If he wants to stop driving a used (poor baby) minivan, perhaps he should stop begetting children who will undoubtedly grow up in intellectual if not financial poverty and start actually working for a living, maybe even build a career that doesn't depend on a mask of charm and the connections he can call through his father's law firm.
Aside from the fact that I would love to be making a third of his salary right now (no law degree, no connections, and not "cute"), and wouldn't mind a more recent vehicle than the '95 model I'm currently driving.
I wish I could remember the word for an arrogant, stupid, whiney, neoconservative asshole who hasn't yet been discovered cheating on his current wife. Oh, wait. That's right. Republican Congressman.
Carry on, Duffy. You're in good company.
24
If you can't make ends meet on 174K, you're doing something wrong. We make less than 25K, and we buy used just-about-everything, and you know what? It's fine. We're fine. We've got everything we need.
But it does leave me with NO PATIENCE for whiners.
But it does leave me with NO PATIENCE for whiners.
25
Okay - I live not in Duffy's district but a stone's throw over the line (as in it's a 4 minute drive, 8 minutes if I hit the lights wrong). Not from here, but moved here a few years ago from Big East Coast City, so a little perspective.
The average HOUSEHOLD income in this part of the world rarely reaches more than $50K - usually it's closer to $40K (as it is in Ashland, where Duffy lives). When my husband's company transferred us here several years ago, his average, big-East-Coast-city salary immediately bumped us up to the "rich people" category. And we make less than Duffy. So it is really offensive that he'd talk about struggling on $174,000.
As for the number of kids, I actually don't find it unusual for here - people breed large families, which I personally think is partially because most of these people come from farming families. If they still aren't farmers, many grew up on farms where everyone contributed. (This is just me opining on observations, this is not hard science.)
Many of our friends & neighbors out here have 4 kids, and 6 is not grossly out of the ordinary. We're childless for medical reasons, and people have finally learned not to stress that we NEED at least 3 kids. (I tell them quite earnestly if they feel that strongly we need to reproduce, then we can count on them for financial and logistical support.)
While there isn't a huge uprising or outrage out in this vicinity, it doesn't mean people aren't pissed. These are people with strong opinions, but they also have strong work ethics, and embody Garrison Keillor's joke:
"We come from people who brought us up to believe that life is a struggle, and if you should feel really happy, be patient: this will pass."
So unless Duffy brings in a crap-load of jobs (which is all people want - these are not people with complex wants or needs, and I'm not sure how he racks up serious debt because there's not much to blow your money on out here), he just became a one-term Congressional member. Considering Walker is eviscerating the budget, he's not bringing in jobs.
More...
The average HOUSEHOLD income in this part of the world rarely reaches more than $50K - usually it's closer to $40K (as it is in Ashland, where Duffy lives). When my husband's company transferred us here several years ago, his average, big-East-Coast-city salary immediately bumped us up to the "rich people" category. And we make less than Duffy. So it is really offensive that he'd talk about struggling on $174,000.
As for the number of kids, I actually don't find it unusual for here - people breed large families, which I personally think is partially because most of these people come from farming families. If they still aren't farmers, many grew up on farms where everyone contributed. (This is just me opining on observations, this is not hard science.)
Many of our friends & neighbors out here have 4 kids, and 6 is not grossly out of the ordinary. We're childless for medical reasons, and people have finally learned not to stress that we NEED at least 3 kids. (I tell them quite earnestly if they feel that strongly we need to reproduce, then we can count on them for financial and logistical support.)
While there isn't a huge uprising or outrage out in this vicinity, it doesn't mean people aren't pissed. These are people with strong opinions, but they also have strong work ethics, and embody Garrison Keillor's joke:
"We come from people who brought us up to believe that life is a struggle, and if you should feel really happy, be patient: this will pass."
So unless Duffy brings in a crap-load of jobs (which is all people want - these are not people with complex wants or needs, and I'm not sure how he racks up serious debt because there's not much to blow your money on out here), he just became a one-term Congressional member. Considering Walker is eviscerating the budget, he's not bringing in jobs.
28
It's the American way: Breed and buy more than you can afford, complain how things aren't going your way and then demand tax cuts and bigger roads, more American jobs and Walmarts—and abolish women's and gay rights for good measure.
29
He and his wife prescribe to some "breed all you can, and make the woman stay home with the kids" philosophy.
http://www.rachelcamposduffy.com/
She's even written a book about it. But their experiment is clearly not working if he can't make it work with that much money.
http://www.rachelcamposduffy.com/
She's even written a book about it. But their experiment is clearly not working if he can't make it work with that much money.
32
@5- I make about the same, but I am a whiny bitch.
@30- Vans are awesome and VW vans have bad engines and most of the ones on the road are particulate emitting eco-tragedies.
@30- Vans are awesome and VW vans have bad engines and most of the ones on the road are particulate emitting eco-tragedies.
33
@29: Interesting link. According to her own bio, she writes for numerous websites and publications and makes frequent appearances on radio and television. I doubt very much she does all that for free, so clearly their family income is greater than the congressman's salary.
As well, I wouldn't describe someone like her as a "stay-at-home Mom." She's an author and commentator who works from the home. There is a big fucking difference.
As well, I wouldn't describe someone like her as a "stay-at-home Mom." She's an author and commentator who works from the home. There is a big fucking difference.
34
When I was a fed, with a MA a several years of experience, I worked 50+ hour weeks for around $45K a year to start, $70K a year at my peak. I had decent benefits, but none of the personal/"constituent services" travel budget and other perks that congress has. But the average federal employee is apparently some mirage of a trust fund baby, and could never have a mortgage (mine is probably more than his for A LOT smaller home, DC is expensive), student loans (I left school with $100K+), or wish that they could own a car (that's right, I sold mine - that I owned outright - during my first year with the fed because the $2K a year in gas, maintenance, registration, and insurance was too much for me to afford).
If you think I had it bad, our secretary (the one that we had for 20 employees...yeah, we made our own copies), with 15 years in, made less than $40K a year, and had a family.
If you think I had it bad, our secretary (the one that we had for 20 employees...yeah, we made our own copies), with 15 years in, made less than $40K a year, and had a family.
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