not have the ability to give themselves raises unless we have a balanced budget

In a time when the United States is in an unbelievably horrifying debt how could our government even consider taking a raise? Yet it happens time after time. Not one person I know or anyone else I know voted to give the people who are supposed to be working for OUR benefit a raise. Naturally if they were doing a good job and we had a balanced budget and the economy was good we would have no problem giving a deserving raise. 16 trillion in debt is not a job well done. Any decent politician would take a pay cut in these times.