The fact that the government is allowed to vote on their own raises and extended terms is in fact ludicrous. A person serving in the "civilian" work place can not simply say Oh I think we all need a raise and then do it. A raise needs to be earned just like in the privet sector.
The fact that a " No raise in benefits/ss because there hasn't been a raise in the cost of living" has been the line towed by the government for a while now all the time they are giving themselves raises. This is in fact abuse of their power using it for self gain and profits.