McCollum Charged Taxpayers More In Pay Raises Than Many Florida Families Will Earn In A Year

From FDP:

When it came to racking up charges on America's credit card, Bill McCollum didn't neglect his own pockets. In fact, McCollum voted to use taxpayer money to increase his own pay at least four separate times in Congress - spending more of our money on his pay raises than what the median Florida household has earned.

"Big Spending Congressman Bill McCollum ran up the taxpayers' credit card four different times to raise his own pay - giving himself more of our money just in raises than many Florida families can expect to earn this year." Florida Democratic Party Spokesman Eric Jotkoff said. "Will Bill McCollum give himself a raise with our money if elected Governor?"

The excuse that Congressman McCollum gave when asked about raising his pay to a six-figure salary was that "he was just unwilling to sacrifice the lifestyle to which he had become accustomed." As Floridians continue to face an economic crisis, this type of self-interested spending is exactly what our state can't afford.

McCollum voted for more than $51,000 in taxpayer-funded pay raises for himself. The median household income in Florida is $47,802 per year according to the census. McCollum's nearly $90,000 annual pay increased to $125,000 during the recession of the early 1990s when many Americans were out of work and facing potential financial ruin.

LIKE A TYPICAL WASHINGTON CONGRESSMAN McCOLLUM VOTED TO USE TAXPAYERS' MONEY TO INCREASE HIS OWN PAY AT LEAST 4 SEPARATE TIMES...

McCollum Voted Four Times To Raise His Own Pay - Total Of Over $51,000 In Pay Raises. During his Congressional Career, McCollum voted to raise his own pay four separate times. These pay raises totaled $51,800 of increased salary for Congressional members. (Vote 358, HR 3660, 11/16/89; Vote 435, HR 2378, 9/24/97; Vote 300, HRes 246, 7/15/99; Vote 419, HRes 560, 7/20/00; CRS Report, Order # RL 30014)

McCollum Voted Himself A Pay Raise in Tough Economic Times Because He Was Unwilling to Sacrifice Lifestyle. "At a time of a huge budget deficit, at a time when Congress and the president are laying billions of new taxes on the American people in the name of deficit reduction, Mr. McCollum voted to raise his salary from $89,000 to $125,000," wrote Orlando Sentinel columnist Charley Reese in 1990. "When I asked him why, he said he was just unwilling to sacrifice the lifestyle to which he had become accustomed. Well, I appreciate his candor, and I hope he appreciates mine. I am just unwilling to vote for a man who is so lacking in perspective, so caught up in the Washington Beltway lifestyle that he has forgotten the reality of America." (Orlando Sentinel, 11/04/90)