The things you can do with a spreadsheet

Posted at 5:50 PM on June 15, 2006 by Bob Collins

MPR business editor Bill Catlin is a whiz with a spreadsheet. Spurred on , I suppose, by my newsroom mutterings on the validity of the pay raise Congress is giving itself as a legit news story, he figured out just how much protection Congress has been giving itself against inflation, and how that stacks up with average Americans.

The numbers he has are through 2004, since the data for household income presently available goes through 2004; so let's just assume that the folks in Washington have taken care of themselves just fine for the last two years as well.

Bill figured out that since Congress started rewarding itself with these automatic increases, effective with January 2000, adjusted for inflation, Congressional salaries outpace inflation by 2 percent.

Meanwhile, in the working world, adjusted for inflation, the median income of Americans has dropped 3.6 percent. And the average income has dropped 3.4 percent.

So Congress has padded the difference between itself and the people it represents during that time by almost 6 percent.

Still waiting for any Minnesota congressman to explain it. Anyone?

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