AOC Says That $4,500 Pay Bump Wouldn't Have Even Been Like a Raise
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is proving to be the quintessential socialist. The New York Democrat screams and complains about unjust riches and the greed of crony capitalism, but when it comes to her own pocketbook, she is singing a different tune.
Case in point — the Democrats changed course Monday and decided against pushing forward a $4,500 congressional pay raise. They were, rightly, concerned about the political optics and whether the Republicans would support the raise.
Regardless of the reasons for abandoning the pay increase effort, Ocasio-Cortez was not happy about it. In fact, she was very upset.
While AOC would say greedy CEOs are the scourge of America, it’s apparently perfectly OK for her to want to fatten her own wallet.
“It’s bad if someone else does it, but it’s important that I do it,” said every socialist everywhere all the time.
When a reporter asked her if the vote was about political appearances, Ocasio-Cortez agreed.
“Right, and that’s my issue is that it’s superficial,” she said. “You know, you can vote against pay increases all you want. In my opinion voting against a pay … it’s not even like a raise, it’s a cost-of-living adjustment.”
AOC can call it what she wants, but to be dismissive about a $4,500 raise is not going to sit well with everyday Americans who know what that kind of money would get them.
And that is something that Republican Rep. Mark Green from Tennessee made sure to point out.
According to Green, an extra $4,500 could: “Feed a family of 4 for 6 months, Pay off a car loan, Pay utilities bills for 12 months.”
That might not be a big deal if you are living in Ocasio-Cortez’s world, but for the rest of us, $4,500 means something.
But AOC’s economic ignorance did not stop there.
“We should be fighting for a $15 minimum wage pegged to inflation so that everybody in the United States with a salary with a wage gets a cost-of-living increase,” she said. “Members of Congress, retail workers — everybody! — should get cost-of-living increases to accommodate for the changes in our economy. And then when we don’t do that, it only increases the pressure on members to exploit loopholes like insider-trading loopholes, to make it on the back end.”
There you have it, America. Greed is bad — except in the case of AOC, because she needs the money so she can keep her principles when dealing with lobbyists.
So her integrity is dependent on making more money? You heard it from the horse’s mouth.
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