The Senate and House just raise their own pay each year. Its the only thing bi-partisan they do. Judges cant do that. Still $165,000 is about $110,000 more than I make and yet I live pretty well. Of course I paid for most of what I had before I retired, but most Americans live off a lot less than $165,000.
No,actually,they don't.Opt out being cleaner than opt-in,they just decided to make raises automatic,the burden in now on those who feel there should be no raise.
I can say only three things in defense of his claim:
1) The cost of living in DC is as high as Manhattan or LA. It is impossible to buy even a one-bedroom apartment for less than $275,000. Most of the justices have wives and children. The median house price is over $500,000, for the type of houses my working-class grandparents lived in in NE and NW DC a few decades ago. If your house doesn't have a parking space, they also rent for what many pay for a house in the rest of the country.
2) Justice Scalia has often remarked about his pay in relation to the fact that he has nine children.
3) Comparables for decision-makers/thought leaders: university presidents average around $500,000. Corporate CEOs pull down millions per year. Top pay for government lawyers on salary is nearly $120K. Average compensation for trial lawyers in private practice who stand before the Supreme Court is $127,000; of course, many make much more.
"The Senate and House just raise their own pay each year. Its the only thing bi-partisan they do. Judges cant do that."
They don't have to, If I remember correctly, everytime congressional salaries are adjusted, judges salaries are also increased.(automatically)