Jerry Lewis: “I must say that in the years that I have been in this body, I have seen on more than one occasion on both sides of the…”

“I must say that in the years that I have been in this body, I have seen on more than one occasion on both sides of the aisle a propensity to demagogue both salary adjustments as well as benefits for the Members of this House. It is most disconcerting to me that people would, on either side of the aisle, ever play politics for the sake of politics on issues such as this. I am particularly disconcerted by this pattern because it has dramatically impacted over the years a number of younger Members who are serving very well in this body, who, because upon arriving here with young children, otherwise unaware of the incredible cost of living in this region and maintaining residence at home, et cetera, found themselves leaving the body long before their service was well completed. It does not serve the body well or the American public well to simply demagogue an issue like this because somebody thinks it may be votes at home for someone that they might choose.”