I am so mad right now I could spit. Really. Just reading on CNN about John Roberts, our Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, devoting his year-end report to the "constitutional crisis" that is the "grievously unfair" salaries of Federal Judges.

"Roberts said the judiciary will not properly serve its constitutional role if it is restricted to people so wealthy that they can afford to be indifferent to the level of judicial compensation, or to people for whom the judicial salary represents a pay increase."

What do they make, you ask? "Federal district court judges are paid $165,200 annually; appeals court judges make $175,100; associate justices of the Supreme Court earn $203,000; the chief justice gets $212,100."

http://www.cnn.com/2007/LAW/01/01/judges.pay.ap/index.html

Wow. I wonder how they ever manage to live on such a pittance. How hard it must be for them to pay the bills, the pool boy, and the nanny.

I wonder how Judge Roberts would manage to feed and clothe his family, say on $60k a year. Which is a lot more than the US median income of less than $45k. Wonder how he would feel if he were living just one good illness away from losing everything, like us in the shrinking middle class.

It is disgusting and scary as hell. I am beginning to realize that no one is looking out for us, the middle class - heh, who am I kidding, on the 1 and 1/4 income David and I now live on we are now lower middle class. And I am happy to be, if that means my child doesn't go to daycare 50 hours a week.

And did you get the implication that people that make less than 200K are not fit to be judges? Right here - "or people for whom the judicial salary represents a pay increase." Did you get that part?

Is this you, my terribly fair and moral friend? Is this you that makes your measly $80k a year and would be unfit to judge the righteousness and constitutionality of our laws? Because this is nearly everyone I know and I believe that nearly everyone I know would make a better federal judge than John Roberts and his like. Son of a bitch, this makes me mad.

And most people will not notice or care, and we will continue becoming a dying breed - and we may or may not do as well as our parents financially. And what does this say for our children?

Sigh. I'm tired. Reading the news wears me out.