Poll: Voters target Congress pay, hours

WASHINGTON, Dec. 5 (UPI) -- U.S. voters sent Congress an early "bah, humbug" in the form of a poll indicating they think lawmakers should work more and make less.

The Hill, which commissioned the survey, said Monday that 67 percent of respondents felt members' $174,000 base salary should be cut, and 69 percent wanted to do away with their pensions.

Sixty-four percent said Congress needed to spend more days in session.

The Washington newspaper described the findings as reflective of the feelings of many Americans about the overall prospects for the economy. The poll said 40 percent of respondents believed their finances would get worse next year and another 40 percent figured they would remain the same rather than improve.

The Hill noted a strong majority of likely voters making less than $100,000 annually favored cutting congressional salaries, but respondents making more than $100,000 split on the question with 47 percent wanting members' pay cut and 42 percent saying congressional salaries should stay where they are.

The poll surveyed 1,000 likely voters last week and included a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.