I think we all know the answer to that question. While you build toys for your kids out pine cones and paper clips; while two out of the five people you know are now applying for positions as Walmart greeters because they’ve lost their jobs (and with an eye toward the sweet release of death by trampling); while taxpayer dollars are being doled out to Wall Street firms and union-ruined auto companies, Congress gave itself a pay raise. Guess with that average salary of $160,000-plus it’s just hard to make ends meet.