BECAUSE THEIR APPROVAL RATINGS AREN’T LOW ENOUGH YET: One Group That Is Still Getting a Raise: Congress. “The general public can’t help but think that lawmakers are patting themselves on the back, and padding their wallets, for presiding over the worst fiscal-policy blunders in recent history.” Plus this: “Finding anyone brave enough to defend the pay hike in Washington these days is like looking for the proverbial needle in a haystack. When they’re asked to comment, usually accessible members quickly go missing, are on vacation, are extremely busy with family members or can’t be reached on their cell phones because they’re in remote locations. Some congressional aides, however, speaking privately, said they wouldn’t be surprised if public pressure forced Congress to revisit the issue when members returned to work next week.”

UPDATE: Reader Barry Dauphin writes: “Weren’t these the same guys complaining about the Big Three CEOs coming to DC on corporate jets? The pay raise in the middle of a financial downturn ought to be a much bigger story.”