Tell me how, in the face of the looming economical tragedy known as "going over the fiscal cliff", our President decided that NOW is the perfect time to give the members of congress a pay raise.

And while it's true that the rais amounts to about 1/2 of one percent, the fact remains that there has yet to be much movement on avoiding the "cliff".  

So my question is this: Just how prudent is this idea of giving Biden, members of Congress, and Federal workers a raise BEFORE agreeing on a deal to avoid going over the cliff

And here is a schedule of what some of the aforementioned people will now be making after March 27, 2013:

SCHEDULE 6--VICE PRESIDENT AND MEMBERS OF CONGRESS
(Effective on the first day of the first applicable pay period
beginning after March 27, 2013) 
Vice President . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $231,900
Senators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  174,900
Members of the House of Representatives. . . . . . . . . . .  174,900
Delegates to the House of Representatives. . . . . . . . . .  174,900
Resident Commissioner from Puerto Rico . . . . . . . . . . .  174,900
President pro tempore of the Senate. . . . . . . . . . . . .  194,400
Majority leader and minority leader of the Senate. . . . . .  194,400
Majority leader and minority leader of the House
  of Representatives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  194,400
Speaker of the House of Representatives. . . . . . . . . . .  224,600
SCHEDULE 7--JUDICIAL SALARIES
(Effective on the first day of the first applicable pay period
  beginning after March 27, 2013) 
Chief Justice of the United States . . . . . . . . . . . . . $223,500
Associate Justices of the Supreme Court. . . . . . . . . . .  213,900
Circuit Judges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  184,500
District Judges. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  174,000
Judges of the Court of International Trade . . . . . . . . .  174,000

 Source: http://www.opm.gov/oca/compmemo/2012/2013PAY_Attach.pdf