[luspikals]

Politicians should not be allowed to set their own pay.

[Qynvtlur]

Originally posted by Wezil
Politicians should not be allowed to set their own pay. QFT!

Bloodsuckers. Good on those who blocked it.

-Arrian

[Darlmtgq]

What kind of a sick world do we live in where corrupt politicians can't vote themselves the money they want?

[tofRobbroolve]

You only need be popular to be a congressman. Popular trumps smart any day of the week. Look at the Dems.

[Konservir]

Originally posted by Jaguar
Congressmen should be paid more. Then maybe smart people would want to be congressmen. The real money in politics isn't in the salary. It's in the selling out to special interests.

[tousuarshatly]

Originally posted by Zkribbler

The real money in politics isn't in the salary. It's in the selling out to special interests. Mmm, lobbying money, mmm...

[/Homer]

-Arrian

[Muhabsssa]

Ogie's post shows the gist of the problem. I wish I was smart enough to figure out a solution.

[NowFloabDow]

I wish I was smart enough to figure out a solution. It's probably something for psychologists to tackle... but then I don't really trust psychology, so... meh.

-Arrian

[casinobonusa]

Lawmakers' pay will be frozen at $165,200 for this year in the dispute, in which Democrats violated a yearslong understanding that the competing parties would not use the pay raise issue in campaign ads.


Poor Repugs, victim of cheap electoral tactics.

[Bbjhjxfy]

Originally posted by Aeson
I would much rather have honest representatives who are serving their country and fellow citizens... rather than greedy bastards, no matter how much better the greedy bastards are at what they do. Because that's obviously the result.

[timgillmoreeztf]

Originally posted by Kuciwalker
Consider: we take people, give them enormous power, and then pay them an order of magnitude below what they could be making. What exactly do you think is going to be the result? Behavior similar to that of Ming's??

[Sarah Armstrong]

Originally posted by Kuciwalker
Consider: we take people, give them enormous power, and then pay them an order of magnitude below what they could be making. What exactly do you think is going to be the result? Same theory is applied to CEOs, so we have CEOs that make insanely large ammounts of money. And still suck.

JM

[Adimonnna]

Everybody thinks that Congressfolks have it easy and are overpaid, but you have to remember that they're often on call for many hours of the day (floor and committee votes occuring often after midnight), have to digest voluminous amounts of information, make important decisions on public policy while maintaining accessibility to the folks back in the district and keeping a family. I have yet to meet a member who is just 9 to 5. I've seen them coming and going from roundtables, fundraisers, think tanks and the capitol at all hours of the day and night.

And they pay? Anyone tried maintaining a family over a huge distance? Imagine you're a representative from California or Washington. You have to maintain a house in the district (and a mortage) and an apartment in Washington, D.C., Maryland or Virginia ($900 - $1500 a month at the bare minimum in one of the most expensive areas in the US) while paying your family's bills, saving for you kids college, paying your own bills and occasionally flying them to DC so that you can spend at least a few hours a week with them. Like it or not, the pay is commisurate with the time and effort involved with being a member of Congress.

The people who ***** about this usually don't know how hard most members work.

[southernplayer99]

Originally posted by Jon Miller


Same theory is applied to CEOs, so we have CEOs that make insanely large ammounts of money. And still suck.

JM QFT

[Viyzarei]

Originally posted by Wezil
Politicians should not be allowed to set their own pay. agreed


and they only work 7 months of the year, and get per diem


those bastards

[uaodnabnjz]

Originally posted by snoopy369
The $2800 will have no effect whatsoever to the millionaires one way or the other. It just means a few more people will decide they can't afford to run for congress ... Anyone who thinks $165k (+ benefits) isn't enough to pay for their living expenses while a representative should not be entrusted with a dime of taxpayer money... because they have no economic sense whatsoever.

[SarSerceSaice]

Yah, most of them work very hard still... but it's campaigning they give their all to, not running the country. But even if they worked hard 16 hour days 7 days a week, they're still overpaid. Because there are those they represent who work those hours for far, far less.

Does that make any sense whatsoever? (No.)

[Green_Monkey23]

I am bested.

[patrycjakolekk]

Actually Kuci, money means little to these folk. Its all about power. Incenting with more money has very little liklihood of increasing the quality of the average congress critter.

[UpperMan]

Originally posted by Arrian
Non-rich congresspeople? Yeah, right. Maybe a couple in the House. Maybe.

-Arrian Guaranteed once they leave office their friends they took care of while in office will ensure they are taken care of.