100 Senators make $141,300 per year.
435 Representative make $125,100 per year.
This doesn’t include spending accounts and pensions.
Per capita income in 1999 was $28,518.
So, our representatives in Washington make about 4.5 times more money than the people the represent.
I propose that they truly represent the people and make there salary the same as the people they claim to represent.
On average, this would save the government $53,291,370 per year. As the per income capita goes up, their salary goes up as well. In the term of one president, that would save about $213,165,480 that could be spent on other worthwhile projects.
Assuming they would vote this in (BIG assumption I know) . . . Would this work? Why or why not? If they were interested in making the big money, shouldn’t they do this in the private sector? Any other caveats?
P.J. O’Rourke once made an interesting observation. He noted that the WORST utility infielder in baseball makes $175,000 a year, and nobody even bats an eyelash. But the idea that the people entrusted with running the U.S. federal government… the most powerful, most important institution on earth… should make a similar figure OUTRAGES most people!
I don’t always like what the Congress does, and I detest many people in it. But given the responsibilities they hold, and the importance of the job they do, I don’t see how ANYONE can possibly begrudge them the salaries they earn.
Tehn agai, you have those not-so-imortant states like Colorado, my fair homestate, where corporations are not exactly falling head over heel to give mere representatives gobs of cash to represent them, it is indeed a very interesting concept that one could actually pay people for the work that they put in for their constituancy such that they are not positively forced to whore themselves out to those non-controversial, insignificant industries.
If we paid the Congress the same amount of money that the average Joe makes, what kind of people would he have running for Congress? Skilled, talented, intelligent people? No, those kinds of people would try to get a job somewhere else, where they can earn more money.
In short, Gummint’s a tough job, contrary to popular belief and Hollywood’s translation, and should be paid accordingly.
(And if our Gov’t reaches the point that it’s desperate for a relatively-paltry $52 million, we’re probably screwed anyways).
52 million? Hell, thats nothing. And I would like to actually have a politician earn enough from his job so he did not have to either take bribes or be wealthy to start out with. In fact, i think their salaries should be increased.
Senators and Representatives do a far more valuable job then the average Joe. Why shouldn’t they be compensated?
We already lose a lot of people to the private sector because they don’t want to put up with the crap it takes to be in politics. Why risk losing any more by making so only the very wealthy will want to hold office?