Are politicians overpaid?

[BigBallinStalin]

In general, why should politicians receive such a high salary and immense benefits?


In order to filter out the less altruistic political candidates, why not give all politicians no more than $30,000 to $50,000 per year?

Granted, some (or most) will supplement that income with kickbacks, but since that already happens, why not lower their pay anyway?



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Alternatively, why not pay politicians a ton of money? Maybe $400,000 per year for HoR and Congress members? How about $10,000,000 for the US president (similar to a CEO's pay).

In Singapore, their government finds exceptional business executives, and try to outbid them from their company. Why not do the same for the US?

[kabuki.mono]

Why not give them minimum wage ... like every other hard working person. There not exactly more special than anyone else. . .

[Army of GOD]

I remember watching some video of why the president makes so much money. I think the reason has to do with the fact that if the prez didn't get as much then it would attract the best candidates.

I surely wouldn't think about being a politician if they made between 30 and 50k.

[Phatscotty]

In general, why should politicians receive such a high salary and immense benefits?


In order to filter out the less altruistic political candidates, why not give all politicians no more than $30,000 to $50,000 per year?

Granted, some (or most) will supplement that income with kickbacks, but since that already happens, why not lower their pay anyway?



_________________________________________________________

Alternatively, why not pay politicians a ton of money? Maybe $400,000 per year for HoR and Congress members? How about $10,000,000 for the US president (similar to a CEO's pay).

In Singapore, their government finds exceptional business executives, and try to outbid them from their company. Why not do the same for the US?

Politicians get paid about right, I think thay get too many benefits, not even getting into the fringe. I think 60-90k is about right, and I agree they should have some compensation for flying back to their homestate, especially concerning when there is a vote. Nancy Pelosi's private jet is a bit much and it leaves a huge carbon footprint. Kickbacks should be fought against because they can make elected officials corrupt and we need to git on that.

I think all house, senators, and pres should get paid the about the same rates.

[maasman]

I think they should get paid about the median income of the country for general politicians, and slowly work up to maybe 2-2.5 times more for high ranking positions, like the speaker of the house and such. This would be a fairly decent motivator to strengthen the economy as well.

[natty dread]

Yes, politicians are paid too much. We should stop paying them and let them survive on donations, because apparently that's how the free market works. Also they should be drug tested.

[thegreekdog]

Are we talking about politicians' salaries or are we talking about politicians' income? If we're talking about the former, I think they are paid commensurate with their duties, although probably not with the hours they work. If we're talking about the latter, well, that's probably a little different; although, arguably and supposedly when a politician gets a donation the politician uses that money for campaigns and not for personal use.

[Night Strike]

I think politicians collect too much in benefits and paybacks (for "qualified expenses", aka whatever the hell they want to write off) AND that they work too much. The President should be the only full time politician; all the others should only be spending 1/3 - 1/2 of the year in Washington and the rest either working a real job or working with constituents. Congress wasn't always a year-round job.

[Nola_Lifer]

In general, why should politicians receive such a high salary and immense benefits?


In order to filter out the less altruistic political candidates, why not give all politicians no more than $30,000 to $50,000 per year?

Granted, some (or most) will supplement that income with kickbacks, but since that already happens, why not lower their pay anyway?



_________________________________________________________

Alternatively, why not pay politicians a ton of money? Maybe $400,000 per year for HoR and Congress members? How about $10,000,000 for the US president (similar to a CEO's pay).

In Singapore, their government finds exceptional business executives, and try to outbid them from their company. Why not do the same for the US?

Do you want someone who is going to do it for the money or do you want someone who is going to do it for the best interest of their people. Either way it doesn't matter much. You need to have a good amount of money to run for a political office anyways or you have no chance are being elected.

[PLAYER57832]

I think politicians collect too much in benefits and paybacks (for "qualified expenses", aka whatever the hell they want to write off)

So can just about everyone. The "alternative minimum tax" tax was supposed to fix that, but wound up simply squeezing the "not quite wealthy", without really putting a dent in the bigwigs' incomes.

AND that they work too much. The President should be the only full time politician; all the others should only be spending 1/3 - 1/2 of the year in Washington and the rest either working a real job or working with constituents. Congress wasn't always a year-round job.

We used to have just 13 states, and a lot fewer people in this country, too.

[Phatscotty]

All I know is that Obama is going to spend 1 billion dollars on the 2012 election, for a job that pays less than 500k.

I want to see more people running for office who would realize an increase in pay.

[Woodruff]

I remember watching some video of why the president makes so much money. I think the reason has to do with the fact that if the prez didn't get as much then it would attract the best candidates.

Wait...you believe we're getting the best candidates now?

I surely wouldn't think about being a politician if they made between 30 and 50k.

Which is fine...as with any job, some people just aren't cut out for doing any particular job "the best". There are many jobs that I would be terrible at. It seems to me that if someone's focus is on the amount of money they make, then they're probably not someone I want in the position of Congress or the President anyway.

[MeDeFe]

Don't forget the bureaucrats. The people that make up the largets part of your institutions aren't even elected.

[Dukasaur]

The biggest downfall to overpaying politicians is that it lets them make a full-time job out of it.

In the immortal words of Judge Gideon J. Tucker:

No man's life, liberty or property are safe while the legislature is in session.

Thus, relative freedom was available when Parliament (or in your case Congress) met for two or three weeks every six months or so. Legislators recieved a stipend for those sessions which was barely enough to cover their travel costs to the capitol. They had to earn an honest living and therefore their concerns were the same as the concerns of the working Joe who elected them. It was once they raised their salaries to the point that they were able to become full-time politicians that they became a separate class, no less parasitical than the medieval nobility or the ancient Egyptian priestly class.

Since then, politicians have become progressively more predatory, and the more time they stay in session the more schemes for enslaving honest people they can come up with.