If they have to maintain two residents at their expense, that take a chunk out of the high salary. You are looking at $35,000 for a modest place to live in DC? Now they are down to $130,000.
For not doing the jobs we put them in for - stopping the opposition - namely, Obama they can cry me a river I’m a combat vet two college degrees making half what he’s whining about and in New York where I work one entire week per month to pay what they take out every month
He’s a complete tone deaf ijut like they all are not figuring out what’s going on with trump
Hilary’s up twelve points??
No
Not for a second
Ooh.
Make em sleep in the gdamned offices....
Make them eat ramen noodles and live in a dorm, chaperone them to keep them away from lobbyists...
Fair enough. So how 'bout this solution:
Give them a "cost of living" adjustment. Their salary should equal the US median family income. THAT should give them a great incentive to improve the economy!
As for their "two homes". Give them an expense account equal to the cost of staying in a DC Motel 6 for every day that congress is in session, and no more than coach air fare back to their homes when it is not.
Technology today should allow politicians to operate out of their home state or district. This would allow them to get rid of 1/2 their staff as well and make lobbyists have to travel for their influence.
F these prima donas.
A congressional seat was not meant to be a full time job. It was designed so that citizens of a community, who were successful (not necessarily monetarily) and well respected by their community, could go to Washington for 2 or 4 years to represent the interests of their community. Then they would go back home to resume their normal life and the community would send someone else.
With the rise of political parties - and now with so-called “campaign finance reform” - the parties are more important than ever. Members of Congress are beholden to the party, depend on the party for promotion on the ticket, and rely on the resources the party can provide to help them win election and keep their seat. And as a result, they vote in lock step with the party and support the senior members’ agendas for fear of being abandoned and shut out of the gravy train. They are rarely allowed to vote their conscience without paying a political price meted out by the party bosses.
We cannot abolish political parties, the 1st amendment gives them the right to band together. But we could remove party affiliation from our ballots, and we could as citizens become more aware of how the system has been co-opted (such as with the 17th Amendment among others) and vote accordingly.