Posted on 01/02/2009 5:32:23 AM PST by moneyrunner
Politicians have salaries that are higher than average, but not THAT high.
A Senator’s salary is $169,300 and a member of the House of Representatives earns the same. That’s a good income but not enough to become ultra-wealthy.
So …
I've always wondered how Lyndon Johnson became a millionaire while earning for a lifetime a modest federal salary.
How did Nick Mavroules, who became a Congressman in 1978, avoid detection for so long? He pleaded guilty in 1993 to bribery and racketeering charges.
How come Rep. Charlie Rangel (NY) owns so much property in New York and an expensive villa in the Dominican Republic? -- all of this on a representative's salary.
(Excerpt) Read more at moneyrunner.blogspot.com ...
Term limits sound good in theory, but what they'd do would be to remove from office the few decent politicians that get elected too soon, and would force the vast majority (crooks) to make their fortunes in a shorter period of time.
You addressed another problem with term limits - vetting. We're about to find out how bad a president can be without going thru a decades-long vetting process, and I think it's going to turn out bad.
As long as politicians have something to sell, there's always going to be corruption. The real solution is very limited gov't conducted at as low a level as possible, and as transparently as possible.
Case in point: Dr. Walter E. Williams. Smart, perceptive, practical, accomplished. Conservative but not an idealogue. I'd vote for the man in a minute!
Also, our sweetheart Sarah. Came up through the system without being corrupted by it, and appears willing to serve then return to being mom, grandmom and neighbor. We'll have to ask her about that!
And they really are criminals, in the sense they take peoples' money involuntarily and use it for their own purposes. Bob Dole actually said this in the debates against Clinton, but you can see how far it got him.
The federal government could be cut 40%, revenues, programs, spending, and we'd all be better off. Competition is what keeps the "economy" efficient, not the extortion of government.
The way they get rich is your typical way of money laundering bribes into “clean” money. An example would be Bill Clinton getting ridiculously paid for his “speaches”, while his wife is a Senator. Does anyone think that it’s usual for speach makers, no matter how experienced or interesting, to be paid a quarter million dollars per speach?
Another way is to somehow bleed excess campaign contributions into your own pocket.
As long as the government is into punishing & rewarding segments of society via the tax code, congressmen are going to get rich doing favors for donors. This is mainly done for carefully constructed tax loopholes, but also it is done through the earmark spending process.
TERM LIMITS, NOW AND FOREVER!
Term limits would only increase the power of the unelected staffers, lobbyists, and bureaucrats in Washington.
Representatives and Senators already have term limits. The limit is based on how often their electorate wishes them to serve. Every two or six years the people in their district have the power to return them to Washington or return them to private life.
There are also things like stock market and real estate deals paying more than they should.
I think the unintended consequence of congressional term limits would be to shift power from the actual congressman toward their chiefs-of-staff. These CoS types get recycled more than an aluminum beer can as it is. Some will go from working for one side of the aisle to the other, too.
Diane Feinstein legislates to protect her financial interests in China which includes steel mills and hotels.
How about if we pass a constitutional amendment to put a conflict of interest law in place.
If any congress critter takes a contribution in excess of $500.00 he is not allowed to introduce or vote on any bill/measure that would affect the donor.
Another reason that term limits aren't the answer to gov't corruption - good point.
I’m sure it’s all just coinky-dinks. /s
If any of these Congress turds had to work in a SOX (Sarbanes-Oxley) environment, they’d repeal the law in no time because it would expose to the light of day their “legit” criminal activities.
No action on any of these points will address the actual problem: Unlimited Federal ability to steal (tax income).
Nothing will change until a serious tax revolt takes place. These "public servants" have been stealing from their employers for decades, and now they are burning down our house. Without our money fueling this insanity, the entire corrupt wreck grinds to a screeching halt.
They do not respect us. They do not respect the law. They do not respect their own oaths. And with the new "President", Al Franken, et al, they don't even respect votes to determine a valid winner.
We must starve the Beast, because it is rabid, ravenous, and reproducing .
Tax revolt: It's the American way
In Tennessee it was and continues to be quite common for legislators to accept “consulting fees” in the tens of thousands of dollars.
The concentration of taxpayers into a progressively smaller group and the growth in the number of tax beneficiaries is an intentional policy designed to make government programs permanent and irreversible.
At the heart of the Democrats' scheme is the promotion of Dependency as a positive value by first decoupling effort from result, and then responsibility from duty. The Progressive "meta-story" in pursuit of these objectives goes like this:
Americans cannot succeed any more on their own; there are too many powerful forces in their way (primarily, Big Corporate interests). No matter how hard you work, you can never get ahead, because you are working harder for less money due to the greed of those same Powerful Interests. Therefore, you need our (the Democrats) help. We'll tax and regulate those greedy powers and give you back what you really deserve. After all, you cannot be expected to be responsible, even if you feel it is your duty, because the system is set up to make you only think you're getting ahead, when in truth you are falling farther behind.But don't worry: it's not your fault, and we will make it all better by looking out for the interest of people like You: working families struggling to make ends meet. Your duty, then, is allow us (the government) to help those who cannot help themselves by giving up control of some money and decisions (like health care) for the greater good so that everyone can have a more equal share of the American Dream.
And most people today, after hearing this line of argument spun successfully by the schools and by a compliant news media, buy it wholeheartedly. For that reason, I doubt that movement toward reform will come from the electorate absent organized voices proposing a clear and convincing case for American originalism, independence, and freedom. That used to be the Republican Party; at the moment it is not.
“I’ve always wondered how Lyndon Johnson became a millionaire while earning for a lifetime a modest federal salary.”
Money from Brown and Root and a lot of others and getting plum federal radio licenses put in his wife’s name.
A very high number start with a lot of money too.
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