Beyond that, we need to remember that Congress works for us. We’re their employers. So really, we should set their salaries. Why is it that they get to vote themselves raises? I did the math, and even at a 40% pay cut, they would still clear $100,000 a year, not including benefits so good they’d make you cry.
Dan Proft, candidate for governor of IL in the primaries, once suggested that representatives’ pay should be tied to the median income of their state. When the median income goes up, so does their pay. If it goes down, so does their pay. Talk about incentive to help the people!
I did a little research on median incomes across the nation. Only in California in some very ritzy areas did I find a median income at $103,000. Everywhere else in the states I sampled (NY, CO, IL, AK, AL, OR) the median income was between 50k-70k. If our new congress wants to make a big impression and a move in the right direction, they’ll cut $100,000 out of every representatives’ salaries. Multiplied by 535 that equals $53,500,000. It may be a drop in the bucket in the face of the trillions in debt we are facing, but it would go a long way in keeping faith with the voters by getting into the trenches with us.
via intolerantfox.wordpress.com
I must admit, this would be a really, really, REALLY good move on the part of the Republicans to show their voters just how seriously they're taking the second chance they've been given.
But more than that, I think it would be an excellent idea if congressional salaries were tied in to the average or mean income BY LAW. (Gee, I think I've mentioned this before...)
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