Cut Sens/Reps pay to 40k per year, Prez 50k not a dime more.

[Union Yes]

1. The job they have done would get any one of us fired if we gave a similar performance on our job.

2. They have not earned their pay, clearly.

3. We elect them with the hope that they will legislate as populist and/or progressives only to see the polar opposite once they are sworn in. They enter the upper class with their new salary and cast away any remaining populist/ progressive views they may have once espoused.

4. Some pols may actually be from the middle class prior to election. They step off the plane in DC and are handed a fat paycheck, immediatly moving them into the upper class.

The greed mechanism in their brain takes over and they swiftly forget where they fucking came from.

5. Newly elected ideologues are dealt with swiftly. The corporate lobby, AIPAC/CFR are waiting to greet them and begin the coersion. Corrupting them by reminding them that they are now amongst the upper class.

The result of that coersion..

2 WARS
700+ Military bases worldwide.
Growing wealth divide top 10% own about 90% of this nations wealth.
Dieing middle class
Poverty growth at record levels
Healthcare for profit
Insurance
Usury
Privatization
Free Trade
Rape of the global environment
An Anti Union Government

Pols are still willing to drive America off a cliff to protect the rich from the rest of us. The peon class.

They're still telling the world, capitalize or you'll get hurt.

Many Dems voted for the Bush tax cuts in '01. Their $174K salaries are still benefitting from those tax cuts. Meanwhile the average American worker still sees no benefit. The tax burden has been shifted to the little people and further saps their meager budgets.

The Employee Free Choice Act should have been signed into law by Feb 1st. I'm tired of hearing excuses as to why it hasn't been signed into law. Government fears the power that Unions will bring to the people. They fear the people having any voice whatsoever.

Unions could and would lead America forward to a fair nation.

The wealthy fear populism. Populism gives power to the people. Apparantly, a nightmare to almost everyone earning 174K+ per year in DC.

The reasons to pay Pols a median salary are aplenty. Millions and millions of Americans work much harder for much less than median pay. Their workload doesn't warrant 174K per year. Their performance certainly doesn't.

Almost all Americans have taken pay cuts in recent years. Either by falling wages or the crashing economy, "free" trade, De-Unionization, corporate downsizing.

Time for congress and the Prez to share the pain by taking pay cuts. They've earned it!

Time for our elected government to better emulate the populace by being paid a median salary.

Maybe then they won't forget us.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

1. Likely result: More graft.

Better idea: Get involved and vote the bums out.

Even better idea: Get organized to change campaign finance laws so that you can actually accomplish the above idea.

[Union Yes]

6. Nice gesture.

But we did that on Nov 4th and not much has changed.

The clock is ticking on Dems. Nov '10, 18 months to go. It'll be here before we know.

The mid term election will be a critique of the Democratic Party and it's achievements since Nov '08.
So far, Dems are giving me little confidence that they will win or maintain their majority in '10.

Patience isn't a luxury we can afford with Nov '10 looming.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

9. It's the only way it is going to happen.

Campaign finance.
Then accountability.

Much easier than cutting pay, which has zero chance of happening.


:shrug:

[tritsofme]

2. An empty gesture.

The only people hurt by such a scheme would be the genuine citizen legislators who actually live off of their congressional salaries, as opposed to the vast personal wealth of most of those in government.

[cali]

3. and seeing as they set their own pay, how do you suggest this be accomplished?

Aside from that, the rest of your post is largely nonsense. Clearly, not all of our reps are elected to be progressive or even populist. Unions aren't utopian organizations. the working classes and poor have the same all to human natures as everyone else. Populism can be fucking awful. It all depends on the idea. Don't forget the populist support for war not so long ago.

I vote for my reps for several reasons. Yes, a progressive record and pov is important, so are other qualities, such as being independent and reflective.

Oh, and I'm happy to pay my reps, none of whom are wealthy, their current salaries. They earn it.

[dysfunctional press]

4. it's called the 'ballot box'...that's the procedure for firing reps that do a lousy job.

it's becoming painfully obvious that we really need to re-institute a requirement for civics classes in high school.

[Andy823]

5. I agree.

We do need to vote out the ones that aren't working for the people, but the problem is that everyone thinks "their" congress person is doing a good job they never vote them out. The other real big problem is that those who have been there and are part of the corrupt system have the backing by the party leaders, and get the "big" money to keep them in office so they can keep on voting the way their corporate masters want them to. I have seen those in primary races drop out and go to work work for those running for re-election so when primaries come up there is nobody else to vote for!

Sadly I think it's all rigged on both sides, and the people of this country are the ones who end up suffering!

[Oregone]

7. The lower you pay them, the more likely only the super-rich can do it, and the more likely their...

income will be supplemented by special interests.

[Uzybone]

8. What a stupid idea.