Our elected officials are so far removed from our standard of living, there’s no way they can truly represent the will of the people. Federally elected officials should earn the average (or median) income of their state. This will:
- Force officials to spend more time in their represented areas instead of DC due to different costs of living
- Encourage officials to be more efficient with their time in DC and eliminate ridiculous shows of political “savvy”
- Allow officials to feel the effects of their policies
- Encourage term limits as officials seek different, better paying jobs outside the government
- Save the tax payers money while encouraging better representation and political involvement
The federal government was not intended to be a lifetime employer of entrenched politicians. People were supposed to have jobs outside government, see a need in their field or community, run for office to fix the errors, then return to their non-governmental job. Restricting income of governmental officials in a way that reflects the community they serve will hopefully encourage this return to Constitutional Intent.