Our Founding Fathers envisioned a Constitutional Republic in which the people would voluntarily serve for a period of time, doing their civic duty and then return to their business or place of employment.
For their time, they’d receive a per diem compensation for only the time in which they were handling the business of the people to cover the cost of their living expenses.
Today, these individuals may far more than the average constituent they serve, they’ve made a career of politicking, many serve far into their senior years when they should have retired decades earlier, if they retire or are voted out of office, they still receive full retirement pay as well as health benefits. In their position many have become multimillionaires due to the position they hold with insider info or possibly selling their office for compensation from special interests.
This needs to end. Members of Congress, House of Rep members should only receive basic per diem compensation, no health benefits, no benefits to shop in military commissaries or facilities, no special housing, (they can share a modest apartment building in Washington while there doing the people’s business), no travel or other expenses or any other benefits or compensation.
Further, they cannot use the office in which they serve to benefit themselves or enrich themselves in any way, severe prison consequences should immediately follow and stripped of all financial increase they’ve received.
Money should also never play a part in running for office. These fundraising campaigns need to end as it’s near akin to buying your way into political office, whoever outspends the competition get the most news coverage or posters out is the most well known and voted for. Candidates should run on their ideas, their track record and character. If they can’t do that, they have no business representing their neighbors in political office.