We have discussed for years that they should live on the median income and have the state provided insurance for regular government employees (i.e. Mississippi BCBS that the teachers/police force have) or alternatively the Medicaid Program for their respective state.
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Being in office should be seen as a service to their community not a career. Do the service yet continue to have a real career. There should be a base salary and NO retirement plan. They should also NOT be on a different lifetime healthcare plan that is different from what working people have access to.
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Median salary is too low, could agree with median + 30-50%
Iāve said for years that they should get a starting salary. For every vote, they get a bonus, for every meeting they attend (can be virtually), another bonus. Depending on the situation the bonus is worth so much. This would end those politicians who dont do anything. They need to work 5 days a week, with no breaks until things are finalized. If they are avle to finalize on time, another bonus. Basically itās the same as sales reps. You need to earn your pay.
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Iām okay with them getting their 200k salaries honestly. However they definitely need to be banned from trading or taking lobbyist hand outs. Theyāre there because we put them there to make this country better not just for them to get rich by destroying it. Also there should be a confidential team (kind of like the IRS) to monitor all of their finances with regular quarterly audits to enforce it. If any foul play is assumed, investigated, and proven they will be immediately removed from office. Any personal things would still be confidential as we donāt need to know any of that. But any financial gain as a result of holding a position in office will have immediate consequences.
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Their benefits package also needs to be updated. No more lifetime benefits and they should be on Medicaid not the fancy health benefits they currently get. If Medicaid is good enough for the citizens itās good enough for the politicians.
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Why should they receive more? We have witnessed that more does not make them better. This is not a full time job for them. $50,000 cap, no pension, no health benefits, no secret service protection, and 2-terms served, max. They are servants. They are seeking to serve.
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In that case get rid of the term āPUBLIC SERVANTā. They only serve themselves.
No, they should not. The whole public sector union is BS. Their pay, benefits, pensions, etc are far superior to most private sector careers. Hell, who do their unions negotiate with? Local gov officials who donāt really care as its not their money, its the taxpayers.
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Iām gonna have to disagree. It costs a lot more to live in Washington D.C. than it does to live in Kentucky, Arkansas, and so forth. Iām all for them not going in worth 50K and coming out worth 10Million, but they need a livable wage, that includes living higher cost center than their home state may offer. Also, that could mean each one was making a different amount of money for doing the same work. I do think there should be an attendance policy though! Itās ridiculous when you hear they only show up like half the time.
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I agree! These are supposed to be servants who are put in place to help the American people. We voted them in to help us! They should not be motivated to be elected for any financial reasons! The elected officials should receive the average salary in the state they reside.
I like this idea, but make it that all politicians make the median income of a US citizen.
Thatās a great idea!
Remember when they were paid a per diem? I would like to see them in the state they represent, paid at the median salary for that state. Then, they would be more apt to help increase that for each of us: no inside trading, no stock purchases during their term and that should also be the same for their immediate family.
I think having a government owned and run living facility in D.C. for members while in session would take care of the cost of living. This way only making the stateās median wage would be acceptable.
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