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Should politicians get paid minimum wage with no other "gifts"?
I think everyone should be able to live off of the least paying jobs we have. If politicians got paid minimum wage, I guarantee minimum wage would be a comfortable wage.
Lots of politicians already have money from their previous jobs as lawyers or private businessmen. The problem would be situations like Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert, who bought land, lobbied to build a highway near it, then sold it for three times what he bought it for when the highway bill went through.
Politicians will be smart enough that they'll find ways around the minimum wage pay if they wanted, but it would at least function as a reminder of what most Americans have to live on.
This is a conditional yes. If they were paid so little, they would change the monetary system would have to reflect it. Politicians would never allow themselves to live in poverty and they know that minimum wage is garbage. Without the minimum wage worker, many corporations would not exist. Yet the minimum wage is not enough to realistically live on in this country. If you go somewhere housing is cheap, minimum wage is less to reflect that. Minimum wage should be enough that anyone can afford at least basic shelter and necessities with a little room for saving or emergency expenses. Not so little that you can't pay rent, much less your other bills with a month's rent.
If you wish to become a politician then you should be in there for the correct reason if this means that you have low pay then so be it. All that they need to be paid is parliamentary allowance to help them with their work instead of raking hundreds of our dollars. In the past politician have even gone without pay well i say they should stop spending our money on stupid unnecessary things like trips over seas.
I think this would be a good way to make sure that people get into politics to make things change for the better. This would also mean politicians would get into to the business for the correct reason
This is a good point. Many politicians are already wealthy from careers as lawyers or lesser politicians. And since politicians are generally made out to be selfish and all that (who knows if it's true for all of 'em?), they will no way want to live on $6.55/hour. Let's raise the minimum wage to a living wage!
Many people do not realize that many politicians make 6 figures (well over $100,000.00) a year. In addition, they continue to receive the same pay even after they are out of office as part of their retirement plan. Many politicians will make over $8,000,000.00 (yes that is 8 million) in just ten years of retirement. Most people will never see this kind of money over their entire lifetimes. If they were forced to work for minimum wage, then they would change things because they are used to living like kings and queens, literally. It would weed out the crooked ones that are only in politics for the money (which is gotten ridiculously extreme), and the ones left would be the ones there to make a difference. You say that no one in their right mind would work for minimum wage, but billions of people do it every day. They do it because they have to work and support their families, and most jobs will not pay you any more than that. They work for minimum wage because they have to. Well, politicians have to work and support their families also. If they have to work for minimum wage, then either they will change things for the better for all of us, or change careers. If the only reason some are there is for the money (which that is the case for many) then making them work for minimum wage will make them want to change careers opening a spot for someone who will do the job for the greater good. In addition, to many people are making careers out of politics (and a large reason for this is the money). However, politics is not supposed to be a career. Serving as a politician is supposed to be a service to your country. When you serve you term, you are suppose to step down to allow another person the chance to serve the country. That is why there are limits to the number of terms a person can serve. Politicians get around this by going from office to office and from state to state. Why? For the money of course. These people are greedy and have manipulated the system to work for them instead of the people they are supposed to be serving. So yes, lowering wages for politicians would solve many problems. The country would probably save billions in tax dollars that could get us jobs for this failing economy or healthcare for the billions that cannot afford it and cannot get help from the failing Medicaid system. The politicians that would run for office at minimum wage pay would do it to change things for the better because they surly would not be making lots of money.
If the politicians got paid what a lot of the US citizens got paid they would feel how it is to try to take care of a family.They get to live it up on our hard earned money. A lot of us cannot afford a nice home let alone nice cars, vacations, clothes...
They should be paid the median american salary. They are after all are supposed to be public servants. Also the fringe benefits are just out of control. They should receive no more than an average American gets.
It would be cool if societies were willing to do something as drastic as this. To realize how important it is that the people who run a country do so with the best intentions.
Perhaps this is idealistic but I think that if it were a humble job with a humble income then greedy people would not feel so drawn to it.
I wish there was a way to screen people. Or a politician school you had to pass, which taught things like sociology and philosophy.
So that people whom were educated and self aware and with a heart for their country and not for money were granted jobs as politicians.
Obviously this will never happen, but I think it would be awesome.
Americans need to view the position of politicians as an honor and duty. Maybe when it pays next to nothing, we will get some people in office who aren't doing it for the money. Some of the best people I have had the honor of calling my friends were guys I met in the military. We got payed next to nothing, yet the output was amazing. Politicians need to strive to follow their example.
if someone wants to give a politician a big bag of money, it's his right.
as for minimum wage, i actually sort of like that since we are the ones paying for their salaries. the only problem is that no smart person would work for minimum wage... i mean, what dumbass voluntarily does that?
but, i do think the wages should be low... cause i'm tired of getting raped in the ass with taxes. one thing to have to pay for pot holes, it's another thing to have to pay for politicians and poor people.
Well, the point is, if the politicians were getting paid minimum wage, the min. wage would probably become a living wage because the politicians would raise it.
but we would need to first get them in office, which no smart person will do.
and i find it kind of bad that the government will tell people how to pay their employees... private property anyone? i mean, i guess the current minimum wage is necessary, but if we raise it to a point that smart people are willing to work... fuck, shit would become so expensive... I'll no longer go to Target to get my coolio shirts... i'll have to stick to buying shit on the street (which sucks).
Why do people think that minimum wage being raised would in turn raise the prices of everything. Yes, business' would have to pay their employee's more, but they would also be getting a lot more business because of all the disposable income that everyone will have. It would balance out if it was regulated well.
not exactly because there are many businesses that pay many different wages, and already attract certain classes of people.
with the raise of minimum wage, it won't exactly increase spending but just help with spending in very specific areas. most corporations will miss out, and will have to raise their prices in order to keep up with the increased minimum wage.
Our current money system has failed. There are more than enough of all resources to go around to everyone, but in the current situation things will go downhill if the slightest thing is changed. Or, more accurately, the people hoarding all the resources would have you believe it will go downhill. We could all live comfortably, even the shelf stockers at Wal-Mart.
oh sorry, I went into "big picture" mode, those 206 days ago that I wrote that. Anyways, I no longer think only raising the minimum wage is going to solve much by itself. So I'm giving this one to you. Good job. I do still think that my salary change would work though. They would make it a living wage some how. Maybe by finding ways to lower cost. who knows? The point is, one of the priorities of the politicians would become: Making minimum wage a living wage.
Other than making minimum wage actually possible to live on, paying minimum wage would guarantee that politicians are in government not for the money, but because they are interested in sharing their ideas and making the country a better place, regardless of politics.
Your argument does not explain the fact that the great change makers in history worked for humanity, not a paycheck. Ghandi, Mother Theresa, Harriet Tubman, the suffragettes; I would argue that Martin Luther King wasn't after a pay check - you can look to history to discover a diverse population of human beings that have shown us the way to accomplish change, social justice, and equality. People that are driven to make a difference do not need money to be motivated, just ask our teachers. In addition, your logic seems flawed: no smart person will run for office to work for minimum wage - can you prove to me, without doubt, that smart people are currently running for office?
Ghandi and Mother Theresa were shams. But even so, all of the people you've mentioned were victims of injustices. They grew up in shit conditions. They obviously already had motivation to make change.
Unfortunately, not enough people grow up in shit conditions in order to make up a government. And even so, most of them are zealots, not change makers.
You seem to put way too much trust into these victims. Pedophiles were victims... should we give them power?
And, you're right. Politicians aren't that smart. But, they are often times more smart than janitors and wal-mart cashiers.
So what is your argument? Are you saying motivation for change comes only from injustice? So only those people directly affected by horrid conditions are motivated to advocate for change? Say you see someone being treated unfairly, are you motivated to help them, or since you are not directly in the situation you lack the motivation to change the situation?
I do not see the connection or your logic with pedophiles. What argument are you trying to support, defend, or dispute with this question? I'd like to see the data that supports your statement that politicians are smarter than janitors and wal-mart cashiers - what is your baseline? Have you conducted extensive tests to prove this theory? I'm not saying you are right or wrong, just that you don't have data to support this statement. I know janitors that can repair fuel injection engines and a wal-mart cashier that rewired her entire house - tasks that require skill and aptitude. I also know a janitor that has a patent for an aerosol delivery system and a home depot cashier that sits on the Board of Directors for a non-profit organization...it would be fun to test your theory with some debates - politicians against janitors and wal-mart cashiers...I think you are on to something...
I'm saying that true motivation for change comes from something past profit, and can't be measured by paying these people minimum wage. It's like saying "hey, do all this shit for us and we'll pay you a really bad wage... shit's all good, bro".
As for pedophiles, i already made the point. I was overboard, since you don't have to be a victim... just someone with a lot of motivation.
But now I'm confused by what you're trying to point out. You're implying that I'm a person who would be motivated to help someone... with asking if I would help them or not and all... are you suggesting that I'm a better person than politicians? Interesting, since you have neither met me nor most politicians (i'm guessing that you didn't, correct me if I'm wrong). As well, what is wrong with offering them some sort of profit? Don't get me wrong, I think that all government workers should receive major cuts in pay and benefits, but our leaders making minimum wage? what kind of shit country does that?
And you got me, senor einstein. I have never conducted research to see if politicians are truly smarter than janitors and wal-mart cashiers. Then again, intelligence is subjective. It would be almost impossible to measure who is smarter. All we have is the IQ test, which kind of sucks. Very specific in what kind of intelligence it measures.
But since you like studies so much and not a debate on subjective shit, here's a study showing how people are more likely to donate their organs if they are offered money. This just shows how, yes, people do good things all the time without lots of pay or gifts... but even MORE people do good things if offered pay or gifts.
That is the whole point. We would only get people who actually want to better this country, not money grubbing turds. Politicians need to live the life of a private in the military. Paid next to nothing, yet they still keep racking up the medals.
Smart people regularly volunteer, and granted that the current income for being a politician is far below most politicians current net-worth, few do it for the money currently.
You are right, they do it for the perks. Forever insurance, forever paychecks, forever retirement, "gifts", etc. If it were just money, then it would be a breeze to catch these rats
Politicians will raise the minimum wage to whatever they are comfortable being paid, how many people would lose their jobs if minimum wage was raised to $50/hr.
I don't think politicians should be paid minimum wage necessarily, but rather an average of what their constituents earn. Those who represent us should be expected to represent us honestly and should live relatively like us and so work for what we want and need. I definitely do not think that the President needs to earn 300,000 per year for life and not have to pay for anything while in office or that Congress needs an automatic annual raise unless they specifically vote against it (how many people are going to do that?). A lot of people think we need budget cuts and I think this is a good place to start.
