Politicians should rot in hell.

[Medios]

http://vote.com/magazine/columns/dickmo ... 7367.phtml

[Alberich]

what Mike, you'd rather they be legislating up some new wars, or improved ways to steal and spend your money?

Let 'em take all the days off they want, I say. It's the only time they're not actively screwing people.

[Medios]

Why pay them? They work for 2 days a week to pass laws that help them make more money. I fully see your point Adam, however they shouldnt receive pay for non work. I work for my family and I rarely get paid for nothing. These bastards work for us and we allow it.

Mike

[Marchessa_red_witch]

Is a pollster who works for politicians. And in this case he isn't being honest - it was the minority caucus that asked for the day off.

Don't believe everything you read.

[Alberich]

giving a criminal gang money to bugger off and leave you be is a well established practice. I view congress, and congresscritters, as basically criminal personalities without the intelligence to make it in free-market crime.

[kjartan]

Actually, you really don't want congressmen to be unpaid- then the only people who will represent you are going to be either independently wealthy, or else planning from the start on making their money in bribes, and feeling like the system sanctions their doing so. I think we should pay congressmen $500k or so. It's enough money that they will be well into the realm of marginal decreasing utility for money and will therefore be a bit less susceptible to bribes, and it's competitive with what they would make in the private sector as high-powered lawyers or whatever so they won't view congress as a stepping stone to a career lobbying for corporations, but as an end in itself. It's not expensive in government spending terms, either - the war in Iraq is costing about 300x what $500k salaries for the entire congress and senate would cost.

[Medios]

Im not saying they shouldnt be paid. Your on top of one of the problems Kj. People can make alot more money in the private sector than they can in politics, so over time people feel that they deserve some payback. If its land schemes, giving contracts to friends, nepotism, whatever they feel that its obligatory. Why else would they spend all this money to get elected. The whole system is jacked right now, all it really takes to win elections is plenty of money. Look at whats already happening to Obama. Hes been called Osama or confused with bin laden several times. This includes prominent senators, CNN, etc. If that isnt an obvious personal attack then what is. He probably hasnt been a politician long enough to be fully corrupt, so watch them take him down. These people disgust me honestly, if they did what was right our problems would be nil.

Mike

[Avatar]

It may be an unpopular opinion these days, but the work these politicians are doing is not easy. There are difficult problems they deal with, with no single solution that will make everyone happy. Politics is compromise, ever since Rome was founded.

The cool thing about the US is that anyone can get involved. You don't have to run for a senate seat, it's unlikely that someone without some experience would be elected anyway. I mean, I wouldn't vote for some random guy. People could however run for a city council position, or work with the school board, volunteer with the parks board, etc. Even at the local level, we might be surprised at how complex some of the problems are.

It's pretty misleading to imply that having congress in session two days a week means that they only work two days a week. Voting in congress is usually the result of a large amount of preparation. Would you want to vote on some issue that you haven't spent any time investigating? Without talking to some of the people that you represent? Would you propose legislation that you drafted on toilet paper during a break from an in-session day of congress? Well...maybe heh...

Sure, some of the politicians are crooked. I'm an optimist, and I believe that the crooked ones are a minority. My opinion is based on personal observations of local levels of government.

[13]

I can agree with some of that. But local levels of politics are probably a lot less
corrupt than the people at the top. Think of all the dicks they had to suck to get there, and palms to grease etc.

[Zukt]

Its safe to assume that all politicians are evil meglomaniacs that would pimp their daughter and grandmother on the same corner to get ahead in the world. You sort of have to be in order to get anywhere in politics. Work from this assumption to adjust the system that screws us less. Paying them a lot of money is a good idea.

But I dont buy the notion that local politicians are less corrupt that the feds for a second. The feds are under far more scrutiny, and the locals can swap kickbacks like nothin.

[Alberich]

maybe local politicians are less corrupt where you live... I'm in Chicago, we've got it down to a science

[Medios]

Well local politicians are more salt of the earth. They understand the plight of the working man, and how bigger govt can consume everything. They mostly run for office to help fix problems, some are eventually corrupted, but most do the best they can. The players that get elected into big positions have enough money that they could care less about the substantive issues. Greed has overcome most of these people and like Zukt said, they will pimp out grandma if the price is right. I was just reading an article that makes me feel better about stuff. Condoleezza Rice is a very smart woman, and im proud that shes Secretary of State. Rant on about her being GWs bitch, but her credentials, education, and knowledge of world affairs are amazing.

Mike