line #17 is a COLA; dontcha know that this is a hard job?
what a crock; the reason that #17 is a COLA is so that no representative (or senator, for that matter) has to record a vote either way on increasing his salary. this is no more a job than jury duty, and no more deserving of a healthcare plan, a pension, or a career as a parasite on the body politic.
as for costs, a rep should get a housing and food allowance commensurate with family size; a single person would get enough money to rent a single-bedroom apartment in a safe part of town and enough to buy a balanced diet for himself, while a rep with a spouse and ten children would get enough to rent a house with perhaps six bedrooms (rep and spouse, and perhaps two children per bedroom), along with enough food to feed twelve people, ten of whom are growing children. if a rep wants to get better housing or eat steak every day, let him do it, but make up the difference with his own money. all legitimate expenses should be covered, and just about anything could be legitimate; the "gotcha" is that *E*V*E*R*Y* such expenses must be public and published - often! - in the state or district of the rep, as well as near the top of the document list on the house and senate websites. if somebody is pushing the human race towards world peace by throwing diplomatic parties, then so be it - it's legitimate. if, OTOH, he is just throwing parties so that he can rub elbows with hollywood nazis, well, that, too, is legitimate, but his constituents *MUST* be informed of the costs; let the *people* decide whether or not to return the a**hole to office.
and finally - but not least - #17 is about the best argument there is for term limits. if we're "preventing people with experience from holding office," then there should be nothing but old farts running the government, and when they die, there should be no more government ... right? i call bulls**t; get elected to some other office, if U must, or go back to your state (or some other state, if it's no longer safe for U to return "home") and get a real f***ing job. being an elected official is a SERVICE to your fellow citizens, not a job! people who "serve" in the senate or house for decades are f***ing parasites.
line #17 is a COLA; dontcha know that this is a hard job?
ReplyDeletewhat a crock; the reason that #17 is a COLA is so that no representative (or senator, for that matter) has to record a vote either way on increasing his salary. this is no more a job than jury duty, and no more deserving of a healthcare plan, a pension, or a career as a parasite on the body politic.
as for costs, a rep should get a housing and food allowance commensurate with family size; a single person would get enough money to rent a single-bedroom apartment in a safe part of town and enough to buy a balanced diet for himself, while a rep with a spouse and ten children would get enough to rent a house with perhaps six bedrooms (rep and spouse, and perhaps two children per bedroom), along with enough food to feed twelve people, ten of whom are growing children. if a rep wants to get better housing or eat steak every day, let him do it, but make up the difference with his own money. all legitimate expenses should be covered, and just about anything could be legitimate; the "gotcha" is that *E*V*E*R*Y* such expenses must be public and published - often! - in the state or district of the rep, as well as near the top of the document list on the house and senate websites. if somebody is pushing the human race towards world peace by throwing diplomatic parties, then so be it - it's legitimate. if, OTOH, he is just throwing parties so that he can rub elbows with hollywood nazis, well, that, too, is legitimate, but his constituents *MUST* be informed of the costs; let the *people* decide whether or not to return the a**hole to office.
and finally - but not least - #17 is about the best argument there is for term limits. if we're "preventing people with experience from holding office," then there should be nothing but old farts running the government, and when they die, there should be no more government ... right? i call bulls**t; get elected to some other office, if U must, or go back to your state (or some other state, if it's no longer safe for U to return "home") and get a real f***ing job. being an elected official is a SERVICE to your fellow citizens, not a job! people who "serve" in the senate or house for decades are f***ing parasites.