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BTW Congressmen don't make much... Only $174K. That's not peanuts, but in the DC area it's not gonna go far.

The fact that someone can say "only 174K" sickens me.

Take away the salary, and suddenly you're going to have people who are still motivated by the same selfish, greedy, motives but who are even MORE "up for sale" than currently.

BTW Congressmen don't make much... Only $174K. That's not peanuts, but in the DC area it's not gonna go far.

bolded part- sadly is true. Take away their salaries and they'll be even bigger whores and up for sale to the highest bidding lobbyists.

underlined part- you can thank the explosion of corporate lobbyists and special interest groups- which have EXPLODED since the late 80s. Before then- DC area was nowhere near the most expensive place in US.

At the close of the 1970s there were 300 registered lobbyists in DC- now there's more than 30,000 registered lobbyists in DC.

This is a fascinating piece Dan Rather did on lobbyists- after he had to re-sign/fired from CBS- he went to work for Mark Cuban's HD Network- and did better journalism there in the few years he was there than he did in his entire 30+ year career for establishment media.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NowpCswP40c

It's a bit hard to tell someone they are not allowed to speak with a Congressman, and vice versa, and a salary of $174K for top leaders in DC is not what I'd consider extreme.  They gain wealth, if they do, by other means, often writing a book or marrying or having it when they get into politics.  Mosst have to have two residences, one at home and one in DC.

And most are not "wealthy". If we cut their salaries severely, only wealthy people could serve.

The Congresspeople "in the news" do treat it as a career, but many do not.  Many of them try to do a good job and then leave, but seniority means they get ignored.

I was slightly involved in one lobbying effort, the gist was trying to explain some basic patent law to a Congressman, it wasn't nefarious at all.  It also wasn't at all easy.

The fact that someone can say "only 174K" sickens me.

You're finally coming around - baby steps

I'm not a big fan of term limits or reducing salaries, but I do think the House should have way more people. Like double or triple. Congress set the number at 435 in 1929, and the population has grown by 200 million people since then. 

I'm not a big fan of term limits or reducing salaries, but I do think the House should have way more people. Like double or triple. Congress set the number at 435 in 1929, and the population has grown by 200 million people since then.

You have to get the money out of the election system someway somehow. I don't know what the answer is on that- but someone has to find it- and fast.

I am for term limits- this thing is suppose to be a civic duty- NOT a 50 year do-nothing career (*cough* Biden *cough*) where they enrich themselves and their families with shady foreign deals, big money book deals, speaking fees, tv appearances, tv/radio shows, trade favors for corporations then leave and go sit on their boards/get hired by them, or insider trading/insider deals (*cough* PELOSI *cough*). I think 3-4 terms should be the limit- something like that. And I think all stock market trading should be banned for them and their immediate families while they are in office- and I think once they leave office it should be illegal for them to serve on corporate boards of publicly traded companies, be registered lobbyists once they are out of office, and it should be illegal for them to take corporate speaking gigs where they make $600,000 a speech (*cough* HILLARY *cough*) for at least 20 years from date they are out.

Not sure I would add more people- you'd just be adding to the dysfunction and the corruption and there would just be even more lobbyists and dirty cash in the system.