What politicians won’t do that you do
Written by Michael Vass
I was discussing the Health Care Reform Bill and the inaction of Senator Schumer, Senator Gillibrand, and other politicians the other day when I had a friend state a brilliant idea.
“Let all the politicians and elected officials live on $7.25 and hour and then let’s see how they act.”
Wouldn’t that be interesting? Imagine that.
I did, and I fleshed out the thought a bit more. Why not have every elected official have every asset frozen upon taking office. This way even if this Senator or that Representative, or those members of the city council and so on, are multi-millionaires (which the majority of elected officials are) they will effectively become minimum wage workers.
In addition, take away the ability of elected officials to write bad checks. In case you did not know, members of Congress cannot be charged with writting bad checks - or at least they are never charged with that. So while you and I can be put in jail for fraud an elected official just says
“What did you expect. Have you looked at the national debt lately?”
Add to this paycheck another factor. Every official is entitled to the same healthcare that the lowest income bracket they represent can afford. Which would mean that if you represent say Mississippi, you can be assured to have the same healthcare that families living on $12,000 in that State get. Not more, not better. The same exact care.
Also, elected officials love the free dinners and meals they get to have. If it were up to me, other than when receiving representatives of another country, no elected official would be able to have anything more than what the lowest income bracket citizen they represent could afford.
Thus if the meal is free, and they want to have cavier I’m all for it. They can have as much as a family living on $7.25 an hour (minimum wage) could afford to have after taking out for the cost of living. So take
$290, sorry I forgot taxes make that $256 and subtract electricity (which President Obama promised to increase the cost of), rent (say $600 is average for a month), a phone (~$60), a car payment (~$125), insurance (~$210), gasoline (~100 a month at current levels), 10% for the general cost of a child (I’m sure it’s more), which gives you a total of say -$187 (negative $187). I’m not sure how much caviar that will buy, but elected officials are welcome to it.
[If I am way off on these numbers, please do inform me of a more accurate set of numbers.]
The same policy would apply to the free plane trips (except to get to D.C. and back to their home office), vacations, and “official junkets and conferences” that tend to take place in Rio, the Bahamas, and other such luxury spots.
Mind you, I don’t want any elected official stripped of their money. Nor would I prevent them from growing that money as they do know (blind trusts). The day they leave elected office they can go right back to life as usual. But while in office EVERY elected official should live no better than the lowest average citizen they represent.
This way they would remember, no matter how long they get re-elected, what they are there for, and who they serve. Because their life would only improve if those they represent improve.
But I guarantee that not one elected official will back this idea. In fact I bet that not one official would live 1 year under these terms and conditions.
That’s something that I think everyone should consider as the various elected officials make comments about how they know this Bill or Law will be good for the people they represent, or that they are doing the right thing by not reading whatever they are voting on.
Before you vote in 2010, I dare you to ask your elected official to take up this challenge. I want to see the reply from Senator Schumer, and Senator Gillibrand, and all the other elected officials. I guarantee not one will say yes. But they will tell you how great they are and how they know better than you how you should live.
