Elon Suggesting That We Pay Our Officials More Money.

FP1201 · Mar 10, 2025

thughes said:
:

Not making it a goddamn career with term limits would solve a lot of that too.
The premise written into the Constitution intended short service Two years for Congress, Six for Senate, four for President: two terms each should be more than long enough.

thughes · Mar 10, 2025

FP1201 said:
Not making it a goddamn career with term limits would solve a lot of that too.
The premise written into the Constitution intended short service Two years for Congress, Six for Senate, four for President: two terms each should be more than long enough.

True, but you can flip those 2 terms into a pretty lucrative gig working as a lobbyist after your time is up, so there should be at least a five year moratorium on working for a lobbying firm post-service.

Depick · Mar 10, 2025

Old Jalopy said:
I haven't been impressed with the last 50 days of the current over lords at all. Our gun rights are still being attacked, inflations hasn't gone down one red penny- in fact it's getting worse and will get far worse with the trade war, crime isn't down, I could go on but...........

I will be honest I have mixed feelings on the recent tariffs. There is no way this increase in cost will not be passed on to the consumer.

Trumps work on the border, combating DEI and battling the national debt are exactly what this country needs.

We are roughly two months into his second term. I would say a little patience and some faith are in order.

TEOTWAWKI inc. · Mar 10, 2025

SomeSoldier said:
The wealth can only afford elections now. Show me federal elected office who's campaign is less than half a million.

721 House candidates, and 100 Senate candidates raised more than $500,000 for the 2024 election.

The senate is where the big money plays.

Raising: by the numbers - FEC.gov

Explore current and historic federal campaign finance data on the new fec.gov. Look at totals and trends, and see how candidates and committees raise and spend money. When you find what you need, export results and save custom links.

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SonOfSun · Mar 10, 2025

OwnTheRide said:
There is a danger to making the pay of elected officials too low, and that is the risk of excluding the middle class from being able to afford to run for office. DC is absurdly expensive. If we capped their pay to, say, the average of their constituents, then only the wealthy would be able to afford to hold elected office.

So... just like now?

Saltwater60 · Mar 10, 2025

thughes said:
I believe serving as a politician should be voluntary, with basic health insurance and a stipend for room and board. And it shouldn't be a full time job, just a few months twice a year to assemble and get business done. All these scumbags say they want to "serve the people"....well if that's really your altruistic motive, you'd be happy to serve without the primary goal of getting rich.

At the very most, thier pay should remain the same but their health benefits shifted to the same private insurance that we serfs have to deal with, and the government pension replaced with a 401k (maybe give them a matching option up to 5%).

That's how you fix SS and health insurance for this country.

Fuck them.

Makes sense to me. Kind of like serving in the national guard. One weekend a month and two weeks out of the year. Most votes should be virtual to save the outrageous let down they get. It’s like $200 a day and they get an office in DC and an office back home that delay for. Make them remote positions.

OwnTheRide · Mar 10, 2025

SomeSoldier said:
The wealth can only afford elections now. Show me federal elected office who's campaign is less than half a million.

They aren't paying out of pocket, campaigns are run on funds from supporters, lobbyists, political parties, etc.

SonOfSun said:
So... just like now?

A congressperson can get by in DC on their current $174k salary. It isn't luxurious living, but they can get by. They probably should be paid more, though.

fresch · Mar 11, 2025

Zoom call y'all.
They do not need to live in the swamp

spat · Mar 11, 2025

FP1201 said:
I thought the premise of Prison, having property seized, and even being hung was incentive enough NOT to break the law...apparently when you make the Laws, somehow they figure how they're exempt?

They don't figure.

They literally write exemptions into the law for themselves.

Congress critters are explicitly exempted from insider trading laws for instance.

spat · Mar 11, 2025

SomeSoldier said:
There is only one thing that can fix this.

Someone go get a shit load of rope...

spat · Mar 11, 2025

SonOfSun said:
So... just like now?

Anyone can afford to *hold* office.

But only the wealthy can afford to *acquire* the office.

But, if we're going to pay them more, it needs to be in exchange for additional constraints on them financially.

OwnTheRide · Mar 11, 2025

SomeSoldier said:
The only reason that the cost in DC is so high is lobbyists. Get rid of them and watch the cost of living drop.

I don't know about that. The cost of living is insane in any major city.

SomeSoldier said:
DC is a shithole.

On this, we can certainly agree!

spat · Mar 11, 2025

OwnTheRide said:
I don't know about that. The cost of living is insane in any major city.

On this, we can certainly agree!

DC should not be a city.

There should be no civilian housing there, and no privately owned real estate at all.

It was meant to be an independent district, not a mini state.

SonOfSun · Mar 11, 2025

spat said:
Anyone can afford to *hold* office.

But only the wealthy can afford to *acquire* the office.

That's what I was getting at however... The first part is moot since you have to acquire it first, and to do that you already need to be rich. The rich can already afford to get into office, this also means they can afford to be in office salary change or not because they are already rich.

The representation system is broken. They don't represent voters any more, and haven't for a long long time. You'll see me direct a lot of hate towards both Democrats and Republicans, and that's why. None of them, with very rare exception, really represent their voters. I doubt that any of them would even piss on you if you were on fire. Fuck em all, from Trump all the way down.

Celt · Mar 11, 2025

I think they should have lower pay, and no immunity to insider trading for any of their close family and relatives.

spat · Mar 12, 2025

SonOfSun said:
That's what I was getting at however... The first part is moot since you have to acquire it first, and to do that you already need to be rich. The rich can already afford to get into office, this also means they can afford to be in office salary change or not because they are already rich.

The representation system is broken. They don't represent voters any more, and haven't for a long long time. You'll see me direct a lot of hate towards both Democrats and Republicans, and that's why. None of them, with very rare exception, really represent their voters. I doubt that any of them would even piss on you if you were on fire. Fuck em all, from Trump all the way down.

The problem came when we decided that democracy meant anyone with a pulse should be able to vote.

Our country was not designed to function with morons voting.

Not sure any country can.

But, morons are far more easily manipulated.

You can run a very totalitarian regime if you can pollute the electorate with easily manipulated rules, then just tell them to vote for whatever policy it is you want.

Just go back to the "landowner" requirement and we'd be a lot better off.

Grimscale · Mar 12, 2025

spat said:
Just go back to the "landowner" requirement and we'd be a lot better off.

All that would do is limit voting to a few thousand super rich.
Productive people who rent would be locked out. Morons who inherited the family farm would be able to vote like morons.

Any citizen should be able to vote. It's our country.
And politicians should be REQUIRED to tell the truth while running for a position.

Mr. terzmo · Mar 12, 2025

SomeSoldier said:
Anyone else buying this bullshit? They already have proven they cannot be trusted. They lie, cheat and steal. Yet he thinks we should pay them more. They current pay of $285k a year is in the top 5% of earners in the US. How can they be for the people when they can't understand what the people go through day to day. Their healthcare is like their current pay. They insider trade. They waste our money with fake aid for money laundering.

What I think needs to happen won't. I honestly think the country is done and will decay. It cannot be saved.

Greed has no limit. If anybody checks, every politician in Congress has a net worth over a million. How did AOC ACCRUE 3 mil plus when she couldn’t afford a Washington DC apartment. Musk,if suggesting this is totally wrong. Like pouring gas on a fire so it will burn out faster. WTF

Dr. Evil · Mar 12, 2025

Yeah, I don't know why years and years of bad decisions and corruption aren't being remedied in a little over two months lol. A lot of the same that said a Republican won't win the presidency. Holy speed of light Batman, people really need to give things some time. BTW, as I look around my house I see very little things that say, "Made in Canada."

spat · Mar 12, 2025

Grimscale said:
All that would do is limit voting to a few thousand super rich.
Productive people who rent would be locked out. Morons who inherited the family farm would be able to vote like morons.

Any citizen should be able to vote. It's our country.
And politicians should be REQUIRED to tell the truth while running for a position.

Way more people are landowners than a few super rich.

What it would do is shift the voting demographic very strongly to rural areas where even the poor tend to own property, and away from urban areas where even upper middle class rent.

Zerex · Mar 12, 2025

Trump only hired the rich, well born, and able to staff his Cabinet...............they all took a pay cut.

The disposable income of the Fed gov employees, and recipients of all the USAID.HHS/EPA. Dept Ed, Commerce, WORLD WIDE including kickbacks to Congress/Soros, etc .......... FRAUD...............trillions each year.........

NEEDS TO BE ELIMINATED.......already the stock market sees the end of the gravy train for disposable income, investment sectors........

then we can pay the masters more money.

Old Jalopy · Mar 12, 2025

Dr. Evil said:
Yeah, I don't know why years and years of bad decisions and corruption aren't being remedied in a little over two months lol. A lot of the same that said a Republican won't win the presidency. Holy speed of light Batman, people really need to give things some time. BTW, as I look around my house I see very little things that say, "Made in Canada."

I'm old with health problems. I want shit done yesterday, because I may not be alive to see it tomorrow. Seriously, much of the damage is well within being cleaned up a lot faster than it appears to be on course for. As I have said numerous times now, did we really need an EO to save TikTok or plastic straws? If either of these were a serious concern for any red blooded Republican, then there those people need to re-evaluate their priorities, the same as the politicians need to start getting shit accomplished. I expect more than more smoke blown up my gas blower. They are talking a lot, and doing less. And so far, nothing good has come for the middle or lower class people. Give me back my civil rights, stop making me pay $200 to cook burgers, and make it so I can travel with it not costing $80 (a lot more for a lot of other people) to fill up my gas tank. These were some of the top things we voted for, so get the shit done and stop wasting time with the foolish bullshit.

Beerman · Mar 12, 2025

Old Jalopy said:
I'm old with health problems. I want shit done yesterday, because I may not be alive to see it tomorrow. Seriously, much of the damage is well within being cleaned up a lot faster than it appears to be on course for. As I have said numerous times now, did we really need an EO to save TikTok or plastic straws? If either of these were a serious concern for any red blooded Republican, then there those people need to re-evaluate their priorities, the same as the politicians need to start getting shit accomplished. I expect more than more smoke blown up my gas blower. They are talking a lot, and doing less. And so far, nothing good has come for the middle or lower class people. Give me back my civil rights, stop making me pay $200 to cook burgers, and make it so I can travel with it not costing $80 (a lot more for a lot of other people) to fill up my gas tank. These were some of the top things we voted for, so get the shit done and stop wasting time with the foolish bullshit.

You’re gonna live forever if you only live another few months, because Congress just decided that the entire remaining term of this session will not count as more than a single calendar day.

Grimscale · Mar 13, 2025

spat said:
Way more people are landowners than a few super rich.

What it would do is shift the voting demographic very strongly to rural areas where even the poor tend to own property, and away from urban areas where even upper middle class rent.

I'm already seeing a trend where big corporations are buying up rural land.
My mom is stating that new houses are being built like crazy in San Tan Valley... Houses that seem to end up as rentals, not purchasable. That implies that they are all owned by corporations also.

Supposedly Oprah is buying up a lot of the burned over land in Maui.

More and more land is being accumulated by fewer and fewer rich people. Making voting accessible to only landowners will reduce mom & pop voting more and more as time goes by.

spat · Mar 13, 2025

Grimscale said:
I'm already seeing a trend where big corporations are buying up rural land.
My mom is stating that new houses are being built like crazy in San Tan Valley... Houses that seem to end up as rentals, not purchasable. That implies that they are all owned by corporations also.

Supposedly Oprah is buying up a lot of the burned over land in Maui.

More and more land is being accumulated by fewer and fewer rich people. Making voting accessible to only landowners will reduce mom & pop voting more and more as time goes by.

Land is the ultimate inflation proof asset.

It is the one thing they aren't making any more of. Even gold they mine more every year, and sooner or later someone is going to drag an asteroid with a metric shit ton of it back to orbit and start dropping it down 500 tons at a time.

You're not wrong about the rich buying it up.

But, it doesn't matter how much they buy, because you get the same number of votes for 1 acre as you do for 500,000.

And certainly there are plenty of good people who rent, but think of it this way. If we went back to landowners only, then sacrificing your one vote as a rural renter will cancel out 1000 NYC douchebags.

Elon Suggesting That We Pay Our Officials More Money.

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