Would higher salaries attract more good people to work for our government?

[Cal33]

For those in the top echelons of government, the salaries they are receiving, frankly, are too low. Their entertainment expenses alone could amount to more than that. I suggest the following:

1. Allow them adequate expenses for entertainment, travel, etc. Or,

2. Triple or quadruple their present salaries.

The taxpayers would still be saving a lot more money compared to what is going on now. Then, there is no more excuse for corruption. And anyone caught in it will have a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years jail-time. And yes, limited terms would be helpful, too. And no former employee can become a lobbyist, ever. I'd like it even better, if lobbying were to become outlawed altogether.

I believe there are many bright, honest and dedicated people who would make top-notch members of congress were it not for the fact that private industry offers them salaries that are from 5 and upwards times more than the government does. (And it's ridiculous for the president of the U.S. to be making only $400,000 a year! A middle-level exec. in private industry makes that much).

More of these bright, honest and dedicated people would be interested in working for our government, if the salaries offered were more attractive. There would be fewer of the mediocre and crooked ones that we have now, some of whom probably entered the service with future corruption in mind right from the start. There are only 100 senators and 435 congresspeople. Their increase in salary wouldn't amount to much, when you consider that there are several million government employees.

We need bright, honest and dedicated people in Congress. To a large degree the well-functioning of our entire country depends on them. They can make or break our nation! Right now I'd say we seem to be breaking!! There are too many of the mediocre, and too few of the good ones. And maybe we're just getting what we're paying for!

Are we being penny wise and pound foolish?

[kestrel91316]

1. IMHO USDA needs to pay their veterinarians more. $60-70k for

medical professionals in charge of food safety is far too little. Probably explains why they have trouble recruiting.

[shraby]

2. Increasing the salaries and perks haven't been effective

so far no matter how many times it's been touted and tried. We just need to be more careful in choosing who to vote for and also will hire competent people. That's the real key.

[HopeHoops]

3. It certainly worked for Wall Street!

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[hfojvt]

4. sure, I make $16,000 a year

I would certainly love to pay more taxes so my Congresswoman (Republican Lynn Jenkins) could make more money.

I think you are looking at this bassackwards. CEO and upper management salaries need to come down, not bring government salaries up.

And why do you put those three things together? These people are
1. honest
2. dedicated
3. greedy and available for purchase


looks like a major contradiction to me.


edit: it's also kinda funny because if you go back to the 1970s, congresspeople were about 70th percentile in family income, now they are about 94th (and you think that's not high enough :crazy:)

[ecstatic]

5. I was thinking about this--why aren't more liberals running for public office?

I don't think it's a money issue. I think it's an issue of confidence--RWers like Palin have all this confidence (albeit based in delusions) even though they have little talent or knowledge. Whereas, we tend to set the bar too high as far as what qualifications are needed to run for office.

[Bluerthanblue]

6. if money is the motivator, I question the real value-

Many if not most of the really dedicated, talented, innovative people I've known didn't choose their employers because of the salary.
Not to say that didn't have some bearing on their choices, ie: job security, benefits, etc. Money doesn't always buy you the best person for the job- The CEO's of failing companies made pretty outrageous salaries, and their Co's needed to be bailed out. When it comes to the quality of work, getting what you pay for can mean choosing wisely- not just looking for the most sought after, or the one with the biggest price tag. Timex watches don't cost as much as Rolex, but they sometimes outlast them, and perform just fine.

:hi: