Public Service

[GwynnInTheHall]

I was just bouncing some things around in my head (too much extra space) and started thinking about those who take political office and their job we elect them to do vs what they actually do.

Is it extreme to think those we elect should forgo making any money outside their salaries while in office? I mean with the revelation that some folks in office have used insider info to profit in the market and knowing that many in office have profited in other ways due only to their positions in office and their ability to influence legislation, shouldn't we see what can be done to limit the influence of money in politics?

We've all agreed that campaign reform is an issue we ca all get behind, removing and /or limiting the ability of corporations, PACs and rich donors to influence politicians. the next logical step would be to remove the temptation/allure that some in office succumb to once elected in that they stop being there for us and start spending all their time in office trying to stay in office for the benefits the position brings.

With no extra money available once in office, we'd hopefully have only those who really want to serve the people run for and take office and those who stay in office for a long time would truly be the people's champions.

Now I'm sure I've missed some glaring reason why this would be impossible, but thought just maybe it'd be a cool topic to discuss.

[OaklandA's]

There are already limits on what congressmen can earn (in wages and fees) outside of their salary. It's limited to 15% of their salary, which makes it around $25K/year.

But that doesn't include investment income, which is a much more difficult thing to regulate. Obviously, some of these guys are millionaires already, so on interest alone then can make huge amounts of money. I'm not sure how you can limit that.

[Lucky]

In Arkansas, judges can have no outside source of income, but this doesn't apply to income from stocks or bonds they may have. One good thing, in my opinion, is that any money a judge has left over after a campaign has to be returned to the donors, or forfeited to the state. Judges can't build huge war chests to use in non-election years.

The bad news is that judges here don't make very much, so it is often hard to attract the best candidates.

As for Congress, I think it is unrealistic for people with millions upon millions of dollars to really understand what life is like for people who live paycheck to paycheck, or for those who don't even have that paycheck.

I regularly have people in my court for whom even a speeding ticket can create an economic hardship. (You can't say "don't speed", but everybody goofs up sometimes.) For those whose monthly income is a $684 disability check, any extra expense can be difficult.

I would love to see it made possible that non-rich people could run for national office. I would run for a higher court if I could afford it. I can't even imagine trying to come up with enough money to run for Congress.