I've been wondering that for a while. How do we get Patriots into office instead of career politicians?
You have to take the situation as it was when our country was founded, as opposed to how it is now to find that answer. When this country was founded being fortunate enough to get elected to office was a voluntary thing. They got reimbursed a per diem for when they met, to cover food and lodging. Sometimes they didn't take it, providing for their own lodging and meals. I found this information on line...
1789-1815 -- $6.00 per diem
1815-1817 -- $1,500 per annum
1817-1855 -- $8.00 per diem
1855-1865 -- $3,000 per annum
1865-1871 -- $5,000 per annum
1871-1873 -- $7,500 per annum
1873-1907 -- $5,000 per annum
1907-1925 -- $7,500 per annum
1925-1932 -- $10,000 per annum
1932-1933 -- $9,000 per annum
1933-1935 -- $8,500 per annum
1935-1947 -- $10,000 per annum
1947-1955 -- $12,500 per annum
1955-1965 -- $22,500 per annum
1965-1969 -- $30,000 per annum
1969-1975 -- $42,500 per annum
1975-1977 -- $44,600 per annum
1977-1978 -- $57,500 per annum
1979-1983 -- $60,662.50 per annum
1983 -- $69,800 per annum
1984 -- $72,600 per annum
1985-1986 -- $75,100 per annum
1987 (1/1-2/3) -- $77,400 per annum
1987 (2/4) -- $89,500 per annum
1990 (2/1) -- $98,400 per annum
1991 -- $101,900 per annum
1991 (8/15) -- $125,100 per annum
1992 -- $129,500 per annum
1993 -- $133,600 per annum
1994 -- $133,600 per annum
1995 -- $133,600 per annum
1996 -- $133,600 per annum
1997 -- $133,600 per annum
1998 -- $136,700 per annum
1999 -- $136,700 per annum
2000 -- $141,300 per annum
2001 -- $145,100 per annum
2002 -- $150,000 per annum
2003 -- $154,700 per annum
2004 -- $158,100 per annum
2005 -- $162,100 per annum
2006 -- $165,200 per annum
I tried to find out how much a dollar was really worth during those times, and this is what I came up with....If you bought a dollar's worth of goods in 1800, today it would take $12.45 to buy the exact same thing. So, when a Senator got paid a per diem (that's reimbursement for one day) of $8, it was like getting $99.60 today. That per diem covered all their expenses for the day, lodging, food, transportation, everything. So, let's go back to that. Let's give them $500 for a 5 day work week. If they don't meet, they don't get paid. And I don't mean just walk in and state present and go home. If you don't do a day's worth of work for the People of the United States, you don't get paid. That will have to pay your staff, your lodging, your food that you eat, any transportation bill incured, everything. Even if they worked 52 weeks, 5 days a week, it would only come up to $26,000 a year. I say they should be like Texas. They meet every other year for 140 days. That's even better. They'd get paid $13,944 every other year.
I would even be willing to be generous and set it up like the military. You get elected for the first time, you get what an O-1 with less than 2 years gets....about $35,000 a year. If you're in the House and you get re-elected (that assumes the people liked the job you did), you can get what an O-2 gets with 4 years experience, about $45,000 a year. and on up. I found the table here: http://www.dfas.mil/militarymembers.html
If you're a Senator, elected for 6 years, your second term would be about $54,000 a year. That's where it would be beneficial (though just a bit) to be a Senator instead of just a Representative. I think their pension should also be prorated. If the people decide you did a terrible job, didn't live up to your promises, and vote you out, you should not be set up for life with a cushy pension. I put 4 years in and I don't get a pension. I just looked it up, and found this link. Basically, if you put in 20 years, you get 75% of what your base pay was...and we can take the highest. That means as a Representative, about $61,000 a year. The Senator would actually get less, but again I could be generous and make it about the same. In retired military, if you put in 30 years, you get 80% of your base pay. If you manage to put in 42 years or more, you get 105% of base pay.
Our founding fathers had real jobs. They just took a short vacation and had someone else tend their affairs so they could meet and do any business that needed doing for our country. Our military gets a salary, but they're on duty 24/7/365. They do get one month paid vacation, but it's only that they get their base pay while they're on vacation. They don't get travel expenses. I say if you're in government, and your family goes with you on a "business" trip, you don't get reimbursed. You're not a doctor who worked for the money you have so that you can spend a "working vacation" in Cankun or Benos Aires or Hawaii. You want to take a business trip you'd better get the business done and come home. I'm tired of paying for vacations for you that I can't afford to take, Mr. Senator. And that goes for the President and First Lady, too. I got friends in Hawaii I'd love to see again, but I can't afford it.
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