Nancy Pelosi's Hand Across Your Face
The sheer brass this takes:
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Thursday that she opposes a cut in congressional pay because it would diminish the dignity of lawmakers' jobs.
"I don't think we should do it; I think we should respect the work we do," Pelosi told reporters in the Capitol. "I think it's necessary for us to have the dignity of the job that we have rewarded."
Look, our side goes a little nuts with this stuff sometimes. You're not going to be able to finance a nanosecond of the federal government's operations with the money you save through legislative pay cuts. But then, that's not really the point.
The point is that "the dignity of the job" is ostensibly in serving the American people -- which means that when we all wake up from decades worth of orgiastic spending, the people wearing the little lapel pins ought to be the first to volunteer themselves for a haircut, if only to prove that the District of Columbia isn't a consequence-free zone.
Pelosi was quick to point out that her family's wealth means it wouldn't be a big deal for her to take the hit, but that many other lawmakers are the breadwinners in their family. Fine, but misleading. We're never going to cut salaries to the point where U.S. senators are living off of Ramen noodles and Easy Mac. And everyone knows that the financial calculation that goes into serving in Congress usually has more to do with cashing in once you leave than growing rich on Capitol Hill.
On a related note, I attended a meeting earlier this week with a reporter formerly stationed in Asia. She noted how Singapore pays its elected officials relatively lavish salaries in order to, amongst other things, insulate them from the temptation of corruption (here's a brief rundown from Stephen Dubner at the Freakonomics blog).
I'll admit that my first reaction was skepticism. Corruption is always going to provide the prospect of more money. I'm not sure if there's any salary sufficient to extinguish the instinct towards avarice. Of course, the advocates for higher pay also argue that it will attract a higher caliber of talent to these positions. What do you think?
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Feb '11
Re: Nancy Pelosi's Hand Across Your Face
I lived in Singapore for two years. Fascinating political system. Preventing graft is one reason for the relatively lavish salaries of Singaporean politicians. Another is to attract the best and brightest to politics, but remember that for all practical purposes it's a single party state. The government fears 'brain drain' and this one effort to combat it.
Oct '12
Re: Nancy Pelosi's Hand Across Your Face
I don't really have anything insightful to contribute, but do want to say that the Freakonomics blog and podcast are very, very good and refreshingly non-partisan.
Their recent piece on guns was truly original.
Dec '10
Re: Nancy Pelosi's Hand Across Your Face
So basically she's saying that congress is doing a good enough job diminishing the dignity of the body and doesn't need any help or ideas to further that particular goal.
Nov '11
Re: Nancy Pelosi's Hand Across Your Face
Reaction 1:
We should cut it back to one dollar per year.
Anyone who wants to quit is welcome to do so.
If Mrs. Pelosi thinks its damages the dignity of her service, I will give her a tissue to weep into.
Reaction 2:
The dignity of their jobs? Are you kidding me?
Reaction 3:
This is a reminder of how disconnected she is from me. Or reality.
Edited on February 15, 2013 at 7:28pmOct '11
Re: Nancy Pelosi's Hand Across Your Face
Troy Senik, Ed.: The sheer brass this takes:
I really dislike the idea that salary = dignity to begin with, let alone for a job that bears little relation to any market mechanisms. This is the same sentiment that causes people to take promotions they aren't suited for, to whine about how little they make with respect to the importance of their profession, and to reflect their earning power through spending as a display of importance. Most people couldn't even tell you how much a congress-critter makes, other than "too much".
Besides, shouldn't states be the ones deciding how much their representatives make?
Dec '10
Re: Nancy Pelosi's Hand Across Your Face
QuickerBrownFox
Besides, shouldn't states be the ones deciding how much their representatives make? ยท 1 minute ago
The states have no representation in Congress.
Aug '10
Re: Nancy Pelosi's Hand Across Your Face
Amen.
I'll all for paying our representatives fairly. Afterall, they have to live in two places (or at least they're supposed to <cough>Dick Lugar<cough>). The problem with lavish salaries is it then attracts people that see it as a career choice rather than an opportunity to serve their community or state. Of course politics has the tendency to attract those people anyway.
Nov '10
Re: Nancy Pelosi's Hand Across Your Face
I have two things to say:
First, I hate it when I agree with Fred.
Second, I wish I'd thought of her argument back in 2007, when everyone where I worked got a 5% pay cut.
Big Smile!
Dec '10
Re: Nancy Pelosi's Hand Across Your Face
How about wealth/income based pay for Congress? Pelosi and the other gazillionaires could really do the job as an act of service and dignity while those who can't afford to pay their own way into service are compensated appropriately. It's unequal pay for equal work based on some kind of artificial division, so the Dems should love the idea.
Jan '11
Re: Nancy Pelosi's Hand Across Your Face
I'm just thinking of all the military people (i.e., half the people I work with) whose jobs are either going to get dropped, cut back, or furloughed because of sequestration. Guess they don't have enough dignity for Nancy.
I just ... how does she ... what sort of ...
Her ignorance astounds me.
May '10
Re: Nancy Pelosi's Hand Across Your Face
Fred Cole:
This is a reminder of how disconnected she is from me. Or reality.
One in the same. "I am reality." -- Judge Dredd
Jun '12
Re: Nancy Pelosi's Hand Across Your Face
We concentrate vast amounts of legislative and regulatory power in the hands of a few flawed individuals and then act shocked (shocked I say!) when they are beset with rent seeking. The government in Singapore is about 1/100th the size of the US leviathan. I suggest that explains their relative scruples (I suppose, everything I know about Singapore's political situation could be stuffed into the navel of a Barbie doll) far better then lavish salaries.
Mar '11
Re: Nancy Pelosi's Hand Across Your Face
Pay them a million dollars a year while in office. Continue paying them a million dollars a year after they leave office. Institute a special life-time tax rate of 100% on household income levels above that amount for former officeholders (so they don't go getting their spouses lobbyist jobs).
No indexing of the post-office pay (or tax threshold) to inflation. Give them an incentive while in office not to debase the currency.
Jan '13
Re: Nancy Pelosi's Hand Across Your Face
Nailed it. The United States shouldn't have career politicians. As our actual careers come to a close, we should consider short stints in public service. While serving, all assets should be placed in a blind trust while we live off our the meager six figure salary provided. Current congressional salaries should be locked and then pegged to changes in median net income after taxes. I'm also a major proponent of term limits. An individual may serve one term in the house, one term in the senate, and two as president.
Oct '11
Re: Nancy Pelosi's Hand Across Your Face
The King Prawn
QuickerBrownFox
Besides, shouldn't states be the ones deciding how much their representatives make? ยท 1 minute ago
The states have no representation in Congress.
I know, which is part of the 17th Amendment problem.
Apr '11
Re: Nancy Pelosi's Hand Across Your Face
Singapore is also a place where you DO NOT want to get caught breaking a law. Just ask Michael Fay (remember him). This is a place where it's considered pornographic (and illegal) if you walk around your house in the buff. Could you imagine what sort of chaos would result to our political class were we to import this measure...? Perhaps ... .
Oct '10
Re: Nancy Pelosi's Hand Across Your Face
Why not pay them for, say, the first three years and then fob the cost onto the states after that, and let the states wrestle with whether and how much to pay? After all, isn't that how they do things?
All seriousness aside, ""I don't think we should do it; I think we should respect the work we do," Pelosi told reporters" is precious, since 91% of Americans don't respect the work she and her Congressional comrades do. Since we don't respect what they do, why should she get $174,000 of respect annually from our taxpaying pockets?
Edited on February 15, 2013 at 8:09pmNov '11
Re: Nancy Pelosi's Hand Across Your Face
And Mrs. Pelosi has done so much to enhance the dignity of Congress.
Aug '10
Re: Nancy Pelosi's Hand Across Your Face
Since the policies that these clowns enacted are responsible for the high cost of living in the DC area they are going to have to tough it out on the $175k a year they are getting...
Nov '10
Re: Nancy Pelosi's Hand Across Your Face
We should realize that Singapore is a corporation masquerading as a city state. It's no more democratic than the corporation for which I work. :-)
They pay for performance there and they get it.
Edited on February 15, 2013 at 9:13pm