Opinion

New salary plan for federal reps

Posted April 04, 2014 12:01 am

It's time to suggest some things to make our elected representatives more representative.

Current pay for a federal representative is $174, 000 a year with perks.

I think that they should be paid the average yearly income of the people of their district. They should also pay for their own insurance, their own transportation just like the rest of us. Sometimes it is hard living out of your checkbook balance. Maybe they would be more sensitive to our problems and needs.

The median household income in the U.S. is $52,000. You think it would be better than that but the thousands of fast food workers, waitresses and busboys on minimum wage is dragging it down. The official poverty level for a family of two is $15,730 per year. If you have one child it is 19,790 per year. A person earning $10.25 an hour can bring home $21,320 before taxes. With two kids the poverty level is $23,850 hardly enough to keep a minimum household fed.

If they had to live like us maybe they wouldn't be so cavalier about cutting entitlements like food stamps. I know several people who "dumpster dive" behind Jewel to get out-of-date chicken and other food items. How can this go on in this country and continue to be a reality?

There isn't a chance that our beloved representatives would vote themselves a reduction in the booty that they take home every year.

Raleigh Sutton

Elgin

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