Pay Politicians LESS and you will get BETTER Politicians!

Pay Politicians LESS and you will get BETTER Politicians!

While most people think just the opposite that poverty encourages corruption I would like to put that argument on it's head.

My first point is that power always corrupts.
Second, money is a form of power.

Thus, just by these two points we can arrive at a third, a politician with more money than another would have more power to cause more corruption.

I am not suggesting that we bankrupt current politicians and their families all I am saying is money makes a lot of things complicated, and "good" politician would be one who wanted to lead regardless of what it paid. Elections today in the US are more like high priced auctions for political power than a democratic voting process amongst common citizens.

This auction format for democratic ellections long ago allowed for businesses and companies to infiltrate into the US political process the only difference with today is that they have infiltrated the political process to such a degree that they infest all levels of government and all politcal parties.(Even though the Rebublicans are knee deep in it)

My Grandma use to tell me something and so far throughout my life it has stayed true, that is, poor people have poor ways. Another way of looking at it is that poor people are simple and often times don't have the luxury of doing it one way to another. This lack of luxury creates a couple very desirable traits in an individual, or future politician it creates that of simplicity and understanding, two traits the rich and stupid will never understand.

oh i totally agree, ted kennedy is a prime example of this. he stashes most of his cash in offshore accounts to avoid the same taxation him and his liberal buddies along with the GOP impose on us. it's a disgrace. right on man.





[edit on 31-1-2007 by ape]

While noble, the result of this is that people who might have the skills to effectively lead will not want to make the economic trade. If anything, making the salary higher will encourage better people to run for office who might not otherwise do so.

It is not the salary of the position that causes corruption, it is the shenanigans that happen because of the position.

Originally posted by Togetic
It is not the salary of the position that causes corruption, it is the shenanigans that happen because of the position.

Sure, it is mostly the shenanigans, aka the choices they make while in office however, if you can illiminate money from the politicians hands only, no other parties would be effected. If politicians were paid an average man's wages it would be much more difficult for him to hide or explain a yacht. The Politician would have to compete on his political message and merit instead of money raised. It would hopefully encourage the average politician at that point to begin to respect the American worker for who and what they are. In our current political climate, corporations grease politicians to the point that politicians will turn their back for the right payout.
Think of it, if the American people stopped allowing coroporate donations and interest groups American Corporations such as the American Auto Manufacturers and American Airline companies would default and we would have a true Capitalist system. Corporate donations and interest groups lead to oligopilies and a climate for worker's worse than during the 1800's with the Railroad tycoons.
The American People should not let the US government prop up unethical and dying corporations at the expense of the American worker. By doing this we are ruining our capitalist market, our ecomony, and our own liberties(by surrendering our rights to Corporations).


[edit on 5-2-2007 by Low Orbit]