Simple, obvious choices
You have a bunch of civil public servants who are getting paid more than 90% of the rest of their fellow citizens in one of the richest countries of the world as they like to brag. IOW, we're not talking about some poor SOB of a cop or a bureaucrat in the former SSSR or Africa or Latin America who hasn't seen a paycheck in six weeks (if that) and when it comes it's monopoly money, and there's the rent and the kids and the old mum to take care of. We're talking a hefty chunk of cash beyond most of us proles' wildest dreams, plus guaranteed *genuine* medical benefits that don't involve having to go deeply into debt and then bankruptcy if you or a dependent actually get sick. Plus the pretty-much-guaranteed option of your choice of well-paid careers after you leave office, not to mention that none of these people were exactly broke when they started, b/c you don't get elected if you're poor.
But this isn't enough for them - they have to also take all kinds of bribes and other semi-licit or gray-area cadeux and kickbacks and favours, in order to do their jobs. Or rather, not to do their jobs, since their job consists of legislating fairly and impartially and all that good stuff. They look at their jobs as the opportunity to rake in a whole bunch of extra cash for the appearance of doing their jobs, while in fact ruling like the bad examples out of the TANAKH, the judges mentioned in Deuteronomy and Leviticus who "pervert justice" and rule in favor of robbers, turning a blind eye to those who supply the favors.
So what to do to help correct this endemic problem?
One option might be to tighten up the laws, close off the loopholes, and crack down on the violators both overt and covert after making a serious effort to catch them - zero tolerance for grifters in government. Such swinish greed should not be rewarded, right? Anyone who can't be content with AM$160 plus health care per annum doesn't belong in the hallowed halls etc. You get caught selling legislation (or blocking it) for your patrons, you're out of Washington forever. No more elected office - and no more access, either. You don't get to reincarnate and return to the game on a lower level. Goodbye, greedy-guts. --Hey, it's better than being strung up to the lamposts, or sneezing into the basket, right?
Or, you could offer them two and a half times that existing salary, in return for a promise that they'd be content with it and not try to line their pockets any further, and that instead of focussing on collecting from big business, from now on they'll pay attention to the needs of the little guy.
Guess which one old-guard Democratic strategists Carville and Begala think is the better option. Big surprise there, eh?
(via Obsidian Wings, where this is also considered a good idea...)
But this isn't enough for them - they have to also take all kinds of bribes and other semi-licit or gray-area cadeux and kickbacks and favours, in order to do their jobs. Or rather, not to do their jobs, since their job consists of legislating fairly and impartially and all that good stuff. They look at their jobs as the opportunity to rake in a whole bunch of extra cash for the appearance of doing their jobs, while in fact ruling like the bad examples out of the TANAKH, the judges mentioned in Deuteronomy and Leviticus who "pervert justice" and rule in favor of robbers, turning a blind eye to those who supply the favors.
So what to do to help correct this endemic problem?
One option might be to tighten up the laws, close off the loopholes, and crack down on the violators both overt and covert after making a serious effort to catch them - zero tolerance for grifters in government. Such swinish greed should not be rewarded, right? Anyone who can't be content with AM$160 plus health care per annum doesn't belong in the hallowed halls etc. You get caught selling legislation (or blocking it) for your patrons, you're out of Washington forever. No more elected office - and no more access, either. You don't get to reincarnate and return to the game on a lower level. Goodbye, greedy-guts. --Hey, it's better than being strung up to the lamposts, or sneezing into the basket, right?
Or, you could offer them two and a half times that existing salary, in return for a promise that they'd be content with it and not try to line their pockets any further, and that instead of focussing on collecting from big business, from now on they'll pay attention to the needs of the little guy.
Guess which one old-guard Democratic strategists Carville and Begala think is the better option. Big surprise there, eh?
(via Obsidian Wings, where this is also considered a good idea...)