12-22-2008, 02:37 PM
> I'm not justifying it, just pointing it out.
No, you're being an apologist. That's worse.
> I pointed out several areas where I think public servants already make significant sacrifices
I doubt you'll find anyone else here who thinks that our legislators are not adequately compensated for the 60 or so half-days they might actually come to work.
> Here's the crux of my argument: We need to attract the best and
> brightest into public service. If it helps to pay them
> commensurately then I'm for it.
In fact, I think the opposite is true. Bring their compensation back down to the original $6 bucks/year token salary they had, make them pay for all of their own expenses, eliminate any and all privacy that they have outside of their home-bathrooms, make accepting ANY compensation or gift from anyone not in their immediate family during their tenure a criminal offense and we might just get some genuine altruistic public servants showing up.
Until and unless that happens, the overwhelming majority are gonna be dirtbags. Throwing more money at them ain't gonna fix that.
No, you're being an apologist. That's worse.
> I pointed out several areas where I think public servants already make significant sacrifices
I doubt you'll find anyone else here who thinks that our legislators are not adequately compensated for the 60 or so half-days they might actually come to work.
> Here's the crux of my argument: We need to attract the best and
> brightest into public service. If it helps to pay them
> commensurately then I'm for it.
In fact, I think the opposite is true. Bring their compensation back down to the original $6 bucks/year token salary they had, make them pay for all of their own expenses, eliminate any and all privacy that they have outside of their home-bathrooms, make accepting ANY compensation or gift from anyone not in their immediate family during their tenure a criminal offense and we might just get some genuine altruistic public servants showing up.
Until and unless that happens, the overwhelming majority are gonna be dirtbags. Throwing more money at them ain't gonna fix that.