Issue #9 – Wednesday, June 6, 2018
Posted by Denny Hatch
A Marketer’s Scheme to Make
Congress Effective
Decent D.C. Housing for 535 Downtrodden American
Families
Being a member of the U.S. Congress—Representative or
Senator—is a lonely, subhuman existence.
The average Congressperson must spend 4 hours a
day—every work day— in a telemarketing boiler room with a script, pleading with
donors for campaign contributions.
The need: raise $18,000 a day or find another job.
The day you’re re-elected, start fundraising again.
Base salary is $174,000 a year. Other “earned” income
cannot exceed 15% of that. Honoraria are disallowed.
With two residences—hometown and Washington, D.C.—and,
let's say, two kids in college plus alimony, congressional families are at poverty level.
Members cannot afford to bring their families to D.C., so
they “batch” it when Congress is in session. They are forced to freeload meals
and booze at every available lobbyist-sponsored gathering.
A number sleep on couches in their offices.
Who can forget the famous rat-infested
Schumer-Durbin-Mitchell bachelor
slum?
Only on weekends—many with perpetual jet lag—can reps get
a home-cooked meal, have family time and sleep in their own beds.
The Washington Scene
When I was growing up, Congressional families lived in the
Washington environs. Their kids went to area schools. Democrats and Republicans
were buddies who regularly interacted, socialized, played cards.
With congressional families living in D.C., government was
a community.
Legislation was agreed-on, passed and signed into law.
Government got things done!
Today, The United States is a mishmash of tribal war
zones—Democrat v. Republican v. Bannonite destroyers presided over by a
ghoulish money-grubbing warlock.
A Quick Personal Aside
Before we moved to Philly, we had tangential contact with
our congressman, Chris Shays (R-CT), a lovely, competent guy who lost his seat
in the 2008 Obama sweep.
Shays batched it in Washington, seeing his wife and kids
on weekends. To me he appeared haunted.
The president has the White House.
The veep has the Observatory.
Why shouldn't the senior branch of government have the same deal?
(Senior branch? Remember the Constitution: Article I—Legislative.)
The Premise
• Create: a 501c3 corporation, “My
Congressperson’s Home/PA.”
• Also: “Our Senator’s Home 1 & 2/PA.”
• Purchase (or rent): a comfortable a
four-bedroom house (or condo).
• Equip it: with furniture, appliances
and linens.
• Monthly: insurance, flowers, car,
cleaning help, liquor and wine for gracious entertaining.
• In short: Let's give these sad sacks with their 17% job approval a sense of self-worth.
So maybe they'll start doing what's right.
What say you?
Agree or disagree?
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Word count: 400
$174K a year in salary is poverty level? Puleease! I think both parties have become prisoners of their extremist wings, which is largely a phenomenon of the digital age we live in.
ReplyDeleteWhile I am certainly not a socialist, I think either (a) government-funded elections with no private funding permitted or (b) getting rid of all campaign finance restrictions but requiring total disclosure would do more to solve the problem.
Thanks for taking the time to Comment.
DeleteI flat-out disagree.
Washington, D.C. is the 6th most expensive city in America.
Most Expensive Cities in North America
1st Hamilton (Bermuda)
2nd San Francisco, California (United States)
3rd Walnut Creek, California (United States)
4th New York City (United States)
5th Berkeley, California (United States)
6th Washington D.C. (United States)
—www.expatistan.com/cost-of-living/san-francisco
With two separate residences and lifestyles with Wasington, D.C. in the mix—two sets of rent, cars, food, insurance and all else—$174,000 does not go very far.
You proposal for government-funded elections? That guarantees cash for incumbents. What about challengers?
Do you think it’s a good idea to open federal coffers and give an avalanche of money to every jerkwater, publicity hound coming down the pike who thinks it would be a hoot to run for office?
Government-funded elections guarantee entrenched mediocrity.
Thanks again for writing.
Do keep in touch.
A simple, sensible idea, imho - a bit contrarian which is what makes me think it might work (because logical ideas seem to be failing).
ReplyDeleteI always learn something interesting reading Denny's musings.