Minimum Wage for Congress

Susie Madrak offers A Modest Proposal courtesy of a comment on the Pentagon Post:

We have been hearing since the election that Republicans want to re-brand their image. During the debate on the auto bailout, we have seen their new ideas on two important areas affecting the public – the economy and health care. For the economy, their mantra has become 'If you have a good paying job, you are paid too much. If you have a pension, it should be reduced.' In regards to health care, their position has changed from blocking universal health care to wanting to reduce health care for those who already have health insurance.

Will these platforms help them win elections? I think not. To gain seats in Washington, they will either have to change their beliefs, or hide their agenda with political slogans and hope most voters have not learned that a person should be judged by what they do, not what they say.

Of course, Republicans might pick up votes if they could prove they believe what they say. This could be done by 1) forgoing their government health care plan, and 2) reducing their salaries to that of non-union auto workers (which is what they asked Detroit's auto workers to do) and scale back on their pensions. If they do that, I might vote for them. After all, taxpayers are funding Congressmen and Senators, why shouldn't the same standards be applied to our elected officials as they want to apply to the auto industry?

But this proposal isn't nearly modest enough. Why not pay Members of Congress the minimum wage? Then they would have a real incentive - their own incomes! - to grow the economy and raise everyone's wages, rather than line their pockets with crumbs from the tables of the rich.

Of course, many Members would not want to work for the minimum wage. But who cares? The past 8 years have demonstrated that only a handful of Members actually understand their Oath of Office to protect and defend the Constitution - and are therefore worth keeping.