Posted by
flagwaver on Wednesday, April 15, 2009 10:34:16 AM
The other day I was watching the news and started to get frustrated while watching some of what one of our THers has dubbed "Congresscritters" droning on and on about something or other. Heck, I can't even remember what they were talking about, since they spend so much time talking and so little time doing!
But what struck me was how ubiquitous these people are; no matter where you turn you cannot escape them. And what struck me even more was the fact that here at home, we rarely see our state representatives on televison mouthing off all the time. Now, we know they work and pass laws, and we know there are certain power brokers in state politics, like Mark Basnight and Hue Holliman here in North Carolina. But in our great state the politicians actually have real jobs, real families, and real world responsibilites to attend to. And I was just wishing that one day our national representatives could return to the founding vision of our government: the citizen legislator.
But the odds are that what works for us here in North Carolina will NEVER, EVER happen at the national level. For one thing, the pay at the national level is just too good to let go of; a US senator makes $169,000; Party leaders make $183,000, and in 2006 the average pension for one of these folks is $60,972 per year! Hell, you can live good as a senator, and it ain't bad being a representative either! The members of the House have the same average pay as the Senate, with the Speaker of the House (Red-Nanny P-Lousy to some of you) takes home a cool $212,000 per year...and that does not include their automatic COLA, military flights, top notch health care plans, and full vestment in the system after just 5 years of service.
Contrast those numbers with what a North Carolina state senator makes in a year, and it is no contest. Here in our great state, our state sentaors make $44,000 per year which includes a $104 per diem (when in session), a $559 montly expense allowance, and various perks given in lieu of cash like tickets to football and/or basketball games at UNC, Duke, NCSU, or Wake Forest. No one is in danger of getting rich working at the state level, especially since the General Assembly only meets for 6 months at a time in odd numbered years, and 6 weeks in even numbered years.
And that is why we have better government at the state level, except maybe Cali (okay Brian?); no one is getting into this and making it their sole profession, and they are actually in the capital (Raleigh for me) for a limited amount of time. Occassionally the governor will call for a special session, if there is something that has to absolutely be handled and dealt with, but for the most part our legislators spend the bulk of their time at home, making a living...not living off of us.
We at the state level have adhered to the real vision of the Founders, while the national politicians have inverted that vision for their own benefit. They have become a professional political class, seeking wealth, power, and influence and this nation is the poorer for it.