"Morgans" wrote
I would suggest that perhaps we need to get people that would be happy to
work for 170k. We might have a person that was more of a normal Joe, and
not all hung up on power and prestige. That person would perhaps not be
out of touch with what is going on out there, for all of us normal Joes
that these same politicians are supposed to be representing.

We have people willing to work for that salary. They are the
multi-millionaires spending tens of millions to get that job too. We need
reform as you suggest below. Given the current state of DC life, the second
home, etc. I don['t think you can do it on the 170k. I know they have
budgets for expenses and such that may be helping in some ways.


First step, get rid of all lobbyists. Get rid of campaign contributions
as a way to fund elections. Give them all a certain sum of money (small)
to be used on elections, and make them stick to that amount as what they
can spend on getting elected.

Lots of other tweaks are possible, but that would be a start.
--
Jim in NC

Lobbyists provide us with the best Congress money can buy.

As for campaign funding, that is a very sad state of affairs. Fund raising
is a big part of daily life for a politician.