I used to know a Congressman who put a sofa-bed in his office in DC and lived there when in Washington. Yes, members of Congress aren't supposed to "live" in DC, but they have to stay there for a good part of the year. One solution would be to take a BOQ at a military base in the area that is being "hollowed out" and make it a Congressional dormitory.
I like the idea of tying their salaries to that of the district they represent. If the median income of a district gets too low and no one runs for that seat it should be eliminated. Public housing is an excellent idea.
We can and should set up some sensible public housing for our Senators and Representatives where they can bunk down for their once-a-month D.C. deployment. The rest of the time they'll have the luxury of living in the place they call home, among the people they represent.
While we're at it, let's set Congressional salaries to, oh, let's say 25% over the median income in the District or state they represent, which would let them live as well as their constituents with a bit more to cover the cost of town meetings and travel plus occasional entertaining and of course generous support of favored charities, etc. (Such a salary standard would also encourage them to work toward raising the standard of living for their constituency, as it happens).
Our most valuable public servants, our military, could only dream of having it so good.
Then let them furnish their offices with sofa beds, camp out in them, and commute to their districts by rail every weekend. Come on, now. Where does Jim Moran get off demanding the privileges of a titled peer-of-the-realm?
Then again, our fellow travelers elected an awful lot of Kip Chalmerses.
Turn it back into a real swamp, and send all the lobbyists to unemployment lines. As for the "public servants" in con-gress, examine the voting record vs the constitution, and gut anyone who has violated the oath. Please make sure the press has a good angle for the video.
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While we're at it, let's set Congressional salaries to, oh, let's say 25% over the median income in the District or state they represent, which would let them live as well as their constituents with a bit more to cover the cost of town meetings and travel plus occasional entertaining and of course generous support of favored charities, etc. (Such a salary standard would also encourage them to work toward raising the standard of living for their constituency, as it happens).
Our most valuable public servants, our military, could only dream of having it so good.
Then again, our fellow travelers elected an awful lot of Kip Chalmerses.