An idea

Author: TheUnderdog

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#1
TheUnderdog
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What if all politicians got paid only minimum wage?  This does 2 things that I think would be useful:

1) There are over half a million politicians in the US (https://myemail.constantcontact.com/Trivia-Time--How-many-elected-officials-are-there-in-the-United-States-.html?soid=1102356662894&aid=0IhxAITNdoQ).  Assuming each person gets paid $100,000 a year and we cut their salary to minimum wage, this saves about $50 billion a year.
2) It lets our politicians live their values.  If the minimum wage is $7.25 an hour, that’s what our politicians get.  This both would cause the minimum wage to rise to $15 an hour (maybe $20 an hour if our politicians want a higher salary) and this helps we the people.  I don’t want to pay the welfare of minimum wage workers, so it makes sense to give them a higher wage.
#2
oromagi
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1) There are over half a million politicians in the US
  • 493,000 are local positions (98.6%) - school board members, dog catchers, etc. 
 Assuming each person gets paid $100,000 a year
  • The average salary of a US poltician is $24,000/yr.  Many politicians are paid far less than that, although the majority of elected political positions are not full time jobs, either.
and we cut their salary to minimum wage, this saves about $50 billion a year.
  • Insanely wrong.  Although the Federal min wage is $7.50, fewer than 250,000 (less than one tenth of 1%) US workers actually work for that wage.  Democratic states pay much higher minimum wages and the average minimum wage worker makes about $12/hr- the same wage as the average US politician.  The average pay in the US is $28/hr.
2) It lets our politicians live their values.  If the minimum wage is $7.25 an hour, that’s what our politicians get.  
  • Essentially, this is already true although Democratic politicians are paid much higher hourly wages than Republicans- this helps to explain why Republicans are so much more corrupt than Democrats- they don't take the elected position for the money because they couldn't live on that money- they take the position to leverage money corruptly.  But right now, the average politician in the US does make roughly the average minimum wage.
This both would cause the minimum wage to rise to $15 an hour (maybe $20 an hour if our politicians want a higher salary) and this helps we the people.
  • 70% of Americans and nearly every Democrat supports a $15/hr minimum wage  The fastest way to raise the min wage to $15/hr is to never vote Republican ever again.


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#3
TheUnderdog
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@oromagi
  • 493,000 are local positions (98.6%) - school board members, dog catchers, etc. 
There are millions of government employees, but there are about half a million government officials.

The average salary of a US poltician is $24,000/yr.
Possible, I’m not sure though.

70% of Americans and nearly every Democrat supports a $15/hr minimum wage  The fastest way to raise the min wage to $15/hr is to never vote Republican ever again.
I don’t believe that poll is accurate.  This is because most polls state the left wing position is the more popular one in America.  If this was the case, then democrats would win in virtually every state election and would always win federally.  But they don’t.  Joe Biden’s stock market is rising for me $6500 less than it would have on average.  I don’t know what I should value more, $6500 or a minimum wage increase of $1 an hour (because in my state, the minimum wage is very high).
#4
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There are millions of government employees, but there are about half a million government officials.
  • 98.6% of ELECTED OFFICIALS (493,000) are local, low-paying jobs.

I don’t believe that poll is accurate.  This is because most polls state the left wing position is the more popular one in America.
  • If you don't believe the polls, believe the voters.  60% of voters in Nebraska voted in a $15 minimum wage last Novemeber, more than the number of voters that voted for a Republican governor.


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#5
TheUnderdog
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@oromagi
  • If you don't believe the polls, believe the voters.  60% of voters in Nebraska voted in a $15 minimum wage last Novemeber, more than the number of voters that voted for a Republican governor.
If left wing economics are very popular in even red states, why don’t red states have blue govorners?  Why aren’t they blue states?  Why isn’t virtually every state a blue state?  
#6
K_Michael
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@TheUnderdog
50 billion is a less than 1% of what the US spent last year.
#7
oromagi
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If left wing economics are very popular in even red states, why don’t red states have blue govorners?
  • A number of reasons.  Racism, sexism, massive amounts of misinformation are important factors.

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#8
TheUnderdog
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@K_Michael
I know, but I’ll take the extra money and use it to help pay off our debt.
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#9
TheUnderdog
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@oromagi
  • A number of reasons.  Racism, sexism, massive amounts of misinformation are important factors.
Most right wing voters aren’t bigoted.  That’s just mainstream Propoganda.
#10
Intelligence_06
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@TheUnderdog
What if all politicians got paid only minimum wage?
They are politicians for crying out loud, of course they will pass bills either raising the minimum wage or give the possibility to make their kind earn more than just minimum wage, if their wage is way above minimum wage.

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#11
TheUnderdog
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@Intelligence_06
I don’t like that.  Politicians should get paid just minimum wage because if they believe that a $7.25 minimum wage (or even $15 an hour) is livable, they should prove it, by living off solely of whatever they deem to be what one needs to survive.
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@TheUnderdog
Including the president, all congress members and all judges on the US supreme court? 
#13
RationalMadman
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🤑 you have much to learn
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#14
TheUnderdog
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@Intelligence_06
Including the president, all congress members and all judges on the US supreme court?
Not for judges, but for president and congress people.  Our politicians should live their values when it comes to the minimum wage.  If you think you can live off of $7.25, live off of $7.25 if you are in charge of the law in this country.
#15
IlDiavolo
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This is just demagogy. Political leaders should live at least as middle class. Mimimum wage is for the poor.