Give Congress Perks And A Raise

CBS's Meyer: It's Easy To Gripe About Lobbyists, But You Get The Politicians You Pay For

(CBS)  This commentary was written by CBSNews.com's Dick Meyer.

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Being in Congress used to be a career, now it’s a stepping stone. All the cool kids want to get out. Many of them want to be president. But a lot more want to be lobbyists.

The latest legislator-turned-lobbyist is Richard Baker, a Louisiana House member who was the second-ranking Republican on the Committee on Financial Services, a coveted gig in political eras past. But it’s a piker’s job compared to Baker’s new set-up as head of the Managed Funds Association, the hedge fund industry’s trade group.

Another bayou Republican, Jim McCrery, just gave up an even better post as the ranking member of the House Ways and Means Committee. McCrery is just 58 years old, Baker is 59. Both could have had long runs as Congressional czars.

Trent Lott, once the Senate Majority Leader, just quit to open a lobbying shop with a Democratic dealmaker, John Breaux who used to represent Louisiana in the Senate.

A generation ago it would have been unthinkable for young, powerful legislators to willingly leave Congress unless it was for other public service. Power and glory came with seniority and expertise. Now it’s the norm to get out young.

There are problems with this, but they aren’t the ones that get discussed.

The usual complaint is that lobbying is sleazy and the revolving door corrupts Congress. But if you think about it, lobbying isn’t sleazy or improper. What is sleazy and improper is when lawmakers succumb to lobbying for bad reasons. The vice of today’s faster revolving door is not that it makes the lobby more powerful, but that it makes the Congress less powerful.

Since at least Watergate, the mission of reformers and do-gooders has been to stem the flow of money into politics and the access of petitioners to the powerful. This goes against human nature and thus, will continue to fail.

It’s time for a fresh and radical approach. Instead of beating up on lobbyists, we should try building up legislators. We should give them huge pay raises, perks and expense accounts. We should immunize them from special-interest infections. We should give them what in the business world is called “f --- you” money. Really.

Members of Congress will make $169,300 in 2008. That may sound like a lot, but for people who must maintain two residences and who constantly hobnob with the rich and famous, it doesn’t feel like a lot. First-year associates at big Washington law firms make that much.

The campaign finance system already forces politicians to be perpetual grovelers. Must we force them to hustle for baseball tickets and t-bones as well?

Senators should make at least a million and House members at least $750,000, probably more. They should have huge private accounts and travel budgets so that they would never be tempted by a junket, feast or floozy financed by a lobbyist. They should be able to pay their staff big bucks so they could hire the almost-best and nearly-the-brightest.

Now a million dollars a year wouldn’t come close to putting a senator in the financial class of Big Ten football coach, a mid-level investment banker or a local TV anchor. But it’s a decent wage.

The goal here is to create what Congress once had: tyrants.

This might seem counter-intuitive and undemocratic but it isn’t. Think about who modern legislators have to face off against: CEOs making $5-55 million a year; hedge fund managers who can make $500 million a year; retired Senators making $2 million a year lobbying; plus a full cast of labor bosses, civil rights leaders, oil sultans, petty despots, governors and cabinet members.

You need legislative tyrants to do that work properly. You need the people with fiefdoms, clout, bureaucratic savvy and policy expertise to balance other great powers in society. The 20th century Congress produced a steady stream of people - Dirksens, Mansfields and Fulbrights. No more. It’s time to invest.

The time is ripe for something bad to happen at the intersection of Power & Money.

The economy is on the verge of recession. Inflation is up and so is unemployment. Office-seekers want to somehow stimulate the economy, Democrats with spending, Republicans with tax cuts. The government is running deficits and borrowing from foreign sources, the same foreign sources that are bailing out U.S. financial institutions. Wealth is as concentrated as it has ever been in American history.

That is a perfect storm for either scandal or terrible legislation - or both.

I’d feel better if we had a gaggle of smart, mean old men and women who had been around forever - who didn’t care who they offended, who weren’t getting set to cash in - standing guard over our Capitol and our capital.

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E-mail questions, comments, complaints, arguments and ideas to Against the Grain. We will publish some of the interesting (and civil) ones, sometimes in edited form.

[mcv57]

I have a suggestion:
Instead of a raise give all government elected officials a 10% pay cut each year they don''''t balance the budget. Give them a raise only if there is a surplus.
In addition make available health care and insurance to everyone at the same rate congressmen pay.
Think About It.

Posted by bill1fj

The only problem with that idea is that WE DON''T HAVE THAT POWER anymore. Since the CIA, FBI, state and local law enforcement establishment, and the corporate mob (wealthy and military machine) murdered JFK, U.S. Constitution has been ignored or superceded by a corrupt Supreme Court.

[mcv57]

The US is the most corrupt nation on earth.

Posted by Babooph

Agree, more and more this country resembles the ancient Rome corruption. Greed and aristocracy will dispense with morals and law. Only the Military forces can stop this debacle.

[babooph]

The US is the most corrupt nation on earth.

[bill1fj]

I have a suggestion:
Instead of a raise give all government elected officials a 10% pay cut each year they don''t balance the budget. Give them a raise only if there is a surplus.
In addition make available health care and insurance to everyone at the same rate congressmen pay.
Think About It.

[standlee5]

Well ***, if hedgfund managers are making $500 million then why not pay the president that. Or why not just hire a hedgefund manager to run the country, if thye make that much money they must be pretty smart.

[standlee5]

Lets not forget their retirement package. Give me a break, they''re overpaid now.

[standlee5]

ICK. I completely disagree with the entire premise. The most ethical effective people I know are not in business for money but for enrichment and service. Make it illegal for politicians to become lobbyists or just get special interest out of politics all together. We need ethical smart people not greedy bazzterd sellouts.

[bm6005]

Let''s start by tar and feathering the two Repub yahoo''s shown in the photo. I still remember some in CONgress falling over themselves to bail out the property of Lott after Katrina and his train to nowhere in Miss. These people are in it for themselves! Wake up America!!!!!

[hypnotoad72]

Give conformists a good life. Give rebels a boot.

Can conformists get the boots to kick the rebels with?

[hypnotoad72]

Give conformists a good life. Give rebels a boot.

Can conformists get the boots to kick the rebels with?

[omega39-2009]

A better idea would be to make it illegal for former politicians to lobby at all.

[lindu813]

Is this a dream. Pay these people more!!!!! For what? I like the idea of making lobbying illegal, however, try catching the under the table deals......

[bm6005]

Our representatives need to be the best and the brightest, not a commoner (as some of you have suggested) who likely does not have a 4 year degree. That''''s common sense!
Posted by dodjd251

What a line of arrogant C R A P!! Our reps are the worst & dumbest. I''m a college grad and I''ve met an awful lot of idiots/morons with more advanced degrees than I have. You wouldn''t know common sense if you had it!!!

[rowdytexan2]

Posted by dodjd251 at 04:24 PM : Jan 18, 2008

Horse hockey! Anybody with good common sense, a willingness to work and stay informed, and some good smarts and good judgment and honesty can be a good legislator! I was a legislative watchdog for 15 years. Nobody ever offered to pay me $169,000 to understand and advise on legislation.

This idea that these people are some kind of special elite force is ridiculous! They pull their pants on just like the rest of us. And their day is the same length as ours.

$169,000 is not bad pay, when the government is also paying a whole herd of folks in an office to support your arse!

Most of these people are independently wealthy in the first place. And the idea was to serve their country which is supposed to be an honor, not line their pocket books with tax payer dollars. Who the hell ever told them they were supposed to get rich at our expense?

[huanaco]

THE IDEA IS JUST CRAZY, MAKE A CRIME TO LOBBY AND WOULD GO A LONG WAY STOPPING THIS VICE.

[luvcomments]

Instead of being held to ransom (extortion ?) for higher pay because the legislators'' standards have plummeted, why not simply criminalize lobbying? Then these greed-run corporations wouldn''t hire lobbyists/pimps to pay off those certain legislators/prostitutes who sell us down the river. That''s just my humble opinion, of course :) Other than in government, pimping and prostitution are illegal.

Raise the pay but put them on the same pension (Social Security) and medical plans as the rest of the citizenry. Stop their useless overseas jaunts and other perks. Maybe they will then act like responsible people and not the super elite!

[random_radar]

If the government had minimal powers and no budget, it wouldn''t matter who was in office. The reason we have so much corruption is because the government has so much power and money to hand out to whoever lobbies for it. There is no mystery about what is wrong.

The solution is not to pay more but to emasculate the government by taking away the money and power. As long as we stand in line with our hands out for government largess, we will live under the burden of massive taxation to pay for it (paradoxically) and oppressive regulations to control what we do.

Get rid of the government and most of our problems would also disappear. But fools don''t believe that.

[antizion]

I would like to give them a trial for bribery and treason before tossing them into the sea of pissed off voters for a proper shredding.

[dodjd251]

95% of you who have posted a comment just don''t get it.

Sure our representatives make more than you do. Don''t you think their job is more important than yours is? Also, don''t you think that the importance of someone''s job should in some way corrolate to how much they are paid?

Another question: Would you prefer that the company you work for be run by Bill Gates instead of the guy who works next to you? At the same token, don''t you want to live in a country where those running it are as duly qualified to do so? Hiring your work buddy from the swing shift won''t help. Trust me.

Our representatives need to be the best and the brightest, not a commoner (as some of you have suggested) who likely does not have a 4 year degree. That''s common sense!