Do (American) Politicians deserve to keep their salaries for the rest of their lives?

[CurseSealofEarth]

Well do they? For those that don't know, US Politicians, in all the branches, get to keep their salaries and insurance for THE REST OF THEIR LIVES. They can serve a single term (as small as 2 years) and will receive the benefits from the job until they are dead.

To put this perspective, a US Representative serves 2 year terms. His salary ranges from $150,000 to 200,000+ a year. Plus benefits.

A US Senator makes $200,000 to 250,000+ a year plus benefits for serving 6 year terms.

A president gets paid $400,000+ dollars PER YEAR FOR THE REST OF HIS DAMN LIFE.

Now I understand that they run our country and there's a fair bit of risk in that, but you can't tell me that Jimmy ****in' Carter deserves 400,000 dollars a year for doing nothing. An average American won't make half of that in 3 years of working his ass off. And even then he's not even guaranteed the retirement that they promised him because the government spent all his money. We have military veterans who are homeless and unemployed but Jimmy ****ing carter deserves every cent of his retirement.

So what're your guy's thoughts?

 

[Qu4zi]

I thought it got halved afterwards...

 

[Joker]

Depends on their actions and how they helped develop the country, if they did nothing whatsoever, no, if they do some credible things, why not?

 

[UltraPain]

$200,000 a year is nothing compared to what corporate owners and higher-ups make. Those guys are the ones who have our politicians in their pockets anyways :|.

OT: If politicians really care about the American people then the money shouldn't matter. I would be fine with them living comfortably, but who honestly needs that much money to live a good life?

 

[AShinyPlatypus]

Does that actually happen? There'd be an absolute uproar if something like that happened here in Britain. Guess we must be stingy b*****ds.

 

[UltraPain]

Does that actually happen? There'd be an absolute uproar if something like that happened here in Britain. Guess we must be stingy b*****ds.

It's not stingy at all to limit them bro. Money causes problems for everyone in this world. It is a measurement of resources and in order to gain that much in resources, it means it was taken from others.

 

[Punk Hazard]

I mean it's not like anyone can just waltz in and say "Yooo, I wanna be in this politics shit!" The people in those positions are in their mid to late 40's and up, they've dedicated their lives and practically their entire existence in the career world for those positions, so in a way, they deserve it. Sure, some are corrupt as hell, but hey, it's understandable why they still get paid.

 

[CurseSealofEarth]

Depends on their actions and how they helped develop the country, if they did nothing whatsoever, no, if they do some credible things, why not?

$200,000 a year is nothing compared to what corporate owners and higher-ups make. Those guys are the ones who have our politicians in their pockets anyways :|.

OT: If politicians really care about the American people then the money shouldn't matter. I would be fine with them living comfortably, but who honestly needs that much to live a good life?

Corporations are a business though, do they need to make that much either? No but it happens.

My point is that you don't become a politician to make it rich, you should do it because you want to help your country.

 

[AShinyPlatypus]

It's not stingy at all bro. Money causes problems for everyone in this world. It is a measurement of resources and in order to gain as much of it as some people do, they have to take resources from others.

You're not wrong, but seriously, we are proper tight with public money. The backlash after the MP expense affair was HUGE.

 

[Rikodou Juubi]

That is unfair, the government spends our money while hard working Americans work their butts off but government officials can serve one term and make money for the rest of their lives doing nothing.

 

[UltraPain]

My point is that you don't become a politician to make it rich, you should do it because you want to help your country.

That's exactly the way I feel too, but the system is completely set to protect interests, not people.

 

[Bastian]

Is your third option in the poll simply there to antagonize? This isn't as big of a deal as you make it out to be and a President doesn't earn $400,000 a year after he serves in office. Your comparison with the average American is silly any President, good or bad in your opinion, has had an astronomically greater impact on our country.

 

[fandum]

No they def don't deserve the special treatment. Did you know that every President either before Bush (maybe including Bush) gets secret service protection for their lives.

They really don't need the income from serving their post when you think about the fact that almost all of them were rich before going into their respective positions. Clinton makes millions every year from giving speeches, then throw in the money they get for "writing" books...

 

[slimreaper]

Does that actually happen? There'd be an absolute uproar if something like that happened here in Britain. Guess we must be stingy b*****ds.

Uproar with what? yall pussies have no guns. Good luck fighting the Government

 

[CurseSealofEarth]

Is your third option in the poll simply there to antagonize? This isn't as big of a deal as you make it out to be and a President doesn't earn $400,000 a year after he serves in office. Your comparison with the average American is silly any President, good or bad in your opinion, has had an astronomically greater impact on our country.

As a matter of fact it is.

Good or bad, they shouldn't live like lord of our country.

 

[PRODUDE]

I say no. Why pay someone to do nothing. If this is true then they could of cut the salaries when they were doing budget cuts. Unless they have done that already.

 

[Bastian]

Good or bad, they shouldn't live like lord of our country.

I understand your frustration but there are plenty of people who do far less for our country who make a lot more. There are only five living U.S. Presidents and all of them were already quite wealthy before taking office.

 

[UltraPain]

No they def don't deserve the special treatment. Did you know that every President either before Bush (maybe including Bush) gets secret service protection for their lives.

They really don't need the income from serving their post when you think about the fact that almost all of them were rich before going into their respective positions. Clinton makes millions every year from giving speeches, then throw in the money they get for "writing" books...

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ EXACTLY. Such a good point. Sorry dude I want to give you rep but it says I can't. Apparently i'm becoming a fan of your posts lol.

 

[Punk Hazard]

As a matter of fact it is.

Good or bad, they shouldn't live like lord of our country.

But why the President? Look at CEOs who just sit back and allow the profit of millions roll in to pay off for all their hard work. No one has a problem with that because they worked hard for the first half of their life to get that money for the second half. And that's what politicians are like. They work hard, believe it or not, for a significant portion of their lives so the last 50 or 60 years are payed off. Shit, look at the Justices(I believe it's the Justices who work for life). Their job don't stop till their dead, and I think they can retire. But they usually work up into their 70s and are constantly working, the job never ends for them.

 

[AShinyPlatypus]

Uproar with what? yall pussies have no guns. Good luck fighting the Government

Calm down mate, you don't need guns to fight. At least, not in the civilised world.