> It's kind of annoying to get "Source?" followed by a quote of the data it's based on.
But your link doesn't answer your statement which was that you wouldn't find people more willing to serve if you were to lower the salary.
Your link lists congressional representatives net worths which is a biased dataset which only looks at the type of people that currently run for Congress but also the money they managed to accumulate in sometimes illegal ways during their tenure (in Congress or other political appointments).
> Does it matter? You don't get that kind of wealth from $174,000/year. Either you came into the job with it and thus are in category 4, or you didn't and you managed to build that wealth despite not having a salary that would produce it, meaning you're in category 3.
Or you made that money through insider trading which is the topic at hand.
> I don't understand how you envision moving for the job would work.
You sell your house or rent it out and then you buy a train / plane ticket.
> You think a member of Congress from, say, Oregon should live full-time in DC?
Sure, that's where the votes take place.
Congress representatives have reimbursements of up to $367 per day which is enough for them to pay for travel, lodging and food costs while back in their state.
> That certainly doesn't sound like a "serve the people" situation
They have significant responsibilities in two locations, which could be a 16-hour plane ride away from each other. It would be more expensive in many locations to get temporary housing for the months when their responsibilities were in their constituencies.
The back-and-forth would be extra burdensome for families (kids in school, partner with job, etc).
Also, House terms are only two years. They'd need to be prepared to disrupt their families' lives on ~60-days notice, every two years.
My understanding is that many Representatives, especially, keep their house at home, and rent in DC (often with other Reps as roommates).
None of this is insurmountable or particularly egregious. Many of us have had to do worse! But it selects against people with ordinary adult-responsibility lives, which I would argue are the kinds of people we want to select for as representation.
My link was not the argument. My argument was the text I wrote describing how Congress is full of rich people and this indicates that it’s full of types 3 and 4. The link is just a source for the numbers.
> Or you made that money through insider trading which is the topic at hand.
Right, that would be the thing I mentioned where people leverage the position for money beyond the salary. I’m not sure you’re actually understanding what you’re replying to.
But your link doesn't answer your statement which was that you wouldn't find people more willing to serve if you were to lower the salary.
Your link lists congressional representatives net worths which is a biased dataset which only looks at the type of people that currently run for Congress but also the money they managed to accumulate in sometimes illegal ways during their tenure (in Congress or other political appointments).
> Does it matter? You don't get that kind of wealth from $174,000/year. Either you came into the job with it and thus are in category 4, or you didn't and you managed to build that wealth despite not having a salary that would produce it, meaning you're in category 3.
Or you made that money through insider trading which is the topic at hand.
> I don't understand how you envision moving for the job would work.
You sell your house or rent it out and then you buy a train / plane ticket.
> You think a member of Congress from, say, Oregon should live full-time in DC?
Sure, that's where the votes take place.
Congress representatives have reimbursements of up to $367 per day which is enough for them to pay for travel, lodging and food costs while back in their state.
> That certainly doesn't sound like a "serve the people" situation
This is already the case right now: https://www.cityandstateny.com/politics/2020/05/house-candid...
> that sounds like a "completely insulated from your constituents and always surrounded by insiders" situation
Well you do have to be elected first so that means you still need to be known and liked in that district.