Lower-income adults who favor a $15 minimum wage are divided on the better approach if there is inadequate support in Congress for the proposal this year: 49% say congressional leaders should prioritize any raise to the minimum that can happen this year, while an identical 49% share say leaders should continue working until they pass legislation raising the wage to $15 an hour. When dealing with their employees and constituents, they should also display good analytical, creative, and communication abilities. The case for paying health and social care workers a wage commensurate with the vital nature of the service they provide stands on its own merits. In the United States, politicians can work in the legislative, executive, or judicial branches of government. It can also be unfair. But if you give them nothing, they will be able to sympathize and understand the problems of the people, especially the poor if they have experienced the reality of it. Minimum wage laws have never worked in terms of having the middle class attain more prosperity. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) told CBS on Feb. 13, [A] family with two kids that earns the minimum wage still lives below the poverty line. Though Jimmy Carter raised the wage in each of the four years he was president, keeping pace with inflation, Richard Nixon raised it only twice in six years and Ronald Reagan not once in eight.. View all posts by Peter A Bell. If this is your first time checking out a debate, here are some quick tips to help get you started: I think everyone should be able to live off of the least paying jobs we have. A growing number of major cities and states have set their own wage floors at $15. Well, its a good thing nothing Ive listed above would affect their ability to help people. Your argument does not explain the fact that the great change makers in history worked for humanity, not a paycheck. Parish hires consultant to study pay plan, Jefferson councilman: Its shameful parish department doesnt recommend increasing parish workers minimum wage, The New Orleans City Council ratifies $15 hourly minimum wage for city workers, 'Living wage' rate for city contractors backed by New Orleans City Council; see pay changes. Politicians get around this by going from office to office and from state to state. You seem to put way too much trust into these victims. In addition, working as a politician you get almost everything for free. But even so, all of the people you've mentioned were victims of injustices. It was one of the toughest jobs Ive ever had. If someone could become a millionaire teaching little kids, how many more people would apply for the job? Should Jefferson Parish follow suit? Like 200% of average or whatever. It remains skewed in the same way today even if arguably not to the same extent and certainly not so brazenly. Those who represent us should be expected to represent us honestly and should live relatively like us and so work for what we want and need. You can easily lookup any district by putting in your zip code to see who all is running for what. To learn more about the CreateDebate scoring system, check out the, When you are ready to voice your opinion, use the. Ghandi, Mother Theresa, Harriet Tubman, the suffragettes; I would argue that Martin Luther King wasn't after a pay check - you can look to history to discover a diverse population of human beings that have shown us the way to accomplish change, social justice, and equality. The government official released a permit without checking if that is safe for the residents living around the factory. Everything sucks but she still takes the job because she loves to teach children. They are in charge of the administration, appointing and dismissing department heads. This is what we called a political dynasty wherein members of the same family are elected to various offices in the same order or at the same time to preserve their wealth and power. Half of our congresspeople are millionaires. Politicians should get paid minimum wage. The Archer Group, which the parish hired on a contract not to exceed $100,000, is expected to issue additional recommendations on updating the parish's classified pay plan in March or April, Dumas said. Will higher salaries for politicians mean we will get better governments. Everything you do, eyes are watching you. In 2009, the European Parliament implemented a flat-salary payment system, and all MEPs began to earn identical annual salaries of 90,000, equal the researchers note, "to 38.5% of a salary of a judge at the European Court of Justice." The politicians that would run for office at minimum wage pay would do it to change things for the better because they surly would not be making lots of money. Cant set limits on bribes and blackmail. Giving MPs a salary was an essential corrective to the grotesque imbalance that inevitably developed when politics was exclusive a rich mans game. That aspect of democracy was open only to the independently wealthy. Or those willing to become corrupt and accept bribes. Employees who get minimum wage should get a pay increase from April every year under law. Thats wrong. How much are politicians paid in your country? ), they will no way want to live on $6.55/hour. I would say they should be payed the average income of there district. Pay them with food and water and a cot in a FEMA trailer. movement. If you find these articles interesting, please consider a small donation to help support this site and my other activities on behalf of Scotland's independence If the only reason some are there is for the money (which that is the case for many) then making them work for minimum wage will make them want to change careers opening a spot for someone who will do the job for the greater good. If politicians are doing a service for the reasons they say they are then I say prove it. Those people that will hate the politicians will take them down verbally but others will physically attack them. In fact, it may accomplish the opposite. Politicians are public servants, hence the main mission of their political activity must be to benefit the people. '''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''. In the past politician have even gone without pay well i say they should stop spending our money on stupid unnecessary things like trips over seas. Good job. as for minimum wage, i actually sort of like that since we are the ones paying for their salaries. While many other people work using their physical strength daily at work, politicians spend most of their time in their office or attending meetings. Similarly, Republicans who live in areas where the state minimum wage is $12 or higher are slightly more likely than those living in places where the $7.25 federal minimum wage applies to say they favor raising the federal minimum to $15 an hour (32% vs. 25%). These issues can be a life and death situation, and even your health will be at stake because of too much stress. Some senators, including several Democrats, support a more modest increase in the wage. They should receive no more than an average American gets. Of the 3,313 positions Jefferson Parish budgeted for 2023, at least 679 are vacant, Dumas said. Tommy may have a point in relation to some of this. And, you're right. They conclude that salary had an insignificant impact on both shirking and attendance. Usually, a politician is from a political party, which is a group that shares common beliefs and goals. I have never conducted research to see if politicians are truly smarter than janitors and wal-mart cashiers. Lifelong campaigner for the restoration of Scotland's independence. The researchers consider the effects of a salary increase on some members of the European Parliament (MEPs). Many politicians are already wealthy from careers as lawyers or lesser politicians. A countrys political system reflects the peoples way of living. On one hand, that doubling increased the logarithm of the number of parties that field a candidate by 41% of a standard deviation, thereby providing the voters with a broader choice of political platforms, the researchers write. I always thought it should be a percentage of the average wage in the area they represent. People running for office must be able to think critically to come up with a solution when there is a problem. They could find a similar level of power and control elsewhere while having more money. Interesting, since you have neither met me nor most politicians (i'm guessing that you didn't, correct me if I'm wrong). most corporations will miss out, and will have to raise their prices in order to keep up with the increased minimum wage. The . If they are paid by the hour, maybe they will get in there as actually do some work. We welcome anyone and everyone to register & become a member of our awesome community. So yes, lowering wages for politicians would solve many problems. "[Martin Luther King, Jr.] would want us to celebrate him, his birth and his legacy by acting upon his agenda, by realizing the dream, by making the minimum wage a living wage, by having not just family and medical leave, but paid sick leave for our workers, [and] by having quality, affordable child care so that our families, the power of women can be unleashed in our economy and in our society. Rep. Nancy Pelosi on the 50th Anniversary of MLKs I Have a Dream speech. Ive recently learned that SC Rep Joe Cunningham voted against Democrats and WITH republicans to vote AGAINST increasing the minimum wage to 15$ an hour. If you wish to become a politician then you should be in there for the correct reason if this means that you have low pay then so be it. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Like Jefferson, the city has faced an exodus of municipal workers and a slow down in hiring due to the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. Anyways, I no longer think only raising the minimum wage is going to solve much by itself. It would cause inequality between politicians, which could cause all sorts of problems though. It would balance out if it was regulated well. Thats why, since the last time this Congress raised the minimum wage, 19 states have chosen to bump theirs even higher. But they shouldnt be allowed to become millionaires and govern society. In the UK, healthcare is delivered free at the point of use, so anyone can go into a Should-Politicians-Be-Paid-For-Their-Work_, 80 ESL Debate Topics About Travel and Tourism, Healthcare is a human right and should be free for everyone, The minimum wage should be increased every year, 60 Controversial Discussion Topics with Teaching Ideas. :). In Brazil, members of Congress are trying to raise their own pay to $187,000 per year. Jefferson Parish regularly offers its employees salary increases tied to performance. The parish would need to spend another $8.4 million to address the resulting wage compression among workers already making more than $15 per hour, The Archer Group estimated. Email Blake Paterson at bpaterson@theadvocate.com and follow him on Twitter @blakepater, Jefferson Parish Councilman Mark Spears this week called it shameful that the parishs Personnel Department doesnt recommend increasing the. I think its time that OUR ELECTED are paid what they think its ok to pay us. Agency Says Law Needs Change. Social imbalances are rarely, if ever, corrected quickly. While in office, politicians should not be allowed to make, After leaving office, no former politician should be allowed to make. Answer (1 of 13): I get the premise. Let's raise the minimum wage to a living wage! A Tory candidate has been filmed telling a hustings event that people with learning disabilities should be paid less than minimum wage as 'they don't understand money'. But they should not have other employment as consultants, executive directors of shell companies or whatever. How Restaurant Workers Help Pay for Lobbying to Keep Their Wages Low The National Restaurant Association uses mandatory $15 food-safety classes to turn waiters and cooks into unwitting funders of its battle against minimum wage increases. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Heres whats going to happen: Theyre going to have to lay people off. Gov. In 2009, the European Parliament implemented a flat-salary payment system, and all MEPs began to earn identical annual salaries of 90,000, equal the researchers note, to 38.5% of a salary of a judge at the European Court of Justice. 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