What about merit pay for Congressmen?

[Pab Sungenis]

It makes sense. Start them with a gross base salary of $15,000 a year. Minimum wage. Then, every time they provide constituent services, give them a point. Every time they vote in the interest of the average America, give them a point. Every time they vote against the average person, take a point away. Every filibuster, take away another point. And so on.

Then, at the end of the year, calculate the scores. The congressman with the highest score gets $175,000.00 in salary. Other congressmen in positive territory get a pro-rated salary based on their score vs. the highest score. Anyone with a negative score gets the base wage and nothing more.

If it's good enough for teachers....

[meegbear]

1. And have to pay for health insurance ...

no free rides there either.

[aikoaiko]

2. Do towns get to vote every couple of years an whether or not to fire teachers too in your plan?

:shrug:

[Pab Sungenis]

4. Not under my plan, but

they probably will get that eventually. The people who want merit pay are also the ones screaming for the abolition of tenure.

[trayfoot]

3. Point well taken!

[midnight]

5. How about making public service only a one term or two term

limit instead? With no chance to lobby for ten years after leaving office.

[snappyturtle]

8. Amen. nt

[Pab Sungenis]

9. You're missing the point.

It's not a screed against politicians, it's a criticism of the concept of merit pay.

[karynnj]

14. I think that would be a poor idea

Take just the Senate. The people who are the most skilled are mostly the people who have been there the longest. Under your rule, Senator Kennedy would not have been there to get S-Chip through (nor would the two Democrats who as co-sponsors helped him in this - Kerry, who with Kennedy wrote the precursor bill) and Dodd or Hatch, who pulled in the needed Republican votes - the Republicans controlled the Senate.) Many bills are submitted in many many Congresses before they become law.

The fact is that you often don't really know what you will get from a first term Senator. Many heros when elected become Senators we complain about after they have a few years in office. The worst Senators, by the metrics in each party, are winnowed out by not winning re-election.

Try this test - look at the list of Democratic Senators, eliminate those just elected because they are too new. Rank order them as best you can and then compare their seniority. You might be surprised to find that you prefer the top half of the list - especially if you think you are liberal.

[stray cat]

6. we fire them instead in the next election- why keep incompetent people on the payroll?

How can we have good companies, schools, government if we can't fire the incompetent individuals? Either that or we get to choose who to rehire every 4 years.

[Turbineguy]

7. Put an end to earmarks

which is little more than campaigning on the taxpayer dime.

[Freddie Stubbs]

10. Who gets to decide which votes are in the interest of the average American?

Congress?

[Pab Sungenis]

13. And who gets to decide which teachers get more merit pay?

Surely not other teachers, right?

[Freddie Stubbs]

18. Their supervisors

[karynnj]

11. Who determines if a vote is in the interest of the American people or not?

That is a value judgment - and you and I would likely agree as we are both Democrats - and probably liberal Democrats at that.

The fact is that a good Senator or Congressman is already making far less than they could if they went into private life - even ruling out lobbying jobs. So, it is unlikely that the relatively small difference in salary would motivate them to do anything they are not doing now. In addition, if you were to follow the time spent by a Senator or Congressman, you would find that the claim that they work few hours is very inaccurate. Much of the time when they are working is not seen by anyone.

[Pab Sungenis]

12. And all of the measures proposed for merit pay for teachers

are also value judgments. Standardized tests are a joke. Teachers end up "teaching" to the test instead of actually teaching. Kids don't necessarily learn.

The best teachers I've ever known turned out well-rounded inquisitive students, not necessarily the top test-scorers.

[karynnj]

15. I agree

Some also ignore what you started with. I have a sister who works in an inner city school - to compare test results there to suburban results is idiotic. I also agree that the worst teachers might by teaching the test, help their score, while doing less well for the kids.

[nykym]

16. Just one question

Where would this legislation, which I do think has merit, be introduced and by whom?
At present it would be like the banks and Wall St self regulating!

[customerserviceguy]

17. Better yet

you know that checkoff box on your taxes where you can designate a few bucks for the Presidential Election Campaign Fund? Would that be an equitable way to pay Congresscritters?