Look at the money we'd save if we would just...

[Hubert Flottz]

Cut out all the politician's "Entitlements" and free rides for life...Let's think about wiping out their retirement checks.

[Hubert Flottz]

1. No more Secret Service after they leave office, no more free...

hospitalization, no trips to the country clubs on the tab.

[KansDem]

2. "Cut out all the politician's 'Entitlements' and free rides for life"

Well, then we wouldn't be able to enlist the best and the br...br... The best and the br...brrrr...rrrr...rrrrrr......

Sorry, my fingers simply can't type "the best and the brightest" when referring to the current state of US elected officials...

[Hubert Flottz]

3. Shit...you couldn't run those lazy blood sucking freeloaders out

to get a real job. Hell they only work three days a week for about 20 weeks a year and then they don't do anything. A days work would kill the scumbags.

[JVS]

4. Keep it, but use means testing.

The idea of pay for the politicians is originally an egalitarian idea. Its basis was that elected office should not be purely the province of the independently wealthy. Most of our politicians are so rich that the benefits (outside of security, which could get very expensive) are chump change. But if you do away with these, the few who are of humble means will have to decide if they can afford political careers, or perhaps even worse will be moved to cooperate with certain interests in order to ensure a comfortable retirement.

On the other hand, it seems the problem the benefits were designed to combat run rampant anyway, so maybe it wouldn't matter.

[Hubert Flottz]

5. If they go to Washington poor and honest it won't be long before

most of them are well off and guilty.

[JVS]

6. This is why I think we should eliminate elections and fill the legislature with randomly selected...

citizens to be sequestered (i.e. kept away from lobbyists) for terms of 8 months.

[Hubert Flottz]

8. We should just run the lobbyists out of bidness.

[vim876]

7. No, no..

You have it all wrong. See, we use merit pay, like they want to do with teachers. Employment goes up, so does pay, etc.

[Hubert Flottz]

9. Good idea and

If they fail to produce they get canned!