These 12 Lawmakers Agree: It's Time to Leave Congress | NYT Opinion
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- čas přidán 29. 04. 2024
- Even the insiders are fed up with Washington. To understand why, we put the same eight questions to House and Senate members in both parties who are on the way out, looking for patterns and prescriptions to get a handle on the place. Corruption, money, perks, frustrations, solutions - hear what they said about it all.
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Citizens United needs to be overturned
The house of congress needs revamping, so does the 2 party system: "IT AIN'T WORKING!"
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@@MR-pr8tp ranked choice voting
@@MR-pr8tp and expanded districts!
@@ggjohnson5754 Doesn't always work, unfortunately. NYC's attempt in ranked-choice voting led to Eric Adams.
“I had to raise $250k to be on certain committees.” So Congress is like Scientology. You cant get to the next level of power unless you raise money for the group?
Congress is a pyramid scheme wasn't on my 2024 bingo card.
America is a grift, at every single level.
@@Pictoru2 Well... that explains how the grifter in chief got in 2017-2020.
@@gailflanagan1214 If you think the leaders of your party aren't grifting you, then you have fallen for their grift.
@@kylas1902 I have not seen any liberals blatenly selling items like gold sneakers, jewelry, bibles, running corporations and such all while campaigning for office. They haven't faked religiion to get votes. They ddidn't ask for donations to "stop a steal" that wasn't stolen. I mean, the grifter in chief is from the GOP only.
Campaign finance reform
Anti-Omnibus reform
Term limits
Anti-lobbyist reform
Yes to all of those !
We all know, they all know,
Citizens United has got to go.
100%.
Term limits are terrible tho
Sorry but no, Omnibus is necessary
So if these people are honest enough to say what the problems are, but leave Congress, what will we get as replacements?
More Noobs or actually people capable of joining a force to restore decorum and productivity.
Unfortunately, most of these people are Democrats. I don't want them to leave.
People rich enough to buy the committee seats
Oh no!
most likely MTG-alike copycats.
It sounds like it is corrupted if you need to buy a seat of the committee…
Very insightful. My only criticism is how all of them seem to disassociate “corruption” with money pouring in from “special interest” that deeply affect voting decisions. If that’s not corruption I don’t know what is. Not evil, but corrupt as in ‘not in the people’s best interest’.
You could see it as legal corruption, since you are allowed to get some sums of money or other valuable things, also there is lobbyism which is part of that 'legal corruption'.
I mean its good that there are regulations on the presents you get but I am also more against company lobbyism
@@fds-lg6gmcorruption is corruption doesn’t matter if it’s legal or not
@@lenny8511 Thanks Chad.
A few did mention how awful the SC decision regarding Citizen's United was for this country.
Like half of them said that money from special interests is akin to corruption lol
The fact that not ONE of these politicians mentioned ending gerrymandering as a way to fix congress is both shameful and alarming.
Perhaps because Gerrymandering effects pale in comparison to the polarizing extremism we get through the current Primary system, plus BOTH sides do it (Gerrymandering) and there is no clear path to "fix" it. Primaries _can_ be partially addressed by changing who is allowed to vote in each (e.g. Independents, opposite parties) and how results are handled (e.g. 50% req'ts, rankn voting).
Well, these are congressmen. They still need a majority vote to pass legislation. And even getting a whole country to agree on the wording of said legislation is a nightmare.
Half of the Republican caucus depends on gerrymandering to get elected. If they can’t change district lines to disenfranchise their minority voters, they would never be able to get a shot. If voters were actually informed on the policies they were voting for, they’d never vote for most of the GOP in office now. I’m not saying that’s with the entire GOP; there are some good, honest people who want to make the country a better place, but these MAGA-types that are forcing their way into office now are truly doing a disservice to their constituents.
Congressional district lines are drawn by state legislatures, not Congress, so there’s nothing Congress can really do to stop gerrymandering, that would be up to individual states.
@@georgehugh3455 They didn’t mention primaries either
I'm always amused when politicians say that their salaries should keep up with inflation, all while the federal minimum wage hasn't budged since 2009. The minimum wage in 1974 was $2, which when adjusted for inflation is $16.10/h in today's money. The current minimum wage is $7.25...
It 100% makes more sense for politician or public sector jobs to keep up with inflation. Some private sector jobs should probably eventually go away if the company loses too much money. But in order to prevent corruption public sector jobs should be high paying. Singapore has an excellent method of battling corruption by having some of the highest paid politicians in the world. Also you have to keep in mind some of these congress people have to have two homes, one in DC and one if their home state. And sometimes their home state has a high cost of living so 200k is not enough at all.
And yet it's the democrats that have raised the minimum wage in blue states. The current minimum wage in the US is NOT 7.25 across the board. Jesus, it's a simple google. Massachusetts minimum wage is $15.75 and hour and that's just one blue state. You don't like 7.25 an hour? Vote your red hats out.
Except in CA the minimum has increased to $16 and fast food it's $20 ph because cost of living is so high.
I enjoy the idea of politicians salaraies being tied to minimum wage. Always staying x amount of min wage means if they want a raise, then everyone gets a raise.
@@VietAzinSingapore also has a culture where corruption is looked down on, where as corruption is the norm in Washington DC, particularly the republikkkan party. Look who there cult leader is after all. 🙄
Let's build them a dormitory in DC or Maryland.😂
Just what these poor "Congress members" people need free housing 😅
Sounds good..make it coed for conjugal or family visits/stay..
Seriously, that is the same thought that popped into my head. They don't need/deserve a raise, they need dormitories.
(And notice how they all want their income to keep up with inflation....but not the citizens' minimum wage doesn't need to be kept up with inflation???)
Great idea.
yes! on the other side of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Maryland
Money. They’re leaving to make $500K a year as lobbyists or sit on boards of corporations.
Settle down dude. Cardin has been in politics since '67. Blumenauer since '73. Napolitano since '92 (She's 87!), Eshoo since '93. Kilmer is the spring chicken at 50 and he's been in politics since '05.
@@HKim0072 Haha, yeah, you're right. They've spent decades trading stocks on companies they regulate and they probably already got their kids sweet jobs in giant corporations. So they can just retire to one of their houses!
So they leave and lobby, lecture and write books……either when in congress or after - they sell their souls and sell out all of us
@@whimsicalhamster88if you can do this then do it but do not undermine people that did instead of you
@@HKim0072 The real question though is did they earn this money? Just sitting and going along with the lobbyists and others that do nothing, change nothing is the corruption itself. Politicians are there to play politics and not do a darn thing as elected by the citizens. Just sit and collect that500K til it runs out. I am a senior and how long has Healthcare and the border been a campaign issue? Since the 40's.
Basically what they all said, was "congress is corrupt, but i'm not. It's them, and it's frustrating.'
Like Mark Twain said, "we have the best government money can buy."
We still do...unfortunately.
If they know the ones that are corrupt, yet do nothing to oust them, they are still guilty of neglecting their respondibility.
Except they didn’t say that. And they all admitted we need campaign finance reform. Corrupt is not the word you’re looking for.
WE NEED TERM LIMITS NOW…20,30, 40+ years is way too long. If we don’t put term limits soon we will not get anything done.
The first guy said he was there for 58 years! That’s insane.
58 years in politics....some people unfortunately die at 58.
That's a horrible idea unless you want special interest groups to have even more influence than they already do.
We need competence and purpose aligned with their constituents.
We also need a better class of citizen doing the voting.
@@AlanWHKanand some people die at 18 years old. What’s your point?
@@TraderRobin No, he hasn’t even been there for as long as a lot of them.
• He was first elected to the senate in 1985 (39 years ago).
• He was first elected as a county judge in 1977, leaving that office in 1984 (7 years).
• Grand Total: 46 years in elected office.
It’s sorta upsetting that i don’t know any of these people.
then searchup their rollcall votes for the patri0t act lol. Most of them in this vid voted yes to it. tra1iters to their country.
Unless you are a political junkie, you shouldn't know all the House members. Generally, you should know "some" of the Senate.
I only know Ben Cardin because I grew up in Baltimore. I know of John Sarbanes because of his Dad (was a Senator). Ken Buck has in the media recently. The other names just by "passing". Blumenauer, Cardenas, Carper, Kildee, Napolitano.
To be fair, there’s a lot of them. And the ones you do know are either the most extreme voices or the loudest on specific topics.
Its cause the people who actually work for the people don't televise themselves. They are hard at work, unlike people like MTG and others.
There are a lot, you should know the ones in your district and certainly the senators.
Provide public housing to representatives in Congress instead of a pay raise. We shouldn’t encourage DC to become even more expensive.
When Newt Gingrich took over as House Speaker in the 1990's HE'S the one who directly DEMANDED his party members disassociate themselves with those "across the aisle" and set about to intentionally foster an environment of animosity and hostility. HE set an agenda demanding his members stop cooperating, stop interacting, and outright stated he would no longer support most "compromise" or bi-partisan collaboration. MUCH of what has transpired over the last 30 years is DIRECTLY traceable to his "leadership" and the toxic environment he encouraged. While he's certainly not the ONLY one to do so, and a bit more than a decade later his counterpart in the Senate basically did the same thing by demanding that HIS members outright reject any and all proposals put forward from the White House. The current dysfunction started with N.G. , became even worse with M. M., and "WE, the PEOPLE" would do well to remember that!
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I agree with what you've written. He's still spewing hatred today. He's deliberately telling falsehoods to cause more division. A true villain to our young people who will inherit this mess.
If Congress wants a pay raise, then give the rest of America a pay raise by raising min. wage. It's long overdue.
If you want that, then stop voting for the specific people who voted against minimum wage increases. You can look up on google which politicians have voted against it. I hope you do.
@@christianseibold3369 that would be the majority of Congress.
@@christianseibold3369 Of course I do. Unfortunately, I live in a gerrymandered red district in TX.
Then everything else will go up
Ngl a federal minimum wage should always be more conservative than what states set. Cost of living in different areas is wildly different. You set it too high in really low cost of living areas, you get massive inflation in those areas.
As someone from the UK, this was fascinating.
As if our Parliament isn’t exactly the same
@@L333gok I don't think I said it was any different.
Do you call it fascinating that we are close to losing our democracy and our best NATO allies such as the best one from the UK all because of Donald Trump and his NAZI MAGA's who will turn us into a dictatorship? I am a native born Republican of 67 years old and I am floored that these so called MAGA are even Americans and associate them selves as a Republican. Never in my lifetime that ever would have thought that a presidential candidate would be running as a proponent of overthrowing our Constitution!!!
The problem with Congress? Not a SINGLE one of them when talking about benefits said the benefit of representing constituents. That- that right there is the problem with Congress
The rep from California's answer about worrying about his district bothers me. Not one of them seem to understand that their votes affect not only their district but the remaining 320 million Americans in the country.
Yup!! They view it more as a corporate CEO- type-career
Great remark 🇺🇸⚖️❤️🤍💙⚖️🇺🇸
Kilmer is my representative and it’s good to hear that Congress realizes that they are totally dysfunctional and trying a little to reform themselves. But it really is up to the public too in order to fix a broken system
They say it’s up to the public. What do you think the public can do to fix it? I’m only seeing running for Congress with the goal to change rules of Congress as the only option.
When you have the public electing a MTG, Gaetz, Trump etc. in the first place, then I doubt re-electing will help. What hurts too is to actually have criminals elected and excused for their actions, some looney-tune rational provided. America- unfortunately is growing dumber than dirt, mostly unethical, lowering the standards by the day. What would be more effective is to have the "functional" ones actually oust the "dysfunctional" to show us that it can be fixed. Just take some guts and sane thinking. Or are there any left?
@@0wearetheuniverse0 yeah it’s about cultural change… within society as well as electing people that have the right qualities: collaborative, willing to be bi-partisan, not take special interest funding etc…
Its not been the peoples house since the 1970's.
Reagan started it. Republicans have wrecked the economy. Democrats spend 4 years fixing it. The Great Republican Recession ended my American Dream. Now you Republicans want to take Social Security. I worked 40 years for that benefit. I spent my entire retirement savings during The Great Republican Recession. I have no savings. My body is in so much pain I can’t work. So now what. Please. Don’t let the Orange Antichrist back in the White House. He will make everything worse. VOTE 100% BLUE. GOD SAVE AMERICA
I think it's essential that they reside in DC to allow them to continue to work on Mondays and Fridays. Make monthly stops back to their states to listen, be seen and update folks on progress/victory/defeat. Other than that they each have gobs of staff to field calls/letters from constituents throughout the month. I don't need to see my Rep in person, rather present at every hearing, proposal and vote in their respective house.
They should declare certain musts:
1. Cannot shutdown the Government for failure to reach budgetary agreements...keep pounding away with each needing to make concessions where possible to get it down.
2. Committee rules must not favor one party over the other.
3. There should be a mandatory number of bills to be considered each cycle, regardless of which party proposed them; with a set number of of them being chosen from the minority by the Majority's prioritization. Bills cannot simply languish in congress due to a blockade of all of them during a term.
4. No preferential or pork included in any bill. If a state is to receive a new bridge, is should because it was assessed to be the very worst in the nation, not just to get a specific representative's vote for a bill.
5. The nomination and approval of judges, specifically SC should occur whenever the vacancy exists; regardless of party in power.
6.Any salacious or insulting remarks (not critique) made against another representative, should be stricken from the record and the remainder of that representatives time forfeited for that round.
I'd love to hear others' ideas on the matter.
Why go back to their districts? None of the GOP congressman went to their districts and told them the TRUTH about the 2020 election. They allowed the lies to perpetuate into the mess we have today.
I think some of these ideas, particularly "no preferential or pork" and the no insulting remarks idea, would be hard to enforce. I think the no pork idea could prevent some of this basic funding for bridges and other infrastructure because lawmakers may not care about it as much. The no insulting remarks idea could decrease discourse because some lawmakers would be worried about speaking out in general out of fear that it could be categorized as an insulting remark. Maybe more specific requirements should be needed in a law for that so that it's clear what kind of speech is banned and that their first amendment rights are still protected.
Some of these other rules are good, though; I particularly like the rule about requiring a vote on new SC justices whenever there's a vacancy.
The nomination and approval of judges needs much more thought out than this. Our current system as designed creates a large bias in the system. If a party controls the senate and the president, then the supreme court can easily be stacked or they could fill all seats with unbalanced judges.
Set the Supreme Court aside for Supreme Court reform, not congressional reform. Supreme Court reform is much more nuanced (although a good start is term limits that go for longer than 2 presidential terms, and ensuring that justices don't all leave at the same time but are staggered).
@@LeoKatzman I appreciate you considering and taking the time to respond.
As far as pork, like I said in my example it should be based on need, say a bridge vs another sports stadium that unhouses 300 people.
As far as decorum, there will always be freedom of speech but in a professional, business or congressional setting there can still be rules to participate. Ex. Comments are being made to the body, not a particular person. Congress was always loosely based on Robert's rules of order and even games (including politics) need rules.
The idea that participant discourse might be chilled for the fear of not being acceptable is not a bad thing, just encourages mutual respect and wouldn't eliminate vigorous debate.
@@christianseibold3369 excellent
Provide DC housing and travel allowance. Stop corporate political donations full stop. Divest congress of or provide conservatorship of investments.
Bro, if they are struggling, AND I SAY THAT LOOSELY; It’s time for things to change.
I was in Ken Buck’s district until redistricting moved me to a more liberal district, which was fine by me as it’s more where I am in my opinions. I never thought Buck was a good member. Now that he’s quit he is far more forthcoming and honest in his communications now. If he had been that way as an active congressman I might have had a better opinion of him and even supported him to some degree. He’s completely right that money and the need to be constantly raising money is the most corrupting force and the thing that causes congress to be completely owned by the big money interests and not the people they are supposed to be serving. I’m disgusted by the situation. If these old lifetime members used half their efforts in reforming the institution that they spend raising money and glad handing lobbyests then maybe it could be saved.
I think someone as reasonable as him just doesn’t fit in today’s Republican party, sadly. If only people could see that one party has been pulled so far to the extreme that none of our problems can be properly addressed so long as those extremist Republicans keep getting elected and moving their party further and further towards the right and away from cooperation and genuine investment in the public’s interests…
Last year, I began feeling out the possibility of potentially running for congress (House of Representatives) as I've been increasingly frustrated with the divisiveness and all the inner-squabbling within my own political party - but mostly because of the disappointing job performance of my own districts congressman. I quickly discovered how impractical if not down right impossible it would be to merely run a provisional campaign without access to a substantial amount of wealth or political connections, most especially when it comes to running against a sitting incumbent.
As a patriotic American who loves my country with my entire heart, it would be an honor and a privilege to even be considered to serve my country at the federal legislative level - but the way things are in today's modern day politics, it would just about take an act of God for a nobody like to me to even have just a shot at a congressional bid.
That being said - one could argue that it would be a more practical option to run for office in a state or local level election as a way to work the way up to running in a federal election - and in todays political arena - they'd be right. However - being an elected Representative or Senator was never intended by our founding fathers to be a career. They intended for farmers, lawyers, tradesmen, etc., to temporarily leave their careers in order to serve the public by writing laws that benefit the public from the public's point of view, and then return to their careers and live under the laws they created.
They specifically intended it this way so that there would not be a stratification of classes where there would be a "ruling class" and "plebeian" one. Additionally, they constructed the government such that actually passing a law required a serious bit of thought, with several checks and balances along the process, in order to insure that what was being passed was truly desired by the majority of people. (Voting constituents.)
So I very much agree with you. Sadly, we have gotten so very far away from our founder's original intent - we now pass laws by simple voice vote and "rubber stamp committees" and allow for elected officials to remain in office for their entire working career. In my opinion, the best Congresses are the ones that do the least in terms of passing new laws as many that are passed are not needed. From campaign finance reform to implementing reasonable term-limits - we as American citizens have got to get our house in order.
Couldn't figure out how to get out? Don't run for reelection.
AIPAC money is very tempting...
Not one of these lawmakers have initiated a bill that repeals Citizen's United. Not one of them has gone to their Speaker and demand that Lobbyists not be allowed on Capitol grounds. There's no bill that prevents lawmakers from becoming regulators or lobbyists immediately after leaving Congress.
Citizens United is a Supreme Court decision, you can't repeal it with a legislative bill. You would need to amend the Constitution or appoint a majority of judges that would overturn Citizens United to the Supreme Court, which only the President can do.
You know nothing about the government. You can’t make a bill about a Supreme Court decision dude
@@danielweeks4886 you absolutely can pass a bill to overturn supreme court decisions. That's a basic part of our constitution. the DISCLOSE act is literally a bill that would overturn citizens united
@@Anthony-ct3cv no you cannot. You can pass an amendment, which is a ALTERING OF THE CONSTITUTION, but you can’t pass a bill overturning a decision, this is Gov 101. “When the Supreme Court rules on a constitutional issue, that judgment is virtually final; its decisions can be altered only by the rarely used procedure of constitutional amendment or by a new ruling of the Court. However, when the Court interprets a statute, new legislative action can be taken.” - Supreme Court dot gov
@@Anthony-ct3cv also, you’re completely misinterpreting the disclose act. Read up a bit
There is no corruption without corrupt politicians. Corruption doesn’t happen in a vacuum.
Someone who offers a bribe is not corrupt? Only the person who takes it? I think both sides are corrupt. They both participate.
Agree: And by not voicing or sharing the corruption makes them participants in the act itself: guilt by association perhaps?
14 minutes of "we're all trying to find the guy who did this"
finally someone says it
So majority of the Congress members in the interview said that Congress members should either be paid more or their pay should reflect inflation. This is the same Congress that has not raise the minimum wage in decades and voted down a federal $15 minimum wage. They get paid currently $174-$175,000 a year plus free healthcare for life and they think that 174,000 isn’t enough Plus Congress members and their family get to buy and trade in companies that they themselves in Congress are regulating with it being legal But for the rest of us that would be considered insider trading
These interviews made me cry for our country. I don’t see us surviving anymore!
Leaving a Day 1 Dictator at the helm, fleeing the mess they created to retire off our taxes🫡
I get your point, but imagine being so disillusioned that the american people could possibly vote that nightmare back in again.... I'm impressed by anyone strong enough to not walk away at that point.
Let's give Dark Brandon four more years!!! VOTE BLUE!!! up and down!!!! write in if we have to!!
And no one can live off the retirement $ they receive
@@yootoober2009 Blue across the board for me and I'm an ex Reaganite Republican.
Our democracy isn’t dying. It’s dead. Supreme Court’s ruling on campaign financing put the final nail in its coffin.
Vote Biden! 2024 and we'll get a new supreme Court balance
Vote out MAGA and extremists and we can restore democracy as it should be.
@@nnonotnow What, will all of SCOTUS spontaneously drop dead when Biden takes office? Lifetime appointments are great amiright
@@nnonotnow hhhhhh just how.... while he barely can balance himself lol
@@Joshua-dq4kr But unfortunately Trump's felonies and "covfefe" remarks won't fix it either. He preached to his supporters about revolutionary soldiers raiding airports. Or "lets' inject ourselves with disinfectant" isn't exactly "balanced". How low can "balanced" mentality go? Me: Take Biden over Trump anyday. .
We need a constitutional amendment to limit congressional term limits.
It's interesting that all of them think they made a difference, what else are they going to say? They pull down at a minimum $175,000 a year working maybe 2 to 3 days a week, while the rest of the time they are dialing for dollars. They get housing allowances, free air travel, Rolls Royce Health care plans with the taxpayer paying for over 70% of their premiums. Then there's the free dinners out, " business meetings", golf, etc. To be honest I wouldn't care about most of it, if they achieved real results but none of them do, regardless of party. Now the system has been weakened to such a degree, carve outs for special interests, protectionist policies to save dying industries. The only ones who might have been able to counter those forces were Unions and a strong Middle Class but those have faded or are gone. We spend trillions on new toys for the military, tax breaks for people who don't need them while our competitors invest in infrastructure, schools and higher education, looking for the next big thing. Money needs to be removed from our political system, $14 billion during the last election cycle??? It's like we're watching the Fall of Rome 2.0.
Here’s the thing: While the full Congress is only in session for a few days, most Congressmen are actually working almost 12 hours a day, seven days a week.
When they are not in session they are meeting in committees, writing bills, traveling to and talking with their constituents, meeting and receiving foreign dignitaries, talking with their interest groups and donors, discussing future campaign strategies, etc, etc.
And most of them do make a difference, it’s just that, like they mention, 99% of it is boring stuff that doesn’t get covered in the news.
Congress definitely deserves criticism, but they are not as corrupt, self absorbed, and arrogant as most Americans think. After all, most of these guys and gals have been elected by their constituents several times.
@@bigj1905 12 hour days @ $175K+? I should feel sympathetic? Ask any business owner, lawyer or any professional how many hours a week they work . IF they are working 12 hour days more than half is for fund raising, meaning they're working on themselves not for the people. I've seen it from several angles, one while in uniform, another as a business owner. When they want money, they call, matter of fact I had one looking for $75,000 (serious balls) just a few months ago. In return for the donation they'd get me a low digit plate for one of my cars. The two parties serve both as gatekeepers to Washington and act as thugs to keep out any competition. They protect the seats regardless of the caliber of person holding it. Problem is when I needed their help when deployed and a major bank was going to pull my line of credit, those same politicians were nowhere to be found. Trust me, they may start out with good intentions but for probably 95% or more, their value system gets warped very quickly. There's not one standout that would risk their job let alone their life for this country. I give credit to Liz Cheney and Kinzinger for their stance on 1/6 but here we are with Israel and Gaza. Nothing but crickets.. No moral backbone being shown by either party. Why? Fear of losing their job.
@@bigj1905 - Well said.
@@bigj1905Yeah they're making a difference alright lmao look around you, you can just see the positive change all around 🙄 as far as I can tell, Katie Porter might be the only politician left who's not concerned with lining her own pockets and actually working on your behalf.
"NO corruption?"🤔🙄
OMG! I read that in Conald J6 Dump's voice 🤭
You actually don’t see the corruption? Then you’re right. You should leave asap.
I know I was like that's BS when they said it's not corrupt
Agree. That was an admittance of the corruption: ignorance to see reality.
GET THE LOBBIESTS OUT‼️‼️
I bet a lot of those interviewed will become lobbyists. Special Interest Money & Citizen’s United are a cancer to government + the supreme court’s conservatives like Thomas & Alito make it worse. Expand the court VOTE BIDEN HARRIS no 3rd party votes. Get rid of MAGA & THE ORANGE MONSTER VOTE BLUE
Wow! In a country with a federal minimum wage of $7.25 and hasn't been raised since 2009. We aren't seeing a cost of living increase. If D.C is so expensive and the pay isn't enough in their opinion, then why have some of them been in Congress for 30 years or more?
Because most couldn’t do anything else and others will quit to become 7 figure paid lobbyists. 🤨
The real answer is that private sector wages are set by the market, so those jobs naturally see wage increases with inflation (part of inflation is due to wage increases, i.e. wage-price spiral). Public sector wages are set by legislation, so those need to be updated by the government which is a lot less efficient at getting things done.
I think the representatives in this vid were obviously all wealthy enough to afford to be in Congress, but some of them think that the salary should be adjusted so that less wealthy people can also be in Congress to more accurately represent the American public.
their salary should go up with inflation 💀 that's so ironic lol
NO THEIR SALARY SHOULD DEPEND WHAT THEY ACCOMPLISH FOR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE!!!!!!!! THEY WORK IN OUR HOUSE!!!!!!!! NO PAY RAISES UNLESS THEY PERFORM !!!!!!!!!🙈🙊🙉🤯🤮😜😖😵💫🤬🤪💀😈
It should not be possible for a person to enter congress as a regular citizen and become a millionaire! It happened to someone I actually knew.
True , but most members of Congress enter as rich .
Free lifetime health insurance. It's the get-it-and-go grift that keeps on griving.
Term limits on Congress members
Multiple representatives said “I was told I had to…” Who did the telling? What authority were they being subservient to? No need to name names, but roles would help us understand how Congress works.
Probably party leaders. Like Chuck Schumer and Mitch McConnell. Maybe the President sometimes.
@@rampoat7529 Yeah…I wouldn’t fare well in Congress. Too independent and stubborn.
Ask Michael Steel. VOTE BLUE.
Disappointed in this !! The solution is "balance the budget by reducing spending on programs" that help the majority of low and middle income earners!??? Wrong!!
If big corporate and wealthy actually paid their taxes at 30% we would never have to discuss Social Security or Medicare in this light. The solution is to hold the wealthy and big corporate accountable for their taxes and get big money out of politics. Start there and then lets see who shows up to *serve* the people.
Time to leave....Not until they get their pension. Which the tax payer funds for them. They retire in the lap of luxury, while the rest of us become sick and homeless. Not good people, not good.
With the republican party that will never change. All the nonsense of a small government, responsibility and trickle down actually means: I keep everything to myself, because I deserve it and won't share = pay my fair amount of taxes. Conveniently I call every attempt to make life better for the American people who are not as lucky as I am "communism". Thanks to Reagan for that! I don't care about the rest. If you're sick or poor and can't keep up with our unsocial working conditions: your fault, not mine. In my country we call this "neoliberalism" and we see it as a very negative, extremely unfair thing. Our neoliberal party got more extreme over the decades. That's why they have an increasing problem to be voted into our parliaments. They are unwanted here.
When they say "dysfunctional" and "chaotic" they are saying corrupt.
I hate the “it’s the American people who need to fix congress” line. They are sent to congress by the American people, who are always told that voting and picking the correct representative is the main way that they can influence politics. If you, as a representative of the American people, cannot even try to “change the culture” of congress, what the heck else are the people supposed to do?
"Change campaign finance law"
Homies... you... wrote... the laws....
most of these guys didn’t write those laws tbf. Citizens United was a conservative ruling made by the supreme court and any bill that these lawmakers try to write to fix the problems made by that ruling, it wouldn’t be allowed to pass as it would be declared unconstitutional. So the issue here is more the fault of the people who appointed and voted in the conservative SCOTUS judges who made that ruling in the first place. But I totally get your frustration. It’s a mess.
Nope, that was the supreme court.
Gotta admit that I hate nearly all of Ken Buck's political positions, but admire the dude. This weird thing where we call people by titles. Even worse when they keep it for years after position / office.
Can't imagine being at work and being like, "CEO Matt, what's your take on this?". Asian countries (at least Korea) do that. It's really weird.
Why isn’t the best thing for them “to make a difference for the American people ?”
哥伦比亚大学的闹事升级，学生用铁锤砸碎了教学楼的窗户，占领了校长办公室所在的大楼。当年反越战时，学生就曾占领这栋大楼。从铁锤砸窗户、占领教学楼，到升起巴勒斯坦旗，甚至还挂出“安替法”（那个打砸抢的暴力组织）的条幅，更展示出这场学潮中暴徒的本相：一帮满脑子左毒的祸害美国的作秀狂。
Translated from Chinese by
The riot at Columbia University escalated, with students smashing windows of the teaching building with hammers and occupying the building where the president's office is located. Students had occupied this building during the anti-Vietnam War movement. From smashing windows with hammers and occupying teaching buildings to raising the Palestinian flag and even hanging banners of "Antifa" (the violent organization that smashed, looted and robbed), the true nature of the thugs in this student movement was revealed: a bunch of show-offs who were full of left-wing poison and were harming the United States.
三年前抗议选举舞弊的民众在警察引导下进入国会大厅，没有砸任何东西，被定性为1/6暴乱--只差前面没加反革命三个字；今天哥大学生冲进办公大楼，捣毁各类设施，当局视而不见。前者被主流媒体连续攻击了好几年，后者被他们描绘成正义之举。这就是今天美国的状况，没有是非，无处说理。令人痛心呀！
Translated from Chinese by
Three years ago, the people protesting against election fraud entered the Capitol under the guidance of the police. They did not smash anything and were classified as the 1/6 riots-only the word "counter-revolution" was missing in front of it. Today, Columbia students stormed into office buildings and destroyed various facilities, but the authorities turned a blind eye. The former has been attacked by the mainstream media for several years, while the latter has been portrayed as a just act. This is the situation in the United States today. There is no right or wrong, and there is no place to seek justice. It is heartbreaking!
What?... you think the best part of the job is thinking about the needs of others?
@@toddharry7238 or the folks they represent?
because they're self absorbed they don't see you
NYTimes bravely stating the obvious
Was all this truly obvious?
Common Knowledge to everyone in the target audience?
@@3000Avery- Nope.
It's rare that I agree with Ken Buck on anything, but his comments about the past where members of Congress lived with their families around DC and socialize more, got to know each others' families, had Barbecues together, etc. helped grease the wheels of the work they were to do on the Hill. Now they just avoid and fly home every week to the small world of their views.that they are used to.
Thank you airing this, congress Senate must learn how to grow with change & expand & end these holding patterns. I'm very proud of this update. It gives me hope people see and can communicate their concerns about Congress and how it's going for them because they go in to do the job and they want to leave as well. The regular Americans on main Street would never enter office because it's too much stress. And Congress and Senate will not work together from fear, money, and how to leave office(?) it's like leaving a cult or a narcissistic abusive relationship with a suitcase and maybe $50. It's terrible. How is RFK running for office when he broke Congress rules and he won't even apologized to Debbie Wasserman Schultz for the anti-Semitism that his subculture Stokes. I am tired of the grifters entering what I call the internet international political podcasting realm and these grifters have more power than Congress and Senate.
House Congress Gym! How awesome would the gym Christmas party be? That would be cool!
I don't think deciding to leave is an issue for them regardless if the growing clownishness provoked the decision. These guys have great gigs already lined up to make oodles via their connections....most of which are with the lobbyists they served.
@@mick8888V resignations reflect moral compasses have a shelf life. And other resignations reflect pple recognize "workplace" toxicity, isn't that funny but I bet they get along well at the Congress Gym.
@@Xr2-8fan_810 interesting phenomena
RFK IS BEING FUNDED BY TIMOTHY MELLON OF MELLON BANK FROM ONE OF THE RICHEST ROBBER FAMILIES. HE IS DOING SO TO HELP THE ORANGE MONSTER WIN. HE PAID $7M FOR THE SUPER BOWL AD & IS FUNDING RFK’S QUEST TO GET ON EVERY STATE BALLOT. A VOTE FOR RFK IS A VOTE FOR A CRIMINAL AUTHORITARIAN FASCIST DICTATOR WITH A PLAN PREPARED BY THE HERITAGE FOUNDATION. SAVE AMERICA VOTE ONLY BLUE.
Great job NYTs!
Yes Mister Buck, The answer is very simple. Roll back the huge tax break that Trump gave to the richest people. Then force the 320 people who have most of the money in the US to pay a wealth tax. They can definitely afford it.
If you want to represent me, you need to live like me: shop 2nd hand and at thrift stores, cook at home and eat out only for special occasions and only at McD’s or similar, buy a second hand car, MAKE the gifts you give your family for Christmas, fix the holes in your clothes instead of buying new, shop at a food bank.
How can you claim to represent people who you don’t know?
They become politicians due to ego, power and greed.
Very well put.
The people they represent don't have the time or money to fight for change. If congress lives like that, they wouldn't either.
The future is the privilege of those not struggling in the present.
Amen. Check this out: José Mujica, often referred to as "Pepe" Mujica, is widely admired for his remarkable humility, a trait that distinguished his presidency in Uruguay from 2010 to 2015. His humble lifestyle and approach to governance have made him a beloved figure both in Uruguay and internationally. Here are some key aspects of Mujica's humility:
1. **Simple Living**: Despite his role as a national leader, Mujica chose to live austerely. He famously continued to live on his small farm on the outskirts of Montevideo instead of moving into the luxurious presidential palace. His home was modest, and he was often seen tending to his flowers and vegetables.
2. **Personal Sacrifice**: Mujica donated around 90% of his presidential salary to charity and social programs, keeping only what was necessary for his basic needs. This gesture highlighted his commitment to serving the public over personal gain.
3. **Public Transportation**: Known for driving an old Volkswagen Beetle, Mujica often shunned the typical presidential convoy. His choice of transport symbolized his rejection of the luxuries often associated with high office.
4. **Accessible and Open**: Mujica was known for his accessibility to the public and media, often engaging in conversations with a direct and frank manner. He avoided the formalities that typically distance politicians from their constituents.
5. **Philosophical Outlook**: Mujica's speeches often touched on themes of love, happiness, and the importance of modest living. He advocated for a focus on happiness and well-being over material wealth, emphasizing that "I'm called 'the poorest president,' but I don't feel poor. Poor people are those who only work to try to keep an expensive lifestyle, and always want more and more."
6. **Legacy and Influence**: Even after his presidency, Mujica's lifestyle and philosophy have continued to influence discussions around political ethics and the role of leaders in society. His approach has inspired many to reconsider what is truly necessary for a fulfilling life and the responsibilities of leaders to their constituents.
Mujica's humble approach not only defined his presidency but also left a lasting impression on global leadership ideals, demonstrating that power does not have to corrupt and that simplicity can be synonymous with greatness.
Amen, sister. Preach.
This is like the cops giving each other kudos on a podium after a murder.
So why didn't you fix the dark money corruption problems while you had the chance?
I think we need more of this..We need to make sure and vote out those that are not working for us.
As an AP Gov student, I was very validated when Sen. Cardin talked about the ridiculousness of Citizens United v. FEC. This SCOTUS case is the bane if AP Gov students' curriculum. I was so confused by the decision, I spent a whole week researching the facts to make sure I understood what the case says, never mind how this ruling changed U.S. politics.
I dont know about uk corruption but they have laws that politicians
1- have a VERY strict limited budget for their campaigning
2 -can't announce major policies within a certain time frame before election
From Tom scott's politics video
The way they go on about how awesome it is to be with famous people to me explains a lot. People like Donald Trump would have no chance without that trait and people like Obama would be hard-pressed on the topics that matter if they would not be able to let their charisma do much of the persuasion.
I find it appalling that Moscow, Marge and Bobo Boebert are making that kind of an income and not contributing to their constituents.
And I heard Marge couldn't even manage the construction business she inherited from her father. Her husband had to takeover and they practically kicked her out because she was a nightmare there too.
How do you feel about Nancy Pelosi?
@@CityGamer1337 I admire NP in many ways, when she received the 2019 Profile in Courage Award! for putting the national interest above her party's interest to expand access to health care for all Americans and then, against a wave of political attacks, leading the effort to retake the majority and elect the most diverse Congress in our nation's history.
@@pennylane428 What about all the insider trader… she consistently beats the best stock market traders in the world…
@@CityGamer1337 Pelosi actually works hard for her consituents and more effective in congress than half the people there. What did Marge & Boebert accomplish other than making fools of themselves?
Not them lecturing us about wage increases...LOL
We will miss you, Rep. Anna Eshoo!!!
Interesting. Liked the guy with the ideas on the “Fix Congress committee”. Nice to see both parties/bipartisan cooperation.
Thanks for this. The only frustrating thing was not being able to catch the names/parties of the congresspersons. I am from Colorado and did not vote for Ken Buck, but he has gone up in my estimation hearing him and the others. Unfortunately, the people who should be there are leaving...I shudder to see MTGs, Booberts, Santos types filling their seats. Let's wake up.
So I get it their salaries need to support 2 homes, 1 in a very expensive area. That said what about a Congressional dorm. That seems like it would be a way they could cut or at least limit salaries going forward as well are building community within.
Now l see why things are so screwed up. People who shouldn't be there, or don't want to be there, or been there too long.
TERM LIMITS PLEASE !
Term limits and or a retirement age similar to the range in SS.
@@mick8888VWas ist jetzt dein Problem
@@fds-lg6gm they weren't allowing me to send social security so I put SS
Right. " So, we destroyed the lower-middle class and now were leaving because the system we corrupted is too corrupt"
Destroying the middle class is Biden's number one priority. Oh wait, selling America out is his first.
Yep that’s all I heard too.
This is great!! I really enjoyed hearing the individual insights!!
That was great! Sad, but great to hear. Thank you.
2 thoughts.
1) This was a fascinating look into the life of a congressional representative. It was very insightful, and well produced. I appreciate the fact that no matter which side of the aisle the member was on, they did the best to tell the truth. Now, it was "there" truth, but that's better than what we're getting in the main circuit of news where people are rewarded for blatant lies.
2) While I concur with my fellow CZcamsrs that hearing these already wealthy people bemoan their salaries despite making more money than the average American, while ALSO having access to MUCH better health insurance benefits, retirement funds, job networking, inside information and personal security than nearly ALL Americans, there is truth to the fact that they should be paid more.
The reason why I align with their consternation here is because:
A) if it becomes too costly for a "normal" person to do this job, we will have an arm of the government that is purely a plutocracy wherein there's an even larger divide than there is today between the haves and have nots. I don't want to live in an America where even my local congressperson is a multi-millionaire BEFORE they even begin running for office. We know that there are misaligned objectives when it comes to people who come from wealth rather than those who earn it themselves.
B) If our congressional leaders are paid more, I believe there's a lower likelihood of them being bought off and swayed by the not-so-dark money that each of them have lamented in this video. If they have a greater sense of financial security because of their tax payer funded salary going up as the costs of living do, too--yes, we ALL deserve the same--then they may not feel the same pull to accept that cash from the lobby groups which, in turn, leads to them making decisions that absolutely crush us as a people.
If you have seen how little it takes for mega corporations lobby groups to pay off politicians to get them to vote a certain way, your jaw would hit the floor. I recall seeing how much a cable ISP was paying congresspeople to vote against net neutrality some 8 to 10 years ago, and it was like $2,000 here, $9,000 there. I was floored. You would think these lobby groups would be paying them six figures AT MINIMUM to get them to leave their ethics and moral scruples at the door. Nope.
I don't think this is the sole, or even perfect solution to this problem. Though, it's some-thing. And ANYTHING we can do short of getting Citizen's United overturned should be explored, because if corporations are people, then why in god's name don't they die or go to prison like people, too, when they behave badly?
boy u wasted time with all that
Thomas wanted more money, he decided to use the SC to pave his way. IMPEACH HIM & BALANCE THE COURT. HIS WIFE SHOULD BE CHARGED WITH TREASON. VOTE BLUE. IT IS THE BEST WE CAN DO. No 3rd party votes.
Well, Ken, the huge tax breaks the wealthiest and corporations have been getting time and again for the past 40 years *ADDED* trillions to the deficit that can easily pay Social Security and many other things.
If the wealthiest and corporations got taxed 50% they'd still live cushy lives and not be affected one bit. Their daily lives wouldn't even notice.
The best thing about being in Congress should be representing your constituents.
Get the money out of congress.
For decades while workers are paying into the SS, we were told, funds running out. Why? Many people and friends of mine have died without receiving any SS. Those funds go back into the kitty. Where is it? Is the SS funds being drained by mismanagement of funds??
I've always wondered the same thing. They think we're stupid.
They sell the total myth that SS is supposed to be a self-sustaining investment program. SS was paid for by taxes on the rich, and it received popular support because of the suffering of the masses during the great depression. Decades and decades of unpaid tax cuts murdered the budget deficit and SS is being blamed.
10:00
big talk coming from someone who voted for the TCJA
Yup! Funny how Republicans never want to be fiscally responsible when they're in power! I wonder when they plan on paying for that Iraq War that they put on a credit card and got rich off of.
One of the lawmakers mentions that maintaining two residences, one in their district and one in Washington D.C., is very difficult and expensive. They mention that the cost of living in Washington D.C. is high, and that they are not allowed to write off any of the expenses. Another lawmaker mentions that they have had a roommate every time they rent an apartment in D.C. and that upwards of 100 Congress members actually sleep in their office because it's expensive. They also mention that they worry about the future in terms of who can afford to do this job and that they think it's important to have cost of living adjustments...
...yet they all support capitalism that advocates inequality that favors the wealthy (the "best" democracy money can buy...)
The NYT should do this for their own publication.
Correct the spelling mistake of "Opinion"
That’s just like your opinnion man
You spelled "Opinion" wrong in the title of this video. Great video though.
Edit: They fixed it.
I could watch this for hours, great segment NYT, fascinating stuff.
Since corporations are considered people, why can’t we limit the campaign contributions of that single entity to that of a single person?
They need a dorm
“I think it should at least keep up with inflation” - that tells you everything. This member is out of touch with reality in the fact the salaries, pay of Americans has not kept up with inflation for decades and clearly has no insight to that
NO ONE IS HELD ACCOUNTABLE ‼️‼️
Thank you very much for your service and for being so candid. It's obvious you cared about the outcome. It must be tiring to stick with a difficult position for so long.
They all agreed that money in politics is bad, and their solution is bi-partisan orientation. For my next trick, I'm going to pay off my car by making toast.
And bipartisan legislation for the good of the general welfare is not the answer. What do you got?
Interesting!
We thank all of these people for their years of service to the people of the USA.
They get perks ⁉️ THEY AREN'T HIRED TO GET PERKS FOR FAILURE ‼️‼️
Wowed. So disappointed. They were so condescending. Pathetic! Blessings to them. They all did agree that the Supreme Court‘s ruling to let Big Corporation could give as much money to the Congress as they want!?!
Republican Ken Buck is entirely wrong about Medicare and Social Security being bankrupt. All current economic studies show that Medicare costs have been stagnant for several years. We have fewer people in nursing homes and better treatments to keep people in their own homes. Social Security is also not "bankrupting our country". The dude keeps pushing his party line like it's the 1950's. So glad he is retiring.
I can't believe the craziness. Thank all of you for being who you are it gives me hope. I hope you prevail because we need people like you.
THIS was GREAT!!! Thanks to ALL!! 😊
And of course, these are the kinds of people who should be in Congress!
200k a year is being casted insufficient is a mockery for public service job. If you want a high paying job, be a lobbyist or get a job in the private sector. It's insane these people are complaining when the majority of the country is struggling with bills
lobbying is where all of them are going next!
I didn't hear any complaining. They were asked a question and they answered. Sounds like a tough job that has a lot of personal expenses.
200k year is not enough, you have to keep in mind people in congress have to have two homes one in DC and one in their home state. And some congress people live in high cost of living cities and they all get payed the same. 200k is not enough. We need to pay congress more. Singapore has a great strategy to fight corruption by paying their politicians the most in the world so they aren't tempted by big donors as much.
It's probably pretty expensive with all the travelling. I'd rather my representatives focus on policy instead of whether they can afford a hotel room. In the context of the trillions of dollars of national budget, even doubling that pay would be inconsequential, and it might make them a lot less tempted with lobbyists too.
It's 174k. Listening for comprehension matters.
TEAM Together Everyone Accomplishes More.
Basic understanding. TEAM💙❤️
Thank you for this wonderful presentation