95% percentage cuts across the board, 100% tax on politicians, that is, any money you "make" by being a politician goes into the coffers and is unreachable by you.
That would change the face of government. Then the people there would be those who want to be there for the betterment of the nation, instead of the betterment of their wallet.
Umm, no. The only people who would be there would be wealthy people who can afford to work without pay, perhaps mixed with a few conniving people who expect to make a killing in the future by brokering their contacts and influence after they leave government. The only people would wouldn't be there are the smart, honest, normal family folks just trying to make the country a better place. They couldn't afford to be there.
And... that's different from what we have today how?
I'm not the one claiming this would "change the face of government". If you think it won't make any difference, then you agree with my criticism.
Since when do we have "smart, honest, normal family folks" there today?
I never said we did.
Those that are wealthy are probably the brightest and most capable of running for public office. They wouldn't be there to increase their wallet size, which should weed out a lot of the miscreants we have today.
Why wouldn't they be there to increase their wallet size? I think a lot of wealthy people join government for just that reason, expecting that they'll have much more lucrative careers when they leave government. (That doesn't always make them bad people or bad politicians, of course.)
All reducing politician's salaries will do is make it harder for people who have more financial obligations and less personal wealth to enter politics. If you think that's a good thing, then you're welcome to advocate for lower salaries for politicians. But it won't make politicians more honest and could do the reverse.
