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Final_Act6703 OP t1_ir7niwt wrote

Reply to comment by WoobieBee in Bomb threats, credit card fraud: state rep Stacie-Marie Laughton of Nashua by Final_Act6703

It is clear that Stacie suffers from mental illness. What this example serves to illustrate is how ineffective New Hampshire’s system of government is, and how poor our mental health system is. With so many representatives who are not paid, we are getting voter apathy, voter ignorance, and a representative body which is not good representation. I hope that Stacie receives the mental health attention she needs. State representative is not a good idea.

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WoobieBee t1_ir7p0hg wrote

Awesome bc I agree with you!

Somebody I know who is freakishly into NH history told me (and forgive me, I cannot remember the specifics bc it never dawned on me I would want to tell this on Reddit) that the $200 pay (pre-tax!) State Reps get now is the same pay they got in like 1814 or whenever… more than 100 years for sure, prob over 150 years… anyway. Let’s say 1814 for the sake of argument…

So here is why they made $200 back in 1814 or whenever: at that time, $200 was the average monthly pay in NH, then an agrarian place. And…THE NH LEGISLATURE ONLY MET FOR ONE MONTH EVERY TWO YEARS!

They’ve chosen not to raise that pay - or lower the number of State Reps - because of loyalty to a falsehood. That’s why we have the oldest legislature. That’s why well-to-do people overrepresent the 30-40-50-60 year olds who do it - and why we keep electing “the youngest legislator in America.” Bc who would do this under these circumstances???

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cyriouslyslick t1_ir7ypf0 wrote

It's because being a state rep wasn't meant to be a cash cow like federal government.

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bastardosybastitdos t1_ir9dkd0 wrote

But people can’t afford to give away their time. That means you only get the wealthy who can afford to represent you. Serving in the federal government is hardly a “cash cow.” Senators make $193,000. A nice salary but solidly middle class.

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nowhereman1223 t1_ir9ym1d wrote

"Members of Congress are eligible for a pension at the age of 62 if they have completed at least five years of service. Members are eligible for a pension at age 50 if they have completed 20 years of service, or at any age after completing 25 years of service. The amount of the pension depends on years of service and the average of the highest three years of salary. By law, the starting amount of a member's retirement annuity may not exceed 80 percent of his or her final salary"

Get yourself in office for 1 term as a senator or 2.5 terms as house of reps member and that's a decent deal.

Work for 5 years and get at least $150,000+ per year for life starting at 62?

Sounds pretty good to me.

​

Dont forget that they also get the Gold Level Package provided by the Affordable Care Act. They pay 28% of the premiums with the government/taxpayers covering the other 72%. Also a pretty good deal. So not a Cash cow, but also not a bad gig.

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bastardosybastitdos t1_ir9z8vl wrote

I know some red loving folks will Find my following sentiment crazy but …

I think that is a deal all Americans should enjoy. A livable wage, a secure pension and quality healthcare for life seems like something all citizens of a rich and successful country should enjoy.

I would vote to elect more representatives who would vote to ensure those things for all of us.

I do enjoy those benefits and it’s a great thing for me and my family. I wish it for everyone of my fellow citizens.

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petrified_eel4615 t1_ir9rqhw wrote

yeah, they make their real money in illegal stock trades & bribes... I mean lobbying.

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bastardosybastitdos t1_ir9s992 wrote

Some do. Some don’t. It’s just like police. Some are corrupt. Some are not.

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petrified_eel4615 t1_ir9ti0g wrote

>Some do. Some don’t. It’s just like police. Some are corrupt. Some are not.

Like, the 90% who are corrupt making the other 10% look bad?

Ballotpedia has an excellent Personal Gain Index that shows it.

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bastardosybastitdos t1_ir9umxx wrote

I just looked up the source you mentioned.

“The average member saw his or her net worth increase by an average of 15.4 percent per year.”

As I said there were some egregious examples but on average I am not too worried about 15%. My net worth went up more than that and is higher than many of their top 100 offenders.

Money has no place in politics and we should fight to have Citizens United reversed.

But to say that every politician is an evil money grabber with no interest to serve her community is ignorant.

Have a good day and good luck!

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WoobieBee t1_irda0tl wrote

You think federal gov’t makes people wealthy? Almost nobody.

There is the obvi, Members of Congress are already wealthy for the most part. Same for presidents. And people who can leave a gov job & make $.

But almost everyone else makes far less working at any gov’t job pays less than a comparable job elsewhere. Benefits are now only marginally better, weighting everything.

And like only CA has a wonderfully cush salary for legislators, but it is expense to live in many CA cities & towns. Same for NH.

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besafenh t1_ir9fml0 wrote

$200 in 1814 would be $3365 in 2022 per Inflation Calculator. That would make it almost worth driving to Concord.

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WoobieBee t1_irdazhp wrote

People do get paid mileage, potentially.

And like I said, had I known I would ever want the specifics, I would know what year that was. So don’t count on (literally) any specific cost adjustment by date. Like I said, I only remember $200 was the average monthly wage for a gentleman landowner & one month was all they needed to show up for. 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️. This is second hand, people!!!!

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