Letters: Fair pay for state’s legislators
Re “Do lawmakers deserve a raise?,” Editorial, Dec. 4
It’s important to note that the legislature is the most democratically responsive of all the branches of state government. It is, in theory at least, the people’s representative body in the state’s representative democracy.
Nonetheless, in California, we’ve reduced the salaries of these elected officials by about $25,000 since 2007. We’ve also limited their terms in office, with politicians often making a game of musical chairs out of office-holding, going from one post to the next, always learning on the job, while typically focusing on self-serving and short-term goals. We’ve also stripped these officials of their state pensions.
Does our frustration with the intricacies and complications of democracy make us ignorant as to how the system is actually supposed to function? It’s akin to slicing off one’s nose because of an unpleasant odor.
If we want a respectable and incorruptible Legislature, we must treat the institution with respect and ensure fair compensation.
Ben Miles
Huntington Beach
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