Paying for public servants

Press, 29 December 1988, Page 16

Paying for public servants

IT’S not on most Americans’ topten list of concerns, but the pay of Federal judges, senior Government officials and members of Congress is thought by many of those who have bothered to consider it to be too low.

Senior Government officials, whose salaries now range from $U575,000 to $U599,500, depending on their rank, would get between SUSIIS,OOO and $U5155,000. The Vice-President, the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Supreme Court’s chief justice would see their pay rise from SUSIIS,OOO to $U5175,000. The President’s pay would go from SUS2OO,OOO a year to $U5350,000. But the commission also said that, as a condition of getting the pay rises, members of Congress should be required to give up the outside fees they have taken to collecting for making speeches and so on. This is a lucrative practice. It sometimes also reeks of influence-peddling. Common Cause, a public-in-

Members of Congress do not like to pay themselves, and by extension the others, too much — at least not up front. One result is that many top officials and judges leave public service for more rewarding jobs. A presidential commission has recommended a two-edged solution. Salaries of top officials, members of Congress and judges should be raised by about 50 per cent. A member of Congress, who now gets paid $U589,500 a year, would receive an annual salary of $U5135,000.

terest group, reports, for example, that in 1987 members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee received more than SUS9OO,OOO between them in fees from groups with interests under the committee’s jurisdiction. It is up to President Reagan to decide whether to accept the recommendations and pass them on to Congress. If he does, many in Congress would willingly accept the deal. But there will be opposition. Already the National Taxpayers Union and Mr Ralph Nader have strongly criticised the proposals, Mr Nader arguing that the gap between the incomes of the “political rulers and the ruled who pay their salaries,’’ is already wide enough. Copyright — The Economist