The Resignation of 3 Overpaid Government Officials

Have you ever wondered how big the salary of every politician is? Is it big enough to make every one of them live a very luxurious life? Believe it or not, politicians and government officials receive above average compensation but not big enough to make them instant millionaires or billionaires. Well I am discounting the possibility of corruption or immoral acts of course.

Just recently, three city administrators vacated their positions in the city council because they were alleged to have received salaries that were so high it even dwarfed the salary of the president of the United States of America. Chief Administrative Officer Robert Rizzo, Assistant City Manager Angela Spaccia and Police Chief Randy Adams all passed their resignation letters as wide spread outrage erupted against the three of them.

Rizzo, was tagged as the highest paid among the three. He reportedly received $787,637 a year just for overseeing and managing one of the poorest towns in Los Angeles County. Spaccia who serves as an assistant city manager, received $376,288 a year. Adams, on the other hand, earns about $457,000 a year. How could a very poor town afford to pay such lucrative and unnatural salaries to their public officials?

Hundreds of residents of one of the poorest municipalities in Los Angeles County staged a massive protest against these corrupt officials. A council meeting was immediately organized in order to resolve the issue. Luckily, the three accused officials decided to send their resignation letters and eventually the council obliged. It was a very big controversy especially for a municipality who lives lower than the ideal standard of living. It is quite disappointing to note that the taxpayer’s money are not properly utilized and instead went to the hands of those who abuse government positions.

Some citizens were satisfied with the way the city was being run but still hoped that high-paying politicians should get a pay-cut. Well at least the taxpayer’s money would put to good use such as for social and livelihood projects. In a town where 17% is reportedly living in poverty, every part of the city budget is crucial in bringing back the productivity that the city has lost.

What I think is lacking there is transparency and accountability on the use of government funds. There must be proper audit in order to determine areas where there is over spending. The problem here isn’t only directed to these government officials but instead to the people who continuously elect such corrupt and irresponsible council employees. With the resignation of the three, it gives a big sigh of relief to the people of Bell.

Sen. Gillibrand’s 4 Reform Agendas for a Better Government

High unemployment rates, unreasonable earmarks such as the never ending war in Afghanistan, the ballooning budget deficit and the recent health care reform bill are just some of the latest issues that describe how the current state of the nation is. Let us face the reality that Congress and Washington has not really been functioning well to satisfy the expectations of the people. With so much anomalies going on and with the quality of living very much declining, it is time now to push the panic button and find ways to bring back the what used to be the most sought after nation the world has ever seen.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand is a junior US senator from New York and a certified democrat. During her stay at New York, she observed that most of her constituents are dissatisfied and angry with the way Washington has been running the country. New Yorkers lost their faith and confidence that White House are working hard to solve this problems and eventually lead the nation to a better life. Because of this, Sen. Gillibrand proposed a reform agenda that consists of 4 core points.

The first agenda is all about promoting transparency on federal funding. This requires lawmakers and politicians to disclose information about the earmarks they proposed such as the amount of initial request, the amount approved, the reason for such proposal and more. Through this, politicians will be more honest with their projects and will easily be held accountable if irregularities occur.

The next on the agenda is reducing the degree of influence that big institutions and companies have on national elections. Institutions should never exercise ultimate power and utilize large sums of money to influence politicians and decide elections. To keep thing simple, politicians should act according to the needs of the constituents instead of the wants of the big corporations.

The third agenda on the list is removing the automatic pay raises of the members of Congress. It is rightfully reasonable that middle-class workers don’t usually get an annual salary raise and so should members of Congress. Being a politician means serving more the people and not just getting a high salary.

And lastly, banning anonymous holds on legislation will effectively remove the barriers that Congress encounters whenever they pass legislation. This will ensure that Congress is able to do their job without having to hit any brick wall or dead end.

Sen. Gillibrand calls on all American citizens to be active and responsible to help bring back the ideal society they once had. Through a more transparent and accountable government, legislations and earmarks are better reviewed to ensure that it is economically, socially and politically efficient to meet the needs of the nation. Congress will avoid any setbacks and will finally get the job done.