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smkmn13 t1_j5ygpbl wrote

Reply to comment by MormonReformist in CT's legislature salaries are starvation wages, $28k/year. You have to be retired or rich to serve. This is regressive and should be changed. by MormonReformist

Does it though? What kind of job / career lets you work 7 months / 9 months every other year?

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twomorecarrots t1_j5yho5z wrote

Yes, this is a problem, more than the salary I think. It’s one thing to be paid X for a part time job. But how are you supposed to find a career that allows you to work the other part of the year? It limits public service to people who can work for themselves or not work at all.

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Most-Flight-9505 t1_j60zod4 wrote

How about this? Make all Ct legislators teachers. They serve in the summer on a rotating basis and make ALL the decisions for the state. And get an extra $40k. Problem solved

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_JayC114 t1_j601t8g wrote

They’re CHOOSING to take the job!!! They know what they’re getting into!!

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sld06003 t1_j604gsg wrote

Yes, the problem is more who is and who can choose.

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_JayC114 t1_j605st0 wrote

Then don’t take the JOB!! IT’s that simple!!

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sld06003 t1_j606mlb wrote

You're missing the point. The only people who are able to take the job at that pay are people who are independently wealthly or do not need to otherwise work. These groups don't tend to be truly representative of the population. Raising the salary to a point that *typical" people are able to quit their job and run would be how you get a truly representative group.

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RunnyDischarge t1_j5yhwgt wrote

The Connecticut Legislature

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Bridger15 t1_j60ggws wrote

Ah, so these guys just gotta get a second job in another state legislature which works opposite months. Genius!

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_343_Guilty_Spark__ t1_j5z8hgu wrote

Yea that’s still more or roughly the same as what many other jobs make from working all year

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smkmn13 t1_j5z98et wrote

Not really - 28k divided out by 40 hours/wk and 52 wks/year is like $13.50 per hour, less than the state minimum wage.

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nikedude t1_j5zhxab wrote

That's an unfair argument. If their job was FT it would be less than minimum wage, it averages ~4mo a year of work. 16 weeks * 40 hr = 640hrs. $28k/640hrs = $43.75/hr

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smkmn13 t1_j5zjbcf wrote

The person I was responding to said "that’s still more or roughly the same as what many other jobs make from working all year," so I was clarifying that all (FT, full year) jobs in Connecticut are actually required to earn more than 28k.

Scaling the pay for 4 months implies that you can get a job for the remaining 8 months at a similar rate, but there aren't many jobs / careers that allow you to work 8 months a year and keep the job each year, let alone advance normally, unless you're already well established and successful (which was the point of my original comment earlier in this chain).

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