Unpopular opinion alert, but I think state legislature salaries should be quite high because I think it would encourage and allow for people from the working and middle class to run and be elected.

Yes, it costs hundreds of thousands if not millions for campaigns in a state as big as NY, so that's already limiting. But if you only make like $40,000 as a State Assemblyperson, you have to hold a main job and you won't have the time to fully dedicate yourself to either.

If you make salaries high enough to allow actual common folk to consider running and be elected, but not so high that it's legit grifting on the taxpayer dime, I think that would be a good balance for more effective representation. And yes, there will always be corrupt people in government because power corrupts. But I bet you it would be less if Assemblypeople got paid like $200,000 per year and just fully dedicated themselves to serving their constituents.