Paying Politicians

I don't think we pay politicians enough. How much would you want? How much to be home maybe 2 nights a week before 9pm? How about having every weekend taken up with functions and meetings and fundraisers and all sorts of meaningless crap that they must go to and smile and be nice. How much would you want for the phone calls that come at ten at night and six in the morning? How much for missing your partner's birthday and your kids recitals? How much could compensate you for being shouted at, abused and having your personal integrity questioned? What about for your kids coming home, bullied because the bigger kid's dad comes from the other party? What about for your kids reading the paper where people are bagging you or the facebook memes that make you out to be evil, stupid or both? How much for having to hide from photographers in case you do get to lie on the beach for a day a year? And then every three or four years, the work gets notched up a couple of levels. Endless door knocking, folding letters, begging for volunteers and listening to constituents complain and complain. Often about things that you have no control over because the complainer has never bothered to understand the basics of our constitution and yet still wants to talk about parking meters to a Federal politician. And if you lose, what will you do? Who will hire someone whose politics are so open and up front? I would want a LOT more money for that.