Increase pay for Oregon's leaders

I support higher compensation for the governor, legislators, judges, and other senior state officials.

The world and the state have significantly changed since Oregon’s constitution was adopted a hundred and fifty years ago. The dominant economic activities then, for instance, were related to natural resources—farming, fishing, forestry—which were also seasonal. Citizens interested in politics and governance could then set aside time from their professions—if they could afford to, of course.

The issues were also less complicated than they are now. For one, they did not have to be concerned about the problems of most of the population—women and non-whites, who did not have voting rights until much later. That itself would make the agenda for any government very light indeed.

Further, the much simpler economy meant that it was a limited range of issues that needed any discussion at all. An example will illustrate the point. There was no need for discussions on a “bottle bill” in the 1870s because, well, there were no soda cans or bottles littered on the beaches and along the highways. Wait, there were no highways then!

In contrast to those simpler “Little House on the Prairie” times, we have a sophisticated economy, and the organization of our economic and personal lives is much more complex than it was even fifty years ago. So much so that even the successful “bottle bill”, which was a landmark legislation hailed all over the world, now needs updating in order to reflect the contemporary situation.

In a democracy, working on the “bottle bill” and a whole bunch of other issues requires qualified people in all the branches of our government. However, we can’t expect, nor require, the legislators, judges, or the governor to essentially do this on their time and money—which is what, in effect, low compensation levels imply.

Yes, we need to fix inefficiencies in our government. But, the solutions for leaner and more productive government will not automatically happen as a result of low salaries. In fact, it will require higher salaries to attract talented people who can then work towards this important goal. If compensation is the overriding issue, then perhaps we should watch out for loony proposals to outsource our government—including the governor and legislators—to India, where a few thousand well-qualified Indians will be willing to work for Oregon’s minimum wage!

Obviously, higher salaries do not guarantee a better government. We only need to look across at the business world, which is filled with examples like Enron whose leaders were highly compensated—but failed miserably. But, unlike in the corporate world, we people have the ultimate power after all—the votes to elect or not re-elect officials.

Finally, let us also remember two golden rules. One, the warning that, in a democracy, we get the government we deserve. And second, the marketplace axiom that we get what we pay for. An outcome when these two rules work together can be disastrous for good government in the 21st century.

(Opinion forthcoming in the Statesman Journal)