Local Groups Prepare for Town Elections

Ken O'Brien

Well, the New Year has come and gone, and in Southbridge that can mean only one thing - the start of election season.

While town elections don't happen until June, various local groups are already preparing for the event.

There is of course the town council as a whole (or at least seven of nine) who are hoping to place their planned charter distortions on the ballot. Their nefarious ambitions were bolstered today by an email from state representative Peter Durant (R - Spencer).

Who Owns Your Government?

Free Market Economy in Government

Kenneth M. O’Brien

There are 435 members of the
U. S. House of Representatives.

There are 100 U.S. Senators.

The base salary of either member of Congress is $174,000 per year. There are stipends that depend on chairmanships and leadership positions.

But let’s deal with the base of the rank and file.

The average population of a Congressional district is about 647,000. That means that, on average each congressman is beholden to the taxpayers in their district for about 27 cents of their salary per year.

On the Senate side we have state populations that vary widely. In fact, Wyoming has two Senators like every other state, but only one congressman.

As a result, the tax contribution by the public to senatorial salaries ranges from about 35 cents per Senator in Wyoming to about ½ cent per Senator in California.

There’s an old saying that “He who pays the piper calls the tune.”