NO REST FOR THE AWAKE - MINAGAHET CHAMORRO

The idea of pay raises for politicians is always out there. People fell like politicians are always getting them, even if they aren't getting them at that precise moment. It is one of the things that if you asked people what is wrong with government or what politicians are good at, chances are very good they would cite "giving themselves raises" as one of their main skills. Part of what is always so odious about this is the fact that raises for politicians are something that always lies within the control of the politicians themselves. The way this issue is always present even when its not is tied to the level of trust of government leaders. The issues of GovGuam raising its wages last year was very interesting because of how it was an rare moment of harmony within branches of government, where they seemed to be eager to work together to keep this issue as quiet as possible. There was a small amount of protest about it, but ultimately it simply reconfirmed the apathy th

Published on Tuesday, January 7, 2014 by The Nation Seattle Swears In a Socialist by John Nichols   Kshama Sawant was sworn in as a City Councilor of Seattle on News Years Day. (AP Photo/Ted Warren) Across the United States this week, new mayors and city council members are being sworn in as the leaders of the cities that elected them in November. The inaugurations of mayors draw local attention—and, in cases like that of New York Mayor Bill de Blasio , a good measure of national attention—but there is generally less focus on the city council members. Except in Seattle. Monday afternoon’s inauguration of City Council member Kshama Sawant , arguably the most prominent socialist elected to local office since Bernie Sanders became mayor of Burlington, Vermont, thirty-three years ago, has inspired a striking level of excitement. As officials moved the swearing in for Sawant and Mayor Ed Murray —Seat