Citizen Poll: Poor Leaders?

January 11, 2008

According to Forbes, the salaries of most world leaders are meager compared to CEOs in the private sector. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown makes £187,611 ($375,222), which is merely 10 percent of salaries earned by British CEOs. George W. Bush makes $400,000 and Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin brings in $81,000.

Of course, these figures do not account for provided travel expenses, accommodations, living expenses, nor for the hefty speaking fees they command after leaving office.

What do you think about poor leaders?

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32 Comments

bokc 5 years 18 weeks

Poor leaders? Are you kidding me! Lets see, a $40000 job that allows you to deceive individuals out of billions. After leaving office, they can all fill their empty hearts and heads with their riches.

lizadilly 5 years 18 weeks

All high-profile leaders are independently weathy, and almost all of that is family money, some questionably earned. (Ahem, Bushes did business with Hitler...) This does not take into account that the leaders have virtually no expenses when they are in office. Every meal, trip, and stitch of clothes is either comped or is a business expense. And let's not forget the bribes! ;)

lizadilly 5 years 18 weeks

All high-profile leaders are independently weathy, and almost all of that is family money, some questionably earned. (Ahem, Bushes did business with Hitler...)This does not take into account that the leaders have virtually no expenses when they are in office. Every meal, trip, and stitch of clothes is either comped or is a business expense. And let's not forget the bribes! ;)

ebgirl 5 years 18 weeks

I think there's a problem in our society when we value CEO's that much more than the people who should be looking out for the citizens. I'm not saying the leaders make too little, but that CEO's make far too much.

MandyJoBo 5 years 18 weeks

I think they should make the average of what everyone in their country makes. I honestly don't think someone who makes $300,000 can relate to the rest of the citizens, and shouldn't our President be able to relate? Should he or she live as we live? I do think their travel and other business expenses should be comped, but that's just business.

flutterpie 5 years 18 weeks

ya i agree with jillness, seeing as you have to be insanely rich to even run for president, their pay is probably just icing on the cake for most politicians

just_kelly 5 years 18 weeks

Whoops I meant drives them to the PRIVATE sector...

just_kelly 5 years 18 weeks

As someone who works in the public sector, I can attest that the low pay drives workers to the public sector. What is left is the wealthiest of the wealthy running the government because they don't care what they make.

onabanana 5 years 18 weeks

A few of my friends work for the government and they work really hard, and I just don't see how they can survive living in DC with such low pay. I knew a girl who worked for Hillary Clinton's office and she made $19,000 a year!!!! Ack! That's not even rent!

ThePerfectScore 5 years 18 weeks

Their Power is worth more than any monetary fund... Plus in the US at least it takes money to run for president... most people cannot afford to run for office... It's not an opportunity open to the poor and powerless.... So many of these people had money before they even ran for office...

CoconutPie 5 years 18 weeks

Their salary is purely symbolic.

kiddylnd 5 years 18 weeks

"We need to raise the salaries of the actual civil service, and attract brighter people into government work and fire the inefficient jerks" Hi, yes...I would gladly take a pay raise! How is it that I, a government worker that actually does the WORK part gets paid squat and barely makes it paycheck to paycheck? Easy when the bureaucrats who set the policy but don't have to actually enforce it sit in a cushy office and rake in the dough. BOO!

kiddylnd 5 years 18 weeks

"We need to raise the salaries of the actual civil service, and attract brighter people into government work and fire the inefficient jerks"Hi, yes...I would gladly take a pay raise! How is it that I, a government worker that actually does the WORK part gets paid squat and barely makes it paycheck to paycheck? Easy when the bureaucrats who set the policy but don't have to actually enforce it sit in a cushy office and rake in the dough. BOO!

Jillness 5 years 18 weeks

They make so much money from public speaking afterwards, I don't think it matters. I think it is most important in regards to leaders and economics, is how impossible it is for middle or lower class citizens to run for public office. I just think it is disgusting how our presidential candidates NEED hundreds of millions of dollars just so the public can hear where they stand on issues. If candidates don't have money, we don't know they exist.

Jillness 5 years 18 weeks

wallaceo 5 years 18 weeks

omg, princesskitty...how did you know what i was going to say/write?! :)

Princesskitty22 5 years 18 weeks

Well, I would feel sorry for them if most of them didn't have a net worth equal to that of some countries before they ran for office. Remember the government is not a business; it's more like a non-profit organization. They're only supposed to take in enough money to keep running (though that doesn't always happen). It's not there for profit; I don't think it should be. And syako- AMEN! :rotfl:

Princesskitty22 5 years 18 weeks

freegracefrom 5 years 18 weeks

I'm an idealist personally and I was driven to government/civil service work out of my hopeless romantic dream to "make the world a better place." I'd like to think that is the reason why most people become civil servants. However, I think it's more realistic that our world leaders are already independently wealthy and, hey, why not be powerful too?

onabanana 5 years 18 weeks

We need to raise the salaries of the actual civil service, and attract brighter people into government work and fire the inefficient jerks.

onabanana 5 years 18 weeks

They make more than most people and don't forget that what hey do make is all disposable income, the have free housing,etc. Not to mention all the tax dollars they waist. I think that should be counted. We should pay them based on performance. ha! I wish. It's really about the power for these fools anyways, they all have private wealth.

onabanana 5 years 18 weeks

MFOX4 5 years 18 weeks

They are all making plenty of money besides what they receive as a salary for being president, prime minister, premier--whatever. They didn't get where they are without being shrewd enough to know how to earn a living. And the corrupt ones, like Putin, are raking in the money and no one will ever be able to count it.

MFOX4 5 years 18 weeks

legalbeagle 5 years 18 weeks

I think that low salaries in the public sector attract people who love creating policy and law that change their communities, and in this case, country.... As for those billionaires who run for President- I believe it is definetly the power they are attracted to unless they are an extraordinary person and truly want to make a difference- and they only come around once every few decades it seems

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