If we want to encourage our federal legislators to truly do good for the people they serve, we should tie their income to the average income of the people in their state. As they improve the lives of their constituents, they improve their own compensation.
Serving in congress should not be a career, it shouldn't be about gathering power or clout or prestige. It should be about giving of oneself for the betterment of others, for being the voice for the people you represent.
This initiative would serve as a reminder to our representatives about just who it is they serve, and what it is they are to be doing. Having to live at the same level as their average constituent would make real the budget crisis, the housing crash, the effects that inaction has on the American people.