Minnesota congresswoman is seeking commission pay for campaign donations

Greed comes in many forms. In Washington, it is synonymous with most of the politicians who reside there. Whether it be through tax cuts, or by voting for their own raises, it is obvious that Washington takes care of itself first. The public has long been outraged over the supposed inability of politicians to relate to their constituents. When one senator cried poor that their near $150K salary was barely enough to survive on, the collective public rolled their eyes.

The latest move in Minnesota might provoke more heated reactions than a simple eye roll.

The new chairwoman of Minnesota's Republican Party, Jennifer Carnahan, is seeking a 10 percent Commission from large donations to the party. This would amount to tens of thousands of dollars in bonuses for Carnahan.

Carnahan's current salary of $67,000 isn't awful, but is less than most politicians. However, if she did receive this type of pay structure, she could stand to potentially double that. Republicans are worried that the commission would be siphoning much needed money from the party as it gears up for important mid term elections in 2018.

Does she really work 100 hours per week?

It's hard to say if she is really working as much as she claims. Either way, the requested commission is not at all in line with her job, even if she is working tons of overtime.

Carnahan argues that she is indeed working that much and has raised over $1 million to show for it. What isn't clear is if the extra hours worked are by choice or if she is being forced to. The Minnesota Republican Party was burdened with over $2 million in debt. Much of the funds that Carnahan has raised have gone to paying down that debt which currently sits at around $800K.

The likely reason for her request comes from the day to day job of most Congress men and women in Washington. It has become a known fact that the majority of the average politicians' day is spent on the phone soliciting donations for their respective party. It has even led to some politicians wondering aloud why they even went into politics if all they would be doing is constant fund raising.

If you're job was so focused on soliciting donations, and you saw just how much was being donated, you too would likely want a piece of the pie. You can't blame Carnahan for trying, but if she is allowed to take a commission it will be opening a Pandora's box throughout American politics, as surely, more and more politicians would try to get more for themselves.