Wow! And here I thought that congress would never do anything to address inequality.
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Well now, if you think this through, giving poor people a place in the Halls of Congress will just encourage them to think they might be a good as Mitch's kids, or God forbid, the Trumpkins, and we just cannot have that, now can we.
For the new order to thrive, "those people" cannot be afforded any opportunity. Perhaps the occasional exception could be made for the offspring of evangelicals
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A good first step. Now if the government could enact law establishing a true living wage. (starting at $22 hr and tied to COLA)
Then they could offer the single payer health care coverage they get to the rest of Americans.
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Ten thousand dollars as a stipend is hardly the difference between being able to afford room and board in DC. A second job doubtfully makes up the difference, otherwise plenty of folks would love to have that as their first job.
Similarly, 50 grand per Congressional office is simply a complete joke. Also, pray tell how one can take out a "student loan" to be an unpaid intern? Do the organizations hiring these interns qualify for some association of colleges accreditation criteria? Or are college credits somehow involved?
The richest country in the history of the planet can't afford to pay folks who help our elected politicians do their jobs, while mysteriously many of those politicians leave office far wealthier than when they entered.
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“I didn’t see students like me” interning in Congress, she said. “Most of the people I interned with, their parents were lobbyists or congressmen or journalists.”
Now, the vast majority of that money will go to already rich kids
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Best thing the Republican Senate has done.
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Congress has done the right thing, but it has nothing to do with privilege. If someone works they should be paid. Its the right thing to do weather your intern is the Prince of Wales or comes from a slum.
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I knew two people who were Senate interns back in the 1970s. Both were millionaire's children.
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That's odd. They're content with slavery throughout the rest of the economy. Probably couldn't recruit people anymore. Perhaps they should use more illegal immigrants to serve as their court pages. Or they could bring them in on work visas like Trump. America First, indeed.
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another example of how the entire of idea of "meritocracy" is a sham. The genetic lottery is how the vast majority of people get ahead; ie, because of who their parents are. I'm not disputing the value of hard, crazy hard, work or the idea that if you want something that a sacrifice needs to be made. However, the people doing the sacrificing often have the least financially in the first place.
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We where we start out is determined by our parents choices. Where we go is up to us and the people around us. It is an unmeasurable mix of merit, fate, and prejudice. Any broad statement like the one above is bound to be wrong.
Unfortunately, they can now make them work, usually busy work, primarily for a pittance. Before, like interns generally everywhere, they were made to do busy work work for free. The irony is that “interns” are supposed to be learners and students, not the undertakers of busy work. Whee! Someone to do photocopying for minimum wage.
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One of my best friends from college was kept out of congress by this very issue. He now works for a lobbying firm because they actually pay their entry level employees, but he missed out on the opportunity to work in government and make a real difference. Only the wealthy kids get those jobs.
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Wait until the Trump administration gets hold of this. It’s a threat to white domination of governmental and K Street recruitment.
The irony of more republicans paying their interns than democrats is probably lost on most readers
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Unpaid internships are an outrage. At least slaves got room and board.
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Interns have many of the same expenses as members of Congress - food, housing, transportation, etc., it's about time they are now coming forth with some kind of payment to them.
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In a 2016 government brochure titled Internships, Fellowships, and Other Work Experience Opportunities in the Federal
Government it states "The program provides paid opportunities to explore federal careers while still in school", so why would it say that if they didn't pay you.
This article and the government handout seem to be in conflict with each other and I for one don't know which to believe.
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"Finally Wants to"? As the article discusses, this was a concentrated effort on the part of activists who realized the barriers that unpaid positions upheld. Don't make it seem like the Senate ~randomly~ chose to change course. We're seeing this outcome after ACTIVISM.
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Suddenly before the mid-term elections the members of congress are suddenly feeling generous to the interns who vote...really.
This action is no doubt a concerted effort by the Republicans in Congress to try and get as many votes as possible.
Maybe Trey Gowdy, the leader of Trumps apologists is behind this sudden act.
Just Saying!
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You must have missed this (or didn't bother reading before spouting off): the majority of paid internships were for Republicans.
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Lordy! Was this ever overdue! Money well spent.
Now, let's see if the yearly lily white group photo of Republican interns blooms with a bit more diversity! And kudos to the Democrats who managed diversity all along.
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Unpaid internships are a luxury only afforded to those financially supported by their parents, which leaves the rest of us at a huge disadvantage in the job market. A lot of my friends have had opportunities I could never take because I simply cannot work for free.
But really, no one should be working for free in the first place. It's exploitative.
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Companies used to pay to train employees. Now employees pay to get trained. The system is totally backwards.
The government could just pay for college instead. Create an incentive for students to make a nest egg with the savings. This will at least cover relocation fees with a buffer if the internship doesn't turn into a job. Pay a basic living wage. I'd say $12-$18 for a college graduate depending on the metro area. Less if you have a cheap cost of living. Tax business for the cost. They're the ones receiving the benefit anyway. We're done.
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Internships, in many cases, are nothing more than slave labor.
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What is beginning to occur in the halls of Congress needs to happen in every field. I have worked in higher education for almost 40 years, the first 22 in student media at CUNY. I've seen firsthand how students, whose parents had the means to support them financially, work semester long or summer internships that provided them the knowledge and networking opportunities that led careers in television, radio, advertising, and music. Students from working class families simply could not take internships that didn't even provide transit funds or money for lunch.
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