Texas Legislators well educated.

[GT WT]

I found this interesting (and surprising).

Percentage with bachelor's degree:

1. Cal 89.9%
2. Vir 88.6
3. Neb 87.3
4. NY 86.8
5. Texas 86.2

Mean - 74.7

46. Ark 60.4
47. NM 59.7
48. Del 59.7
49. Me 58.0
50. NH 53.4

The Link

 

[ProdigalHorn]

That's interesting... and I'm frankly surprised the mean is that low. But when you look at the bottom groups, I would assume that you've got a lot more opportunity to come up from more local positions, where Joe Sherriff could get his foot in the door, gain some popularity and move up the ranks.

Having said that, it'd be interesting to see what type of degree they have. You could probably argue that a guy with no degree but a wealth of private experience is a lot more qualified than a guy with a foreign language degree.

 

[JohnnyYuma]

Not sure that all those Ivy League educated lawyers and MBAs have done much good for us on Wall St or in Washington.

 

[Crockett]

The salary of a texas legislator is low -- they are cheaper than a Wal-Mart greeter, from a salary standpoint. If you are a lawyer, financial planner, etc. it helps your business because some people like to do business with someone well-known and prominent. That may have something to do with the education levels there -- the class of people economically incented to want to serve.

 

[FridayNiteLites]

Legislators have a low salary, but they do get a daily stipend, over $100 I think, free parking, and quite a few other freebies in the Austin area. It adds up to a good bit more than a Wal Mart greeter. Plus they get a great retirement package for a piss ant's worth of work.

 

[Mesohorny]

The Texas Legislature is like a flock of grackles: they fly into Austin, make alot of noise and crap all over everything, and after they're through making a mess they fly away.

 

[Bob in Houston]

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[Little Earl]

Since we don't pay our Texas Legislators a "living" salary while they serve in office, the "common man" really can't afford to serve. Their salary is $7,200 per year, plus $128 per diem for each day the legislature is in session. That averages out to about $16K per year. Remember that unless you represent an Austin area district, you will also have to maintain a second residence in Austin during the session as well. You have to be in a job that you can essentially abandon every other year for about 6 months. Yes, the legislators do earn a nice retirement benefit, but again, the "common man" can't typically afford to defer those "earnings" if they are not drawing a paycheck now.

I'm not asking for change, I'm just justifying why it doesn't surprise me that Texas legislators have a fairly high level of education.

Every legislator I know either owns his/her own business, is a lawyer, or is financially independent.

 

[mcbrett]

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[Oilfield]

Little Earl could be onto something positive for our Federal Gvoernment. Save money, get better quality?

 

[LoveHorns]

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