Posted on 10/01/2011 9:29:01 AM PDT by dvan
The 26th amendment (granting the right to vote for 18 year-olds) took only 3 months & 8 days to be ratified! Why? Simple! The people demanded it. That was in 1971...before computers, before e-mail, before cell phones, etc.
Of the 27 amendments to the Constitution, seven (7) took 1 year or less to become the law of the land...all because of public pressure.
I'm asking each addressee to forward this email to a minimum of twenty people on their address list; in turn ask each of those to do likewise.
In three days, most people in The United States of America will have the message. This is one idea that really should be passed around.
Congressional Reform Act of 2011
1. No Tenure / No Pension. A Congressman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they are out of office.
2. Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social Security. All funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the Social Security system immediately. All future funds flow into the Social Security system, and Congress participates with the American people. It may not be used for any other purpose.
3. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan, just as all Americans do.
4. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%.
5. Congress loses their current health care system and participates in the same health care system as the American people.
6. Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the American people.
7. All contracts with past and present Congressmen are void effective 1/1/12. The American people did not make this contract with Congressmen. Congressmen made all these contracts for themselves. Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, so ours should serve their term(s), then go home and back to work.
If each person contacts a minimum of twenty people then it will only take three days for most people (in the U.S. ) to receive the message. Maybe it is time.
Rein in, not reign in.
Given that, and the fact that most elected politicians are self centered (insert your own defining thought here), I'd say that there is no chance whatsoever for the suggested Amendment.
Great idea, for the most part.
I’ve heard similar proposals. One that I read emphasized that it does not take a constitutional amendment, the House and Senate could simply change the rules to impose this on themselves if they wanted to (fat chance).
For my own part, I would not impose term limits. I would go with the requirement that after a set number of terms, the congresscritter in question becomes a permanent back-bencher. After such-and-so-many terms they lose all their committee positions and seniority. They can have their gold-plated healthcare and perks only while in office. Right. No pension, or lifetime benefits, but I would RAISE their pay considerably to alleviate the expenses and inconveniences of all the commuting and maintaining two residences (also, to reduce the temptations to money-grubbing and favor-trading). I would consider, say, a million bucks a year as money well spent.
Furthermore, I have heard of a number of variations of proposals to use technology to make it easier to be a congersman AND dissipate the inside-the-beltway culture.
There is no reason nowadays why a legislator cannot do his/her debating and voting remotely over a secure line from their home office. It would be much less disruptive for a short-term citizen legislator and make it much, much harder for the lobbyists and special interests, etc. to buttonhole them and minimize their exposure to the eponymous “Georgetown cocktail party” culture and all those other toxic influences that make them “grow in office”. Staffers could run their Capitol Hill offices with them popping in for special occasions and important debates. All those committee hearings and investigations might be a bit more complicated but I’m sure it’s doable. Indeed, the much-remarked upon proliferation of committees and subcommittees might be reversed.
I do believe that you have just written the definitive text to “THE FAIRNESS DOCTRINE” which was first introduced by Dickie Gephardt , D Rep. Missouri.
I am sure that the Debtocrats will be so happy to finally get to read what their precious Fairness Doctrine really requires them to do.
Since Obama says that it is not PC anymore to be a millionaire, why not have all millionaires in the US Congress sign an agreement to receive no pay or benefits, including franking, staff expenses, travel, junkets, food, medical, haircuts, etc. while the Total National Debt is negative?
BTW, 28 % of the House and 46 % of the Senate are millionaires. Not sure about You Lie Obama. Maybe we could ask Michelle O. She went through 10 million dollars very expertly when she traveled in the recent past. I am just saying - - - .
What is the same health care system as the American people. The health care system that the UAW members gets or the people who show up at an emergency room with a cold wanting free care.
Part of the problem with Social Security is many Americans have not purchase their own retirement plan thinking Social Security would be enough.
Another problem is that it would make it very difficult for anybody but the wealthy to be in office. Few people can leave their job for two or more years to server plus the time to run for office. Just the cost of travel and staying in DC would too much for most Americans.
The thought is good but needs a lot more detail. I think if states bought housing for it’s members so they could have a place to stay while in Washington would be a step towards this goal.
Those overpaid drunks are REIGNing in Congress right now! If you want to curtail that and turn it around, you might want to REIN-IN Congress! Good luck with that unless you have Sarah Palin in the White House!
I believe you are absolutely correct. No more minor modification, we need a major shakeup of Washington. A tsunami of righteous anger to sweep away those corrupt dandies and their little self serving manipulations.
This is about respect and they are never going to respect the citizens until we show them who has the final say.
1: Pretty much all state legislators get payed only a fraction of what Congressmen get payed, some States Like New Mexico don’t pay their legislators at all.
This is how I beleive congress should be. If they are to be payed at all they should be payed by their respective States.
The only tab that Washington should be picking up is their cost transportation to & from their home state, and their cost of food & lodging while in the capital.
NOTHING ELSE! No tenure not pension, not seniority benefits.
2: No amendment to the Constitution should ever mention Social Security. as Far as I am concerned that scam is an unauthorized Ponzi scheme that needs to be abolished.
The fact that so many in congress don’t even want a part of it is yet anther testament to its nature. Furthermore As I don’t beleive congressmen should be payed why give them a pension? If their State wants to offer that to them fine, but not on the Federal dime!
Frankly the only reason they should get travel expense is it’s unfair for States more distant to pay more for representation. Otherwise Id be perfectly comfortable with telling them to cover that themselves as well. I’m sure they could find plenty of folk willing to fly them back and forth for free.
3: No argument here hopefully they don’t try to buy it by selling favors.
4: Mute Congressional pay should be set & payed for by their respective states or they should be unpaved. No CPI calculations made by people ultimately approved by congress.
They all got separately elected State legislators, let us uses them. That is if you insist upon paying them at all.
New Mexico’s legislator is doing fine without a base salary, and New Hampshire is doing fine with a meager 200 dollars.
http://www.ncsl.org/default.aspx?tabid=20117
5: Once again no health insurance no nothing except transportation, Food & lodging costs provided by Washington.
To be frank the very wide spread existence of health insurance is what is causing the the cost of healthcare to go up by removing price competition from the health care market.
6: I beleive congress is already required to follow the same laws, they just “modify” the law to specifically exclude themselves.
7: No congressman can sell or otherwise contract his vote. You want term limits restore the Constitutions inherit term limits which says that the qualifications to be a congressman must be the same as that congressman’s respective State legislator’s qualification.
In the early 1990’s the democrats got the Federal employees in black robes to “redefine”(IE rewrite) the Federal Constitution for them relieving them of that requirement stated twice in the Federal Constitution.
If you want the Federal Constitution to mean something you need to keep their own hand picked employees from welding the final power over its enforcement. Otherwise Stating the obvious a 3rd time won’t make much of a difference.
The Federal Employees in black robes are just as capable of being picked to ignore 3 lines in the Federal Constitution as they were to ignore 2.
I will not be contacting 20 people with this bad idea.
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