An interesting idea.

[Curiousgb]

~ I've received this email from several different people now. I've tried to tone down my political emails, but this seems as bipartisian, as well as constructive, as I have read, so far.

THIS IS HOW YOU FIX CONGRESS!!!!!

A friend sent this along to me. I can't think of a reason to disagree.

I am sending this to virtually everybody on my e-mail list and that includes conservatives, liberals, and everybody in between. Even though we disagree on a number of issues, I count all of you as friends. My friend and neighbor wants to promote a "Congressional Reform Act of 2010". It would contain eight provisions, all of which would probably be strongly endorsed by those who drafted the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

I know many of you will say, "this is impossible". Let me remind you, Congress has the lowest approval of any entity in Government, now is the time when Americans will join together to reform Congress - the entity that represents us.

We need to get a Senator to introduce this bill in the US Senate and a Representative to introduce a similar bill in the US House. These people will become American hero's.

Thanks,

A Fellow American

***********************************

Congressional Reform Act of 2010

1. Term Limits: 12 years only, one of the possible options below.

A. Two Six year Senate terms

B. Six Two year House terms

C. One Six year Senate term and three Two Year House terms

Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, serve your term(s), then go home and back to work.

2. No Tenure / No Pension:

A congressman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they are out of office.

Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, serve your term(s), then go home and back to work.

3. Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social Security:

All funds in the Congressional retirement fund moves to the Social Security system immediately. All future funds flow into the Social Security system, Congress participates with the American people.

Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, server your term(s), then go home and back to work.

4. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan just as all Americans.

Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, serve your term(s), then go home and back to work.

5. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%.

Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, serve your term(s), then go home and back to work.

6. Congress looses their current health care system and participates in the same health care system as the American people.

Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, serve your term(s), then go home and back to work.

7. Congress must equally abide in all laws they impose on the American people.

Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, serve your term(s), then go home and back to work.

8. All contracts with past and present congressmen are void effective 1/1/11 .

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, serve your term(s), then go home and back to work.

[Raoul]

Huzzah!

[Guest Ae-35]

I love it, have no hope we could make it happen.

[Guest BEARMAN]

Outstanding idea, and simply brilliant!

Now lets "run it up the pole" and see how many salutes it!

[Oh Shoot]

...Now lets "run it up the pole" and see how many salutes it!

'Bout as many foxes that would vote to avoid the hen house.

No diff 'tween Dem or Rep foxes, either.

- OS

[Guest PapaB]

A bunch of great ideas.

Number 5 needs to be changed IMHO.

A Congressman earning $150,000 per year would be making $173,891.11 in 5 years at 3% per year. How many of you are making nearly 16% more than you did at the same job in 2005? There should be a cap of 2 raises in a decade (3% each) or approval of 50% + 1 of the States.

[Guest LCPTN]

Now to make it happen......it can. I'll copy and paste.

How about the Ron Paul attitude?

[molonlabetn]

A bunch of great ideas.

Number 5 needs to be changed IMHO.

A Congressman earning $150,000 per year would be making $173,891.11 in 5 years at 3% per year. How many of you are making nearly 16% more than you did at the same job in 2005? There should be a cap of 2 raises in a decade (3% each) or approval of 50% + 1 of the States.

3% per year is pretty standard, that barely keeps up with cost-of-living and inflation...

[LagerHead]

Outstanding idea, and simply brilliant!

Now lets "run it up the pole" and see how many salutes it!

It will get plenty of salutes. Probably most Americans would support this. The problem is, our politicians are no longer representing us. If they were, health care would have been dead long ago. Along with cap-and-rob, and myriad other crap bills.

So while tens of millions of people would support this, the couple hundred that would have to vote to enact it, wouldn't. How's that for a representative republic?

[Guest uofmeet]

I am not sure about State Government, but shouldn't we start on the local level and work our way up. I am all about this, but i don't see anyway in hell the federal government would pass this unless it was a matter of THEIR life or death.

I still wonder sometimes why we still have a house and senate. We have the technology now to where the US as a whole could vote on every bill and stuff like that. I understand that back when the constitution was written, It could be hard to do all the voting. but now we have the technology to do so.

But that is just a thought. I could be completely off base with that though.

Oh, and on #5, they wouldn't need a pay raise for a while The average household in America makes less than 1/3 of what a senator or representative makes. I could serve the term limit, and then retire on what I made and go back to my good ole job.

Edited March 15, 2010 by uofmeet

[molonlabetn]

I could certainly see replacing the House of Representatives with a system of democratic voting (where any citizen can cast a vote on any issue), but in keeping with the Constitutional requirement for checks and balances, it would still be good to have the Senate (so that bills may be originated), and to weigh budgetary issues (because you're not going to get 300+ million people to agree on a budget). Also, there must be a way to verify all decisions voted on by the people are Constitutional, because I certainly wouldn't want mob-rule to vote away any portion of the Bill of Rights (for instance).

Going back to the budgetary concern though, if we each had an individual voice, it would be an equally awesome idea if we each had a say in where our individual tax contributions went (ie, I could file my taxes to be specifically part of the Defense budget)... THAT would really show the government where the people's priorities lay, by putting our money where our mouth was. There might be enough voters to support medicare, socialized health care, etc... but if you can't take the money from people who don't want it, it won't happen (since the people who support it generally aren't the ones paying the taxes).

[Guest uofmeet]

yeah, i always miss something.

And that is one of the reasons why health care has gotten so far. We have lost our checks and balances since the house, congress, and white house are all one party. We saw similar issues when bush was in the office and having all three branches. Never a good thing no matter what party you belong to or favor IMHO

[ukerduker]

5. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%.

I would add to this one. If the budget is not balanced or the country is running a deficit for the last fiscal year, no salary increase of any kind, including monies associated with thier offices and staff.

[Guest uofmeet]

I would add to this one. If the budget is not balanced or the country is running a deficit for the last fiscal year, no salary increase of any kind, including monies associated with thier offices and staff.

X 1 gazillion

[peejman]

3% per year is pretty standard, that barely keeps up with cost-of-living and inflation...

3% per year is reasonable as long as there's a cap. And the cap gets re-evaluated every 6 years. How many people get at least a 3% annual raise? I sure don't. The 3% COLA is how the UAW got fork lift drivers paid $100+k/yr.

Otherwise... I'd add a provision that requires each voting representative to take a written test on every bill for which they vote. The test must be written by the bill's author(s) and ensure a reasonable level of understanding. If they fail the test, they can't vote on the bill. Test results (in addition to voting record) are public record.

With that requirement, think anyone would have been able to vote on the stimulus bill? Me neither.

[Guest 6.8 AR]

I can certainly understand the frustration with Congress, but gutting the House would be a mistake. Keeping those members

dems, Rep, lepers or whatever, in line with the rules established

and the Constitution would be good enough for me. Term limits

cuts both ways but would be a healthy requirement. It would get rid of the "professional legislator". Tampering any other way with

the House or Senate might be dangerous. I would rather have

a voter education requirement than to tamper with the branches of government.

Instead of a salary for being a representative, expenses should be good enough, because it was conceived to be a part time job and still is in many states. It should not be a full time job.

Edited March 15, 2010 by 6.8 AR
add

[Guest uofmeet]

either way, i def think term limits is a must.

[JTENN.]

I agree with all of it, but how many congress critters do you think would actually vote for any of them?

[Guest SUNTZU]

I just want to know where the RESTORE DEFAULT SETTINGS button is located.

[ftncityfatboy]

"""It is the right of the people to alter or abolish it, and to institute new government....""""

[Oh Shoot]

It's laughable if any of you believe that ANY Rep or Dem would actually support term limits. If they did, they wouldn't have the party's support, since the party is all about keeping power, and the way to keep power is to keep the party's members in place for as long as possible. They know it's a helluva lot easier to get a man REelected than elected in the first place.

- OS

[kb4ns]

I just want to know where the RESTORE DEFAULT SETTINGS button is located.

+1