Proposed Congressional Reform Act of 2010
Posted Sun Dec 20, 2009 in
Ruminations
I am so fed up with politics and politicians. I think it’s time for some real change, not the same-old thing cast in terms of change when the only change that is occurring is a swing from the not-so-left to the left.
A friend circulated something similar to this through a mailing list I read. I wordsmithed it a bit and am posting it here. I’m just so sick of what I’m seeing.
A Proposal: The Congressional Reform Act of 2010
Thesis: Service in Congress is an honor and a duty, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, not career politicians. Elected representatives serve their term(s), then go home and go back to work like the rest of us.
1. Term Limits: 12 years only, one of the possible options below. a) Two 6-year Senate terms, b) six 2-year House terms, or c) one 6-year Senate term and 3 2-year House terms.
2. No tenure/no pension: A congressman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they are out of office.
3. Congress (past, present and 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.
4. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan just as all Americans.
5. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%.
6. Congress loses their current health care system and participates in the same health care system as the American people.
7. Congress must equally abide in all laws they impose on the American people.
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.
My sentiment exactly. I like this proposal.
— Billy 20 December 2009, 11:07 #Agree completely-please pass this along-I will!
— Dan Ryan 28 December 2009, 19:00 #Now if we could just find enough legislators who would be willing to put the interests of the country ahead of their career interests. I think you’ll find them near the Sasquatch and Loch Ness Monster.
— Eli 4 January 2010, 08:54 #I agree. That means we have to do two things. Put pressure on them and then create substantial turnover at the next election. Then we’ll get some attention.
I’ve been writing my representatives regularly and intend to continue writing. I want to express my extreme displeasure with the way things have gone over the last year and then my insistence that they change — real change and not business-as-usual.
— ruminator 4 January 2010, 18:00 #Not only do I agree with this proposal, may I say how refreshing and a relief it is to read these posts by people who know how to use the English language and know how to spell!
— jsabrr 7 January 2010, 21:23 #Thank for you dropping by and for the compliment. I work quite hard to write complete sentences, use punctuation correctly, and eliminate typographical errors from my text. I don’t always succeed — but I try.
I really believe this set of principles should apply to our representatives. I doubt it could pass in the current Congress, at least by the evidence displayed to date. The fact that the healthcare negotiations are going on behind closed doors and without participation by the minority party is truly and deeply offensive to me.
It is yet one more sham and a travesty of the representative government paid for so dearly by so many men and women over the generations. It sickens me to see this.
By no means do I hold the Democrats to blame; both parties are guilty as far as I can see. This Congress is one more example of business-as-usual, which the current administration promised would be different. That is yet another disappointment.
I’ll be ready as election seasons rolls around. My intent is to make my vote count and I want to see all of them removed from office and replaced with citizen-representatives. Then maybe we can get somewhere.
— ruminator 7 January 2010, 21:33 #How can we get this enacted? There are many in agreement – but there is no link where we can go sign a petition or learn how to get personally involved in helping make this a reality. Such a great idea – but we need to put legs to this. Is any org out there trying to become a focal point for this, a place to connect and help get the ball rolling? So badly needed…..
— Jerry 9 January 2010, 15:00 #It’s one of those “forwards” that came across my virtual desk one evening. I liked the way it sounds, so I wordsmithed it a bit and posted it on my weblog.
However, I like what it has to say. The way (I think) to get it enacted is to find someone who is connected to one of our representatives and get it introduced as a bill. Most likely, it would be buried in committee and never see the floor, but one never knows. If a few representatives sponsored the legislation, then it might have a chance.
But, the first step is to find someone who has a friendly relationship with a representative.
— ruminator 9 January 2010, 15:46 #Perhaps the way to find a friendly representative is this: http://firecongress.org/.
— ruminator 10 January 2010, 16:21 #