I know that some of you might have seen the proposed Congressional Reform Act before. However, how many of you have forwarded and requested action by your Representatives and Senators? Somehow we must rein in the free spending, self aggrandizing people we send to represent us in Washington.
Over the years, they have voted themselves great health insurance and benefits that rival those of those "corporate titans" that the Congressmen and women like to beat up. Isn't it time that we have some leadership to trim some of their spending on themselves. Why should every Representative and Senator have their own parking space at Reagan National? Can't they find their own space just like the rest of us?
Why should their health insurance be excluded from ObamaCare? I wonder if they have granted themselves the ObamaCare waivers they have heaped upon those unions and States that supported the passing of the bill. But that is a topic for another rant.
We need to bring back Congress to the original intent of the Founders in that we had "Citizen Legislators" who would go to Washington for a limited time and then return to their homes and live under the laws that they helped craft. We DO NOT NEED legislators whose only job is a "Representative" like we have here in Michigan with John Dingel who is so bad that even his fellow Democrats removed him from committee posts. John has been the representative of southern Michigan for 55 years. He also was "honored" as one of the top ten when it comes to staff pay. Can he have much more of a tin-ear to current issues in Michigan and the country? By the way Representative Dingel "inherited" the post from his late father.
Let's re-craft their jobs. Fire them after their term has run and eliminate the perks they have voted for themselves. Are you with me?
Here is the proposed act, please forward it to your Representatives and Senators:
Congressional Reform Act of 2011
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
2. No Tenure / No Pension. A Congressman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they are out of office.
3. Members of Congress (past, present & future) participate 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.
4. Members of Congress purchase their own retirement plan, just as all Americans do.
5. Members of Congress may no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%.
6. Members of Congress lose their current health care system and participate in the same health care system as the American people.
7. Members of Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the American people.
8. All contracts with past and present Congressmen are void effective 12/31/11.
Much of what we see in Congress comes from our "Representatives" representing their own re-election efforts which many times are not in the best interests of the United States as a whole.
It is time that Congress becomes more responsive to the needs of the nation and we ask for your support in introducing this legislation.
Over the years, they have voted themselves great health insurance and benefits that rival those of those "corporate titans" that the Congressmen and women like to beat up. Isn't it time that we have some leadership to trim some of their spending on themselves. Why should every Representative and Senator have their own parking space at Reagan National? Can't they find their own space just like the rest of us?
Why should their health insurance be excluded from ObamaCare? I wonder if they have granted themselves the ObamaCare waivers they have heaped upon those unions and States that supported the passing of the bill. But that is a topic for another rant.
We need to bring back Congress to the original intent of the Founders in that we had "Citizen Legislators" who would go to Washington for a limited time and then return to their homes and live under the laws that they helped craft. We DO NOT NEED legislators whose only job is a "Representative" like we have here in Michigan with John Dingel who is so bad that even his fellow Democrats removed him from committee posts. John has been the representative of southern Michigan for 55 years. He also was "honored" as one of the top ten when it comes to staff pay. Can he have much more of a tin-ear to current issues in Michigan and the country? By the way Representative Dingel "inherited" the post from his late father.
Let's re-craft their jobs. Fire them after their term has run and eliminate the perks they have voted for themselves. Are you with me?
Here is the proposed act, please forward it to your Representatives and Senators:
Congressional Reform Act of 2011
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
2. No Tenure / No Pension. A Congressman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they are out of office.
3. Members of Congress (past, present & future) participate 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.
4. Members of Congress purchase their own retirement plan, just as all Americans do.
5. Members of Congress may no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%.
6. Members of Congress lose their current health care system and participate in the same health care system as the American people.
7. Members of Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the American people.
8. All contracts with past and present Congressmen are void effective 12/31/11.
Much of what we see in Congress comes from our "Representatives" representing their own re-election efforts which many times are not in the best interests of the United States as a whole.
It is time that Congress becomes more responsive to the needs of the nation and we ask for your support in introducing this legislation.
I understand the appeal of most of the proposed changes but what i do not understand or agree with is term limits on our senators and representatives, because some of our best senators served for over 50 years. Can you explain the pros of term limits.
ReplyDeleteAccording to Senate.gov, to date the only Senator that has served over 50 years is Senator Byrd of W. Virginia who was in the Senate for 51 years, 5 months and 26 days. The next is Senator Inouye of Hawaii who has been there since Jan 3, 1963.
ReplyDeleteIn my simple mind, it seems impossible for someone to have the pulse of the people and to have the energy to serve in the pressure cooker of Washington for an extended period of time. Once someone has been there so long, they start to feel like they know better than everyone else as to what is best for their constituents, which we all know is hubrus. No one is that smart. A change brings new ideas and new views of the world to the job.
Have you ever taken a new job and were met with the attitude of "we've always done it that way" in reaction to an idea of improvement? I know that I have and why would a Senator/Representative be any different? Change is good.
The other reason for change is that it was not the intention of the Founders that people should serve in this job for the majority of their working lives. The idea was that you would go to Washington to do the "people's work" and then return to your occupation to live under the laws you passed. George Washington set that standard when he was asked to continue being President after he had served eight years. Do you think that Senators and Representatives would get the retirement plans, the health benefit plans and other benefits if they were only planning to be there 8-12 years? Obviously not, as they would expect their other occupation to provide those benefits. It is not a lifetime occupation, nor should it be expected to be one.
Lastly, not only should Congressional/Senate terms be limited, but also the time they spend in Washington. If we give them less time to do damage, they will do less damage! Have you ever noticed that when you are given a project, it takes the same amount of time to complete regardless of the lead time you get? Let's limit the time they have and the amount of time they get to stay there so that we can get the best results rather than having to pass bills just to prove they have done something.
Alright I understand what you are saying. But, what about the senators and representatives that do do good in Washington. I am from California where conservatives are hard to find but I have found that the lack to term limits in our assembly and senate has kept California from completely becoming a liberal paradise. But, I agree with the idea of term limits of a sort what it should be should be up to the voters of the United States however and not up to the Congress who will just oppose such an Amendment.
ReplyDeleteSean