This is how you fix congress!!!!

[crin63]

I got this as an email and it was interesting enough to share.


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 friends and neighbors want 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

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 & 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.

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

[MtnBiker]

I do not really agree with the email. I'm less interested in how much a congressman earns in salary and benefits and more concerned about how much they spend of our money. The lobbyist industry has virtually doubled in the last 10 years and a well connected person ie a former congressman can earn in the neighborhood of 300,000 pre year. About double of the congressional salary.

The idea of term limits is interesting but congress themselves would have to vote on it, that may be a hard issue to move forward. And also consider the shift in power to the bureaucracies that are not term limited.

Here is link to another thought on congressional power and how it relates to the founders idea of representation.

http://townhall.com/columnists/WalterEWilliams/2008/10/15/political_monopoly_power

[SassyLady]

Well, I'm definitely interested in changing Congress and I do like the points made in this email.

Term limits and no pensions is about the only way we can get people to realize it is not a lifetime position.


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

The Founding Fathers believed in capitalism which is why everyone had to go home .... to take care of their business. I don't think they ever envisioned government positions of tenure.

[cat slave]

Well, I definitely think crins post is priceless.

"Unsweeten" the pot and limit the terms and it no longer
is so desirable.

When do we get to write our own paychecks and vote ourselves lifetime Cadillac health plans and huge pension
checks for life!!!! Remove the incentives to become career
politicians and the cream will come to the top so to speak!

[pete311]

Remove the incentives to become career
politicians and the cream will come to the top so to speak!

Certainly there should be some reform in that area, but you have to be very careful. If you think there are dumb asses in the congress now, if you start taking away incentives then top talent doesn't bother going into office. With that said we don't even today have top talent in office. The smartest and brightest stay clear.

This can be made into an argument with doctors and the health care reform.

[SassyLady]

Certainly there should be some reform in that area, but you have to be very careful. If you think there are dumb asses in the congress now, if you start taking away incentives then top talent doesn't bother going into office. With that said we don't even today have top talent in office. The smartest and brightest stay clear.

This can be made into an argument with doctors and the health care reform.


I have to disagree .... I believe there are people in the world who have a sense of selfless duty and are committed to helping this country be a better country.

I also don't think the "smartest and brightest" are only motivated by "incentives".

[crin63]

Certainly there should be some reform in that area, but you have to be very careful. If you think there are dumb asses in the congress now, if you start taking away incentives then top talent doesn't bother going into office. With that said we don't even today have top talent in office. The smartest and brightest stay clear.

This can be made into an argument with doctors and the health care reform.

I'll take someone who carries a copy of the Constitution in their pocket, reads the founding fathers and consults both in decision making over someone considered part of the smartest and brightest.

I'm just curious, do you feel the same about CEO's of major corporations as well? Pay or do whatever it takes to get the top talent?

[pete311]

I'll take someone who carries a copy of the Constitution in their pocket, reads the founding fathers and consults both in decision making over someone considered part of the smartest and brightest.

Fair enough, but where are they now and why would they decide to pop up once you remove incentives?



I'm just curious, do you feel the same about CEO's of major corporations as well? Pay or do whatever it takes to get the top talent?

Certainly, getting the top talent is everything for a business. I would think a lesser tech company would do or pay just about anything to bring in someone like Steve Jobs, Bill Gates or Jeff Bezos.

[revelarts]

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

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 & 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.

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

I think these are a great start Crin.

I think there should be a bit more added.

To start, no congressman can go to work for or collect a salary from any corporation that they voted for legislation which benefited the corp, for 15 years. Same rule should apply to Executive branch, senior, secondary and technical positions as well, FDA, DOD, dept of AG, commerce etc..

Stopping deferred brides and revolving doors from corp to Gov..

Another, All Congressmen must READ the bills and post final versions for 10 days before vote. Bills over 1000 pages 15 days.

[crin63]

Fair enough, but where are they now and why would they decide to pop up once you remove incentives?

They don't run for office or maybe they just don't win because they don't have the financial resources to compete.

In my Congressional district there is a guy who keeps running and keeps gaining ground every election cycle but he just doesn't have the resources to make a serious run against a 20 year incumbent.

[Gaffer]

It's all controlled by the media. You have to pay for air time. Any free time such as debates the media invites who they want. Lots of good people are ignored because they don't have the finances or connections to get their name out there. Only the rich can run for office.

[pete311]

They don't run for office or maybe they just don't win because they don't have the financial resources to compete.

In my Congressional district there is a guy who keeps running and keeps gaining ground every election cycle but he just doesn't have the resources to make a serious run against a 20 year incumbent.

ok, i understand you, well said

[revelarts]

It's all controlled by the media. You have to pay for air time. Any free time such as debates the media invites who they want. Lots of good people are ignored because they don't have the finances or connections to get their name out there. Only the rich can run for office.

Also local party politics keep the feild down to the usual suspects.

the dem and Republicans keep the other parties out.

[SassyLady]

The smartest and brightest stay clear.

Let's see what people who are steeped in selfless duty want to contribute. Here are three people that Sarah Palin will be endorsing this election.


America, if you love your freedom, thank a vet! And if you’re looking for leaders who believe in integrity, service, and country first, look to our veterans.

There are a number of great veteran candidates running for office this year, and there are some excellent organizations dedicated to helping them, including: Iraq Vets for Congress and Combat Veterans for Congress (please click on the links to visit their websites).

There are three veterans in particular I’ll be supporting this week.

The first is Major Vaughn Ward, a fourth-generation Idaho native who grew up on his family’s farm in Shoshone and is running in Idaho’s 1st Congressional District. Coming from a family with a proud military tradition, Vaughn joined the Marine Corps after college and was finishing up his service when the September 11th attacks occurred. He put his life on hold and heeded his country’s call – serving first as a CIA Operations Officer and later volunteering with the Marine Corps for a combat tour in Iraq, during which he was awarded the Bronze Star with Combat V. After returning from Iraq, Vaughn went to work for the McCain/Palin campaign. I was grateful for his support then, and I’m happy to support him now because I know that he believes in the same commonsense conservative ideals that we cherish. Vaughn knows that real job growth comes from the private sector, not government. He believes in free market reforms, tax relief for families and small businesses, and a return to a constitutionally limited government that lives within its means. He’ll carry the conservative banner to Washington and will rein in the reckless growth of government to get it back on our side. And remember, a vote for Vaughn is a vote to remove the gavel from Nancy Pelosi’s grip. Please visit Vaughn’s website here to make a donation to his campaign, and follow him on Facebook and Twitter.

The second veteran is Captain Adam Kinzinger, a decorated special-operations pilot who flew combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. Adam is running for Illinois’ 11th Congressional District against a freshman incumbent congresswoman who seemed to pull a bait and switch on voters to get elected. She sounded like a blue dog on the campaign trail, but didn’t vote like one in Washington. Instead, she voted in lockstep with the Pelosi agenda – on Obamacare, the stimulus, cap-and-tax – and the list goes on. She’s part of the reason for Congress’ 11% approval rating. Adam is a strong fiscal conservative with a proven track record as a reformer from his years serving on his local county board. Adam started out in local office, and, like many of us, believes in making government more accountable to the people. When you serve in local office, your constituents truly are your neighbors. Adam understands this, and I know that he will listen to his constituents and work for us, not against us, in Washington. Please visit Adam’s website here to make a donation to his campaign, and follow him on Facebook and Twitter.

The third veteran is Lieutenant Colonel Allen West, a decorated war hero who’s served with distinction in combat zones in Iraq and Afghanistan. Many of you may have heard of Allen from a speech he gave last year that became a viral video on YouTube with over 2 million viewers. Allen’s personal story is a testament to the commonsense conservative belief that our nation’s greatness is rooted in freedom, because with freedom comes equal opportunity, and that, coupled with hard work, leads to success. Allen is a small government fiscal conservative running against a leftwing ideologue who’s marched to the beat of Nancy Pelosi on every issue from cap-and-tax to the stimulus, TARP, and, of course, Obamacare. It’s time to send Allen to Washington in his place. Please visit Allen’s website here to donate to his campaign, and follow him on Facebook and Twitter.

I believe that these great veterans will fight for us in D.C. to uphold and defend our constitution as courageously in the halls of Congress as they did on the field of battle. I’m so honored to offer my support to these American heroes, and I hope you’ll join me in helping them so that they can serve us all in Washington.

- Sarah Palin

http://www.facebook.com/notes/sarah-palin/american-heroes-ready-and-willing-to-serve-in-congress/375469568434

Viral video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VP2p91dvm6M

[CSM]

Certainly there should be some reform in that area, but you have to be very careful. If you think there are dumb asses in the congress now, if you start taking away incentives then top talent doesn't bother going into office. With that said we don't even today have top talent in office. The smartest and brightest stay clear.

This can be made into an argument with doctors and the health care reform.


I, for one, have had just about enough of the "top talent" and "smartest and brightest". I am more than ready to embrace the less smart with plenty of common sense.