HOW YOU FIX CONGRESS!!!!!

I am sending this to virtually everyone on my e-mail list – that includes conservatives, liberals, and everybody in between ('progressives' and 'post-moderns' are outside these parameters). Even though we disagree on a number of issues, I count all of you as friends.  I want to promote a "Congressional Reform Act". It would contain eight provisions, all of which would probably be strongly endorsed by those enlightened souls who drafted the Constitution and our Bill of Rights. Please send me your recommendations on how this proposed Act can be improved…. and/or how we can put this into action.

 I know many of you will say, "This is impossible."  Let me remind you, Congress has the lowest approval of any entity in Government. All 435 members of the House are up for election this coming November, as are one third of the Senate. Now is the time when all Americans can join together to truly reform Congress - the entity that represents us, that serves 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 heroes.)

Please propagate to your friends any ideas on how to get this done.

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 Congressional Reform Act of 2011 (the short version)

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

A.     Two Six year Senate term

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 serving their term(s), then going 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 serving their term(s), then going 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 serving their term(s), then going home and back to work.)

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

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

 6. Congress loses 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 serving their term(s), then going home and back to work.)

 7. Congress must equally abide by any and all laws they impose on the American people.

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

 8. All contracts with past and present congressmen are void effective 1 January 2011.
 

      The American people did not make the present “Congressional Perks” system for our Congressmen. They
      have privileged themselves above that of their electorate in rewarding themselves with these special
      dispensations over the years. It’s time to revoke the special privileges our public servants have given
      themselves. And yes, they are all servants of the common people of our land.

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

Thomas Jefferson summed it up nicely when he admonished Congress with these words:

     “Public servants should not aggrandize themselves by service to the public.” and,

"Experience hath shewn, that even under the best forms of government those entrusted with power have, in time, and by slow operations, perverted it into tyranny." Thomas Jefferson

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I firmly believe that accepting the above conditions should be prerequisite for any person aspiring to public service — especially to governmental service. Any Congressman / potential congressman should affirm they will abide by these conditions or be removed from office / not permitted to seek office. It is the only way to keep our elected representatives from “aggrandizing” themselves. If they were to balk at these conditions, I would ask them “Why do you find these conditions so egregious?”

Personally, I’ve seen quite enough of the self-serving gratuities and 'ear marks'... how kind to themselves to avoid the more common vernacular that we all understand as corruption. We can fix this! (see below)

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"Educate and inform the whole mass of the people... They are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty."    —Thomas Jefferson

"545 people are responsible for all of the U.S. woes." I refer you to a brief commentary by Charley Reese, first published in the Orlando Sentinel Star newspaper:
           http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article18568.htm

It is time for freedom loving Americans to wake up and do something to stop this mess. A community (and country) can be only as good as its citizens make it. Wake up and get involved.

Stay well . . .

Arcinius