The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators that would serve their constituents for a time then go home and back to work. Serving in Congress is an honor, it was never meant to be a career.
Because of the lack of term limits, like the one Congress imposed on the President, many men have turned it into a career. Some have served for decades and, in the process, become politically very powerful. In doing thus they lose perspective and their contact with ordinary Americans. They are supposed to represent their constituents and ACT FOR THEIR COUNTRY. What they do instead is focus on bringing home tax dollars for their pet projects in an effort to buy off their voters to stay in power! They cease to do the will of the people who elected them and stroke their own egos...and line their own pockets in the process. That is exactly what was NOT supposed to happen!
Congress has the power to tax the citizenry, and the power to exempt itself from the laws it passes. With the abuse of those powers the U.S. Congress has become a cesspool of corruption that is destroying the ideological foundation of this nation! Most of its members want only one thing…to stay in power. Because there are no term limits, the majority of the time and effort that most congressmen and senators expend is on being re-elected.
Every one of them is a servant of the American people. Their guiding directive should be to “speak for their constituents and act for their country”. What they do instead is represent whatever special interest donates the most money for their re-election. Lobbyists are the most powerful people in Washington…they are the ones who finance the men and women who have been corrupted by power.
What we need now, what would be Real Change we can believe in, is a reformation of Congress!
One possible solution could be the establishment of a Citizens Oversight Committee. Just ordinary citizens elected only once, for say, one year at a time to oversee the actions of the House and Senate. These could have to power to veto any special favors that congressmen try to give themselves.
The guidelines could be something like these:
1.) A 12 year Term Limit imposed on all elected public servants. That allows a member of the Senate to serve two six-year terms and a member of the House to serve six two-year terms. (Additionally there should should be an age limit of 70 years old.) No public servant may serve more…period! (Let them get real, productive jobs!)
2.) Congress will no longer have the power to vote themselves raises…period! They may receive the same cost of living increases that everyone else does. They may receive NO other financial perks. That includes being able to profit from the laws they pass. Such profiteering should be a FELONY! (My grandmother would call what they do now "Letting the fox guard the hen house"!)
3.) All contracts with past and present congressmen are to be made null and void effective immediately. The American people didn’t make such contracts with these people; congressmen made all these contracts for themselves...without citizens oversight.
4.) No Tenure / No Pension: A congressman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they are out of office...period!
5.) Congress can purchase their own retirement plan just like all other Americans.
6.) Congress loses their current health care system and participates in the same health care system as the one they vote on for the American people.
7.) Congress (past, present &and future) participates in Social Security. All funds in the Congressional retirement fund should be moved to the Social Security system immediately. All future funds flow into the Social Security system, and Congress participates with the American people.
8.) Congress may NOT touch the money in the Social Security system…period!
9.) Congress must abide by a balanced budget. A constitutional amendment requiring one should be passed now! (Let's make them play by the same rules most families have to!)
10.) If a congressman wants to run for another office, he or she must resign first…period! (Why should they receive taxpayer salaries/subsidies while they look for another job?!)
11.) If a congressman decides to change parties from the one his/her constituents elected them in…they must resign first…period! (No more scum-bags like Arlen Spector changing horses in mid-stream in a feeble bid to stay in office!)
12.) Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the American people…period! (This would mean that Congress members do NOT get paid in the event of a government shut-down and there would be NO reimbursement upon it's re-opening!!!)
13.) Congress MAY NOT raise any taxes until they can demonstrate the programs and departments now receiving them are WORKING! There should be a citizens review of laws passed say...one year after being passed. If it is NOT doing what it was designed to do or has unintended consequences it becomes null and void. If it is working it can be reviewed again in five more years.
14.) For every law Congress passes they must eliminate two more laws.
15.) Congress has the authority to declare war. When they exercise that authority and declare war any family members that they have of a suitable age MUST enlist and go to the front lines! Those with the power to send young Americans to die in a war should have a personal stake in the conflict.
16.) As employees of the American people, Congress may NOT engage in any frivolous pursuits like spending the peoples time apologizing for slavery or declaring a day for some sports figure. We have REAL problems they need to address!
17.) In drafting a bill to be passed into law they should NOT be allowed to add on their pet projects (PORK) that have nothing to do with the bill itself. This would do away with the deals they make in private. Any bill passed by Congress should be short enough and plain enough for the average American to read and understand. THEY GET NO FINE PRINT!!
18.) Any change in rules or procedures in the House or Senate must be approved by both parties before going into effect. The party in power at the moment shouldn't have too much power.
19.) Any investigation, either civil or criminal, on any member of the House or Senate may ONLY be conducted by individuals affiliated with both parties. Such an investigation may not be led by the party of the member being investigated.
20.) No convicted felon may serve in office. No one found in violation of congressional ethics, as determined by a panel of citizens, may serve in office. Any congressman convicted of a felony immediately loses his / her office; forfeits all pay and benefits and receives the same punishment as any other citizen. Any congressman found in violation of congressional ethics must lose his / her seat immediately and forfeit all pay and benefits of office.
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When your only tool is a hammer the whole world looks like a nail. Passing a new law is NOT the way to solve all problems. Throwing money at a problem is NOT always an answer. "Calling for" a committee to investigate some problem is NOT DOING ANYTHING.These men and women need to stop acting for their party and act for their country! Instead of paying back some political favor they need to find the best people for the job of fixing problems and not worry about what party they belong to.
The politicians of our time have turned their offices into careers and, in so doing, many have sold their influence to the highest bidders corrupting everything they were meant to stand for. Political office was NEVER meant to be a vehicle for the office holder to line their own pockets!! Congress was NEVER meant to be a ruling class!! They are employees of the American people...just like the president. They were ALL meant to be ordinary citizens who served for a time then went home.
Whatever happened to the statesmen that put their country before their own interests?
