Congressional Reform Act of 2010

[Zander]

I got this in an e-mail and I thought it was pretty interesting.

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 move to the Social Security system immediately.
All future funds flow into the Social Security system, and Congress participates with the American people.

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

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 by 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(s), then go home and back to work.


Seems like a good start to me!!

 

[kwc57]

I can go along with all except #1. I don't believe in term limits. Why would you limit someone who might be doing an excellent job. The only term limit we need is the one we already have......the ballot box.

 

[beowolfe]

I got this in an e-mail and I thought it was pretty interesting.

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 move to the Social Security system immediately.
All future funds flow into the Social Security system, and Congress participates with the American people.

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

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 by 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(s), then go home and back to work.


Seems like a good start to me!!

From what I understand, Congress doesn't have the constitutional authority to pass an act and impose term limits. It is my understanding that since the constitution gives the authority to states to elect members of congress, the only way for the federal government to impose term limits is through a constitutional amendment.

 

[Greenbeard]

6. Congress loses their current health care system and participates in the same health care system as the American people.

That's already law.

 

[BasicGreatGuy]

I can go along with all except #1. I don't believe in term limits. Why would you limit someone who might be doing an excellent job. The only term limit we need is the one we already have......the ballot box.

I am against term limits as well. The ballot box works just fine.

 

[Mad Scientist]

I can go along with all except #1. I don't believe in term limits. Why would you limit someone who might be doing an excellent job. The only term limit we need is the one we already have......the ballot box.

I am against term limits as well. The ballot box works just fine.

The President is term limited, why not Congress as well?

 

[BasicGreatGuy]

I can go along with all except #1. I don't believe in term limits. Why would you limit someone who might be doing an excellent job. The only term limit we need is the one we already have......the ballot box.

I am against term limits as well. The ballot box works just fine.

The President is term limited, why not Congress as well?

I want the XXII Amendment repealed as well. If people won't do their job, they get the government they deserve, in my opinion.

 

[Charles_Main]

6. Congress loses their current health care system and participates in the same health care system as the American people.

That's already law.

I believe they are still able to be exempt from Social Security though.

 

[Charles_Main]

I can go along with all except #1. I don't believe in term limits. Why would you limit someone who might be doing an excellent job. The only term limit we need is the one we already have......the ballot box.

I am against term limits as well. The ballot box works just fine.

The problem is the Longer someone is in power. The longer they have to build relationships, and gather up favors owed. To help buy their way into Office over and over and over again.

It also seems the longer they are in power. The Further out of touch the become with the Common people.

 

[Modbert]

The problem is the Longer someone is in power. The longer they have to build relationships, and gather up favors owed. To help buy their way into Office over and over and over again.

It also seems the longer they are in power. The Further out of touch the become with the Common people.

Then vote them out. It's quite simple really, people get the government they vote for. If the person that is representing them is bad, eventually they'll learn their lesson.

I look at all public candidates as potential CEOs for a company. For example, a state representative is a CEO of that district. If he's not doing a good job, the shareholders (voters) can vote him out if they have a majority. All term limits do is take out people who actually do good and experienced in many cases and replace them with corrupted inexperienced people.

I find it amazingly ignorant when people seem to think that new congressmen can't quickly build up favors, especially if that's the system is in place. The game is rigged for the lobbyists no matter how you play it, the only difference is whether you want to take that choice away from the people. I rather not.

 

[mudwhistle]

I can go along with all except #1. I don't believe in term limits. Why would you limit someone who might be doing an excellent job. The only term limit we need is the one we already have......the ballot box.

Term limits insure that at least once in their career they're working for us instead of for themselves.

 

[uscitizen]

We need to layoff 10% of congress.
Cutting spending/debt thing.

 

[mudwhistle]

The problem is the Longer someone is in power. The longer they have to build relationships, and gather up favors owed. To help buy their way into Office over and over and over again.

It also seems the longer they are in power. The Further out of touch the become with the Common people.

Then vote them out. It's quite simple really, people get the government they vote for. If the person that is representing them is bad, eventually they'll learn their lesson.

I look at all public candidates as potential CEOs for a company. For example, a state representative is a CEO of that district. If he's not doing a good job, the shareholders (voters) can vote him out if they have a majority. All term limits do is take out people who actually do good and experienced in many cases and replace them with corrupted inexperienced people.

I find it amazingly ignorant when people seem to think that new congressmen can't quickly build up favors, especially if that's the system is in place. The game is rigged for the lobbyists no matter how you play it, the only difference is whether you want to take that choice away from the people. I rather not.

I find it amazingly ignorant that anyone would think that everyone who has less time to be corrupted will become as corrupted as someone that's been in Congress for 40 years.

We have term limits for the President and Governor. Why is that? Why not Senators and Representatives? I'll tell you; Because they're the ones drafting and voting on laws. They don't want to spoil their parade.

Money controls who wins. Whoever has the most to spend usually wins. Take the prospect of endless terms away then alot of the money and corruption will go away as well.

 

[Modbert]

Term limits insure that at least once in their career they're working for us instead of for themselves.

Not at all. They would just be corrupt from the very beginning and the lobbyists would be waiting the day they are elected if not sooner. You seem to think that term limits ensure little to no corruption which is ignorant. Lobbyists have been working this system for so long that term limits won't stop them.

 

[kwc57]

I can go along with all except #1. I don't believe in term limits. Why would you limit someone who might be doing an excellent job. The only term limit we need is the one we already have......the ballot box.

I am against term limits as well. The ballot box works just fine.

The President is term limited, why not Congress as well?

The President is the one exception I make at the national level just as the Governor is the one exception I make at the state level. Too much power in a single individuals hands to be held year after year. The potential for abuse is magnified in the head executive position.

 

[Charles_Main]

The problem is the Longer someone is in power. The longer they have to build relationships, and gather up favors owed. To help buy their way into Office over and over and over again.

It also seems the longer they are in power. The Further out of touch the become with the Common people.

Then vote them out. It's quite simple really, people get the government they vote for. If the person that is representing them is bad, eventually they'll learn their lesson.

maybe you should have paid attention to my first sentence the one you didn't bold. The longer they are in power. The harder they are to defeat. As they have had more time to use their power to make connections and friends, buy votes and rig the game.

Wake up. Professional Politicians are a scourge on our Nation.