Got this in an email, think it is amusing, and something that should be done.

Quote:
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

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.




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, serve your term(s), then go 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, server your term(s), then go home and back to work.




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

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.




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, serve your term(s), then go home and back to work.




6. Congress looses 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, serve your term(s), then go home and back to work.




7. Congress must equally abide in all laws they impose on the American people.

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.




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.


Thoughts?
me likey.
Absolutely. We also need to eliminate the lobbying system we have in place. It's simply bribery with a different name.
You can't take away the pensions, otherwise what's to prevent a congressman from "losing it all" and becoming homeless (provided he didn't do anything illegal to lose his pension)? We can't let that happen to the people that represent the strongest government and country in the world; it'd make us look bad on the world stage.
i say pass it
Would have a devastating affect. The reason lobbying is so effective is because elected officials don't make enough for those positions to be sufficiently attractive on their own (especially compared to private industry). Cutting back on perks would simply lead to even more back room deals, especially with the cost of running in the first place.

Not only that, but whoever wrote that is a freaking idiot who never bothered to even find out what Congress members actually make:

Quote:
As of 2006, rank and file members of Congress received a yearly salary of $165,200.[36] Congressional leaders are paid $183,500 per year. The Speaker of the House of Representatives earns $212,100 per annum. The salary of the President pro tempore for 2006 is $183,500, equal to that of the majority and minority leader of the House and Senate.[37]

Members elected since 1984 are covered by the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS). Those elected prior to 1984 were covered by the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS). In 1984 all members were given the option of remaining with CSRS or switching for FERS. As it is for all other federal employees, congressional retirement is funded through taxes and the participants' contributions. Members of Congress under FERS contribute 1.3% of their salary into the FERS retirement plan and pay 6.2% of their salary in Social Security taxes.

The size of a congressional pension depends on the years of service and the average of the highest 3 years of his or her salary. By law, the starting amount of a member's retirement annuity may not exceed 80% of his or her final salary. In 2006, the average annual pension for retired senators and representatives under CSRS was $60,972, while those who retired under FERS, or in combination with CSRS, was $35,952.[38]


Congress has the same retirement plan as the rest of the Federal government, nothing special. Not only that, but look at their salaries, it really isn't that much. Some of my classmates made $80-90k right after graduation, yet the people charged with running the most powerful country are only payed $160k?
It would help a lot more if there was some sort of agreement between the government and major media outlets that gave the the canidates a fair amount of air time and they couldn't buy more. That way you wouldn't need money to get elected.
Schrödinger wrote:
It would help a lot more if there was some sort of agreement between the government and major media outlets that gave the the canidates a fair amount of air time and they couldn't buy more. That way you wouldn't need money to get elected.


Capitalism doesn't work that way.
Ultimate Dev'r wrote:
Schrödinger wrote:
It would help a lot more if there was some sort of agreement between the government and major media outlets that gave the the canidates a fair amount of air time and they couldn't buy more. That way you wouldn't need money to get elected.


Capitalism doesn't work that way.

>>Capitalism doesn't work.
fix'ed
Schrödinger wrote:
>>Capitalism doesn't work.
fix'ed


Better than everything else we've come up with so far. But that is irrelevant, as we are talking about the government here, not the economy. Also, you clearly don't have any idea how the news and media work, or any concept of what the costs associated with running for office actually are.
Schrödinger wrote:
Ultimate Dev'r wrote:
Schrödinger wrote:
It would help a lot more if there was some sort of agreement between the government and major media outlets that gave the the canidates a fair amount of air time and they couldn't buy more. That way you wouldn't need money to get elected.


Capitalism doesn't work that way.

>>Capitalism doesn't work.
fix'ed


>>Capitalism doesn't work by itself.
fixed

It is the engine that has driven the global economy since the dawn of man, but without a competent government behind it, you can end up with Dubai, where they spend a lot more money than they have, bankrupting the country, or Somalia, where there is no government at all, and the impoverished people turn to piracy.
DShiznit wrote:
Schrödinger wrote:
Ultimate Dev'r wrote:
Schrödinger wrote:
It would help a lot more if there was some sort of agreement between the government and major media outlets that gave the the canidates a fair amount of air time and they couldn't buy more. That way you wouldn't need money to get elected.


Capitalism doesn't work that way.

>>Capitalism doesn't work.
fix'ed


>>Capitalism doesn't work by itself.
fixed

It is the engine that has driven the global economy since the dawn of man, but without a competent government behind it, you can end up with Dubai, where they spend a lot more money than they have, bankrupting the country, or Somalia, where there is no government at all, and the impoverished people turn to piracy.


You're confusing "Dubai" with "USA"
Kllrnohj wrote:
Schrödinger wrote:
>>Capitalism doesn't work.
fix'ed


Better than everything else we've come up with so far. But that is irrelevant, as we are talking about the government here, not the economy.

I'm not the one trying to drag the economy in to this
Quote:

Also, you clearly don't have any idea how the news and media work,

they make money by reporting the news, so they only report the sadest or most alarming stories they can find, but to make more money they usually try to find news from other news sources.
Quote:
or any concept of what the costs associated with running for office actually are.

they are too much, thats whats important. if a political party has to sell themselves out like a whore to every major corparation and welthy patron they can, then the cost of campaining needs to be reduced.
Schrödinger wrote:
Kllrnohj wrote:
Schrödinger wrote:
>>Capitalism doesn't work.
fix'ed


Better than everything else we've come up with so far. But that is irrelevant, as we are talking about the government here, not the economy.

I'm not the one trying to drag the economy in to this
According to Wikipedia, "Capitalism is an economic and social system." I don't see government there.
calc84maniac wrote:
Schrödinger wrote:
Kllrnohj wrote:
Schrödinger wrote:
>>Capitalism doesn't work.
fix'ed


Better than everything else we've come up with so far. But that is irrelevant, as we are talking about the government here, not the economy.

I'm not the one trying to drag the economy in to this
According to Wikipedia, "Capitalism is an economic and social system." I don't see government there.


Kinda funny how no one seems to make a connection between money gained by capitalism and political power.
Ultimate Dev'r wrote:
Kinda funny how no one seems to make a connection between money gained by capitalism and political power.


Because there isn't a connection, just some misuse of the term capitalism. Lobbying and political donations aren't capitalism. There isn't any form of capitalism in the political system at all.

Schrödinger wrote:
I'm not the one trying to drag the economy in to this


Uh, yes, you did. You started talking about capitalism, which only applies to the economy. It isn't my fault if you don't know the terms you're throwing around.
Kllrnohj wrote:
Ultimate Dev'r wrote:
Kinda funny how no one seems to make a connection between money gained by capitalism and political power.


Because there isn't a connection, just some misuse of the term capitalism. Lobbying and political donations aren't capitalism. There isn't any form of capitalism in the political system at all.


Isn't having your own money in the first place Capitalism? Or at the very least, what separates it from Socialism?
Kllrnohj wrote:
Ultimate Dev'r wrote:
Kinda funny how no one seems to make a connection between money gained by capitalism and political power.


Because there isn't a connection, just some misuse of the term capitalism. Lobbying and political donations aren't capitalism. There isn't any form of capitalism in the political system at all.


So a company in the US that gains money via capitalistic processes that then gives money to politicians to further benefit their [businesses] ideals and profit margins shows no connection between capitalism and politics?

Kllrnohj wrote:
Schrödinger wrote:
I'm not the one trying to drag the economy in to this


Uh, yes, you did. You started talking about capitalism, which only applies to the economy. It isn't my fault if you don't know the terms you're throwing around.


Reading comprehension fail; I'm the one who first used the term "capitalism" in this thread.
Ultimate Dev'r wrote:

So a company in the US that gains money via capitalistic processes that then gives money to politicians to further benefit their [businesses] ideals and profit margins shows no connection between capitalism and politics?

This
Ultimate Dev'r wrote:
So a company in the US that gains money via capitalistic processes that then gives money to politicians to further benefit their [businesses] ideals and profit margins shows no connection between capitalism and politics?


Correct. Capitalism may be the source of the money, but that has no bearing on how the money is spent or what the money is spent on. Politics isn't capitalism in any way. If you think it is, go look up what capitalism actually is, please.

Quote:
Reading comprehension fail; I'm the one who first used the term "capitalism" in this thread.


Yeah, that isn't a reading comprehension fail at all. You want a cookie for being first or something?
  
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