O/T Congressional Reform

Goose · Feb 28, 2012

For what it's worth, my sister just emailed me this

FW: Warren Buffet & Congress

Winds of Change....
Warren Buffet is proposing

_*Congressional Reform Act of 2011*_

1. No Tenure / No Pension. A Congressman/woman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they're out of office.

2. 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. It may not be used for any other purpose.

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

4. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%.

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

6. Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the American people.

7. All contracts with past and present Congressmen/women are void effective1/1/12. The American people did not make this contract with Congressmen/women. Congressmen/women made all these contracts for themselves. Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, so ours should serve their term(s), then go home and back to work.

THIS IS HOW YOU FIX CONGRESS!

If you agree with the above, pass it on. If not, just delete.

JMOR · Feb 28, 2012

(quoted from post at 11:29:50 02/28/12) For what it's worth, my sister just emailed me this

FW: Warren Buffet & Congress

Winds of Change....
Warren Buffet is proposing

_*Congressional Reform Act of 2011*_

1. No Tenure / No Pension. A Congressman/woman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they're out of office.

2. 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. It may not be used for any other purpose.

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

4. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%.

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

6. Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the American people.

7. All contracts with past and present Congressmen/women are void effective1/1/12. The American people did not make this contract with Congressmen/women. Congressmen/women made all these contracts for themselves. Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, so ours should serve their term(s), then go home and back to work.

THIS IS HOW YOU FIX CONGRESS!

If you agree with the above, pass it on. If not, just delete.

A happy thought, for sure, but................

"Congressmen/women made all these contracts for themselves."

So why would they cut off their own hand?

Not going to happen, no matter how much we wish.

ChrisinMO · Feb 28, 2012

No matter what disabling of the perks and profits of officeholding you come up with, people in high elective office will find a way to increase their financial rewards. If it came to it, they would just sell their votes to the highest bidder.....oh wait, that is more or less what they are doing right now :>(!

The only feasible systemic solution is to go back to true federalism. The federal government should have its power dramatically curtailed and states should be restored to the sovereignty they enjoyed in the early days of the republic. Most important decisions should be decided locally. Would there be problems with doing this, I bet there would be. In fact, I am already thinking of several problems. But as long as a bunch of people get elected, move thousands of miles away, meet in an environment where the average citizen is essentially unwelcome, and decide matters of enormous power and wealth, you are going to have lots of corruption.

Christopher

PJH · Feb 28, 2012

A nice thought Goose, but it ain't gonna happen. The very ones that would be affected would have to be the ones voting it in. Those scoundrels are over the hump and greasing their own wheels. Sold out. There are no statesmen left.

The love of money is the root of all evil. . .

We've got the best government that money can buy.

Mike (WA) · Feb 28, 2012

The problem is, there is no provision in the Constitution for citizen iniatives- any amendment to the Constitution must be passed by Congress first. Obviously, they're not going to cut off their own access to the public trough.

The problem with turning everything back to the states, resulting in a very small federal government, is that the states can't print money and spend more than they have. Like it or not, deficit spending is the only thing holding this country together right now- There aren't even enough jobs for the willing and able, much less for the halt, the lame and the lazy. If you cut off enough entitlements to balance the budget, anarchy will follow in short order.

Read this quick- the poof monster is close behind.

Animal · Feb 28, 2012

I like it! Any way to get it put on a ballot?

Fritz Maurer · Feb 28, 2012

There's about as much chance of that happening as NASCAR requiring factory body styles and unlimited HP with factory components

Dave in GA · Feb 28, 2012

Has as much chance of happening as the Fair Tax or the Balanced Budget.

LarryT · Feb 28, 2012

A little revolution is a good thing, don't you think? I think that was a quote from Hunt for Red October. I also thing that this same process is what created the country in the first place.

Mike (WA) · Feb 28, 2012

Revolution? Not looking forward to it- if you're a "have" (and therefore a target of the "have nots"), and are no longer "on your best game" (at age 64), revolution is not going to be much fun.

Oh, well, maybe its time to go, anyhow- so "taking one for the team" won't be so bad. . . but I'm having a hard time selling myself on that. . . Guess I'll just try to hold out 'til the ammo is gone.

Traditional Farmer · Feb 28, 2012

Apply it to ex-Presidents too.

kyplowboy · Feb 28, 2012

Ol' Warren Buffet ain't got anything to do with such a thing. He's make'n way too much money off the current system.

Dave

ChrisinMO · Feb 28, 2012

You're a good comrade. We appreciate that you want to be left behind so you don't slow up the rest of the unit. Here is a loaded pistol and a hand grenade.....LOL

I seem to remember lines like that from a couple of old war movies.....

I don't really see any such thing as a revolution coming. Everyone is too invested in the current system and quite a few of the young in this country don't have any idea about what the founding fathers believed and fought for.

Christopher

just another old geezer · Feb 28, 2012

I agree with all of it. but good luck getting them to go along with it

old · Feb 28, 2012

I agree and I think most people who vote them in will also but getting them to shoot them self's in the foot is not going to happen and you know that is how they would see it. Yep should be done with all past present and future person in any and all elected offices. Plus should have term limits and also you do the term limit and then you have to stay out of any elected office for that same amount of time before you can run again.

JOB · Feb 28, 2012

That should have been on the ballot decades ago. Nobody should be able to vote themselves a raise and benefits at any level of government.

Those low life's response is, you voted us in to make decisions for you.

Getting it put on a ballot, most likely not.

wisbaker · Feb 28, 2012

We have a ballot box, use it- almost half the eligible people don't vote. The only way government is going to straighten out is if we vote for something other than the donkey or elephant is pushing on us. If the people were to "hijack" 10% of the congressional and senatorial elections this fall putting in write in Tea Party, ACE or Libertarian candidates might scare them a bit, 25% they would be scared, at 50% you have congressional reform.

pat sublett · Feb 28, 2012

I can't believe that is a Warren Buffet proposal. The best proposal that I have heard lately is- Don't allow people on welfare to vote because it is a conflict of interest. Term limits woud go a long way toward solving our problem. One term and out would not allow some of them to steal so much.

Jason the Red · Feb 28, 2012

Its also a conflict of interest to allow business owners, investors, tradesmen, attorneys, fishermen, etc. to vote or serve in congress. Anybody and everybody is going to try to help their cause and their special interests. Not allowing someone to vote is the fast track to a dictatorship.

The Dukester · Feb 28, 2012

There's no way to take the priviledges of power from the power short of revolution....sad maybe, but true. We've let them have too much and there's no way to take it from them...except well, I'm not going to say it.

flyingace · Feb 28, 2012

(quoted from post at 17:41:37 02/28/12) There's no way to take the priviledges of power from the power short of revolution....sad maybe, but true. We've let them have too much and there's no way to take it from them...except well, I'm not going to say it.

Democracy can be the avenue for this change, but the voting public needs to see thru the rhetoric. Every time a a truly honest candidate appears, he is hammered by both parties - called a radical. And people buy it. After all, if
both parties are saying the same thing, it must be true, right? Get a clue folks, both parties are comprised of career politicians and they hate honesty.

Americans need to recognize this 'lock' and vote for those who truly speak for them. And we need to dump this archaic and unfair two-party system. The whole purpose of which is to control and limit the public's choices.

Doug in Illinois · Feb 28, 2012

Also need to repeal the 16th Amendment.

It needs to replaced with the "Fair Tax".

DOUG

donjr · Feb 28, 2012

They send wayward kids to 'reform school'. Why not establish a 'congressional reform school'? Maybe they'd learn something...

Bill(Wis) · Feb 28, 2012

It will never fly. Congress would have to pass a bill that stipulates those things and then a president would have to sign it into law. It won't happen.

elmersooner · Feb 28, 2012

tar, feathers, pitchforks might be start.....or just vote for none of the above, we've got the best government that money and special interests can buy. we've gone a far way from the intentions of the founding fathers. and the public is more interested in the Kardashians or the Jersey Shore to notice.

JerryS · Feb 28, 2012

Sadly, you are correct. There is no way this situation will turn itself around peacefully. Any peaceful changes would have to be voted by the people who don't want things to change.

cannonball · Feb 29, 2012

And no back to back terms...The president can only serve 2 terms but not back to back.Then maybe we could get a president that would do his JOB and quit campaigning for their 2nd tern as soon as they get in office.....

O/T Congressional Reform

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