Community | November 20, 2011 | 42 comments

Congressional Reform Act of 2011

Image
KB723
This is a blueprint. It is a place to start. Let's go OWS- and find a legal way to bring on a national election for a Congressional Reform Act.

1. No Tenure / No Pension. A Congressman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they are 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 are void effective November 8, 2012.
8. If there is a deficit of more than 3% of GDP, sitting congressional members are ineligible for re-election.

Read More: http://current.com/http://www.changingtheplanet.com/2011/11/99-could-win-any-ele...

"Thanks MauriceLacunza for sharing this info... "
  1. groups:
    Community,   News and Politics,   Politics,   US Politics,   20 more
  2. tags:
    Health,  Government,  Congress,  Healthcare,  6 more
  3.     
    |

42 comments // Congressional Reform Act of 2011

  • CreditFigaro
  • BrushwithDeathToothpaste
  • Paratus
  • CreditFigaro
    • 0
      CreditFigaro  
    • Paratus:

      No matter how you slice it, a balanced budget didn't get us out of the great depression. How is the great recession any different? What about the next crisis, 20 and 80 years from now, that is baking away in the private sector's oven?

      Answer those questions in a substantive way that keeps us from needing deficit spending, and I'll be interested.

    • 6 months ago
  • Paratus
    • 0
      Paratus  
    • CreditFigaro:

      I would be happy with a start. As it is we don't seem to be doing anything which is not working very well. Limited spending to revenues is just common sense but it seems that an amendment is needed to instill something that should be so basic. Doing this would limits the powers of Congress to adjust fiscal policy but we keep running up the debt. Are you suggestion that we leave it the way it is??

    • 6 months ago
  • CreditFigaro
    • 0
      CreditFigaro  
    • Paratus:

      "common sense" is commonly wrong.

      This case is no different.

      Debt often must be used to bridge the gap for companies and individuals. (you know, lines of credit and small business loans... you SHOULD know, Mr. CPA)

      I hear people bitching that otherwise profitable small businesses can't get loans to get back on their feet, and yet, when the US economy is on the rocks, taking out loans to get it on its feet is somehow wrong?

      Now, I don't like to work in the macro/micro comparison, because there is often a paradox there, typically based on the wrong set of assumptions.

      However, I wouldn't suggest we leave it as it is. i would suggest that we Invest in infrastructure like crazy.

      Just do it. Take out a fat, 2 trillion dollar loan, and build high speed rail, internet, and a new electric grid with E-car support.

      Cut the defense budget (or allocate it to the infrastructure project) and hike taxes on the wealthy and corporations to mitigate income inequality, help with the debt service and provide opportunities for small (I mean small) businesses to take advantage of these new resources.

      Results:

      Significantly Higher productivity for a LONG time (=GDP boost)
      Unemployment will be gone = higher tax revenue
      Wealth distribution will be flatter = better standard of living for all (look it up, it is a fact)
      Efficiency and electricity usage will drop like a rock = lower emissions and fuel costs

      We buy this 2 years worth of federal deficit in one year and we are out of the ditch.

      The only "negative" is that the wealthy will have to buy smaller yachts.

      Given that you haven't answered ANY of the questions I asked you, I probably shouldn't have gone on this tirade, but I just couldn't resist. :)

      Has private industry EVER been as effective at ending recessions as government spending?

    • 6 months ago
  • ThirdSection
    • +1
      ThirdSection  

    • The most likely way to get this done would be by amending the Constitution--it certainly won't be passed as an act of Congress. Article V provides that the legislatures of 2/3 of the several states (34) "shall call a Convention for proposing Amendments." With this in mind, a movement to get this on the on the ballot in all 50 states ("Shall the Legislature of the State of ___ be obliged to call for an amendment to the US Constitution providing...") would probably be the way to go.

    • 6 months ago
  • Ambill94
  • MSII
    • 0
      MSII  

    • I'm not sure at all about term limits that people often bring up, as I don't want good people to be taken out of the picture. But real, very serious reforms are desperately needed though! Of this there can be no sane doubt. But then again sanity is one of the major issues in getting these reforms, a good (bad) percentage of the electorate are not sane.

    • 6 months ago
  • KB723
  • nardo1224
    • 0
      nardo1224  
    • MSII:

      what we need is a way to VOTE OUT people who are screwing up! I agree, good people need to be able to stay in and bad people need to be kicked out. We also need to take back the airwaves from corporate america so that we can effectively communicate to people and raise the consciousnesses of America instead of dumbing them down.

    • 6 months ago
  • jubal
  • KB723
  • SimonSherr
    • +4
      SimonSherr  

    • There is something MAJOR missing from this - we need to end the unlimited legalized bribery of congressmen that has lead to almost every single problem we have in this country - no healthcare, 2 wars, economic meltdown, bailouts, golden parachutes, tax cuts for the super-rich, attacking public schools, pizza being a vegetable, etc... There has to be something in here to eliminate lobbying and PAC/Super-PAC contributions. Campaigning is constant today, we need to END the constant campaigning and we need our representatives to REPRESENT US not the ultra rich and the corporate money that can easily purchase them today.

    • 6 months ago
  • MSII
  • EarnestT
    • +4
      EarnestT  

    • OOOH YES!!! I love it. If this is actually put forward the American people will back it 100%. Sadly,the folks who would have to enact it will run away like stripey assed baboons! Wanna see John "The Great Quivering Lip" Boehner cry you a river? Put this in place! Wonder how long it will take the Republicans to declare that this plan will cost jobs and penalize job creators?

    • 6 months ago
  • KB723
  • WagonMaster
    • +2
      WagonMaster  

    • We also need Strong political finance lawe and definately term limits,Another thing I would like to see is regular people and not millionaires run for public office. Unfortunately, I don't see any of this happening in my lifetime.

    • 6 months ago
  • KB723
  • ReMarker
    • +2
      ReMarker  

    • Err, Almost all the people interested in becoming a Congressperson, aren't interested in that job for the salary, the healthcare, or the pension.

      Hell, a good argument could be made for making their salaries $1KK-$5KK per year so our elected representatives won't 'sell out' America, as is currently being done.

      The way to avoid having bad representatives elected is to have political finance laws that prevents 1% (or less) of our citizens from deciding the persons that represent 99% of us.

    • 6 months ago
  • KB723
  • queenofit
  • KB723
  • sugarmountian
  • KB723
  • Leen61
  • KB723
  • nardo1224
  • KB723
  • GRC54
    • +3
      GRC54  

    • I like it. The people need more power though so this can happen. IF you depend on some rich congress person to be the one to start this you can forget it.
      Would you vote against your own interest or pay?

    • 6 months ago
  • RobertJordan
    • +2
      RobertJordan [removed]  
    • GRC54:

      Supposedly this was sourced from an email of Warren Buffet. Which is quite possible, although for all the noble speeches he makes about the inequities in our society Warren doesn't seem to be spending any of his vast wealth to actually do anything about it

    • 6 months ago
  • KB723
  • dugdog47
  • KB723
  • cabinettags
  • KB723
  • kennymotown
  • KB723
  • RobertJordan
    • +2
      RobertJordan [removed]  
    • kennymotown:

      The suggestion is that it is to be put to referendum, not passed as an act of Congress. How that is brought about I do not know, but that is the only way that it will ever become law since the majority of the people seem to want to cling to the notion that their own representative is one of the 'good guys'. Congress needs to be bypassed, and if that is unconstitutional them I would say that it is time for the people to write a new Constitution

    • 6 months ago
  • kennymotown
  • KB723
    • +3
      KB723  

    • 1. No Tenure / No Pension. A Congressman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they are 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 are void effective November 8, 2012.
      8. If there is a deficit of more than 3% of GDP, sitting congressional members are ineligible for re-election.

    • 6 months ago
  • KB723
more from Community:
from the community

top videos