You can fix the congress. Yes you can.

[4karlos]

The 26th amendment (granting the right to vote for 18 year-olds) took only 3 months & 8 days to be ratified! Why? Simple! The people demanded it. That was in 1971...before computers, before e-mail, before cell phones, etc.

Of the 27 amendments to the Constitution, seven (7) took 1 year or less to become the law of the land...all because of public pressure.

Forward this note to a minimum of twenty people on your address list; in turn ask each of those to do likewise.

In three days, most people in The United States of America will have the message. This is one idea that really should be passed around.

Congressional Reform Act of 2011

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 1/1/12.

8. Congressmen MUST send their kids to public schools. So the budget, fundings and decisions affecting the education will change dramatically.

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 initial idea envisioned citizen legislators, serving their term(s), then go home and back to work.

If each person contacts a minimum of twenty people, then it will only take three days for most people (in the U.S.) to receive the message. Maybe it is time.

THIS IS HOW YOU FIX CONGRESS!!!
If you agree with the above, pass it on. If not, just skip.

[CuteOldGuy]

I can go with that. Good idea.

[i'va biggen]

+1

[pyramider]

Its a win.


Now what is the small print?

[Old-T]

You've packaged some good ideas with some that make little sense.

Flip some of them around:
--Do you want your raises capped at no more than 3% a year?
--Do you want someone else telling you where your kids can go to school?
--Should someone else be able to retroactively void your signed contracts for no sound reason?

Somehow I doubt it.

[CuteOldGuy]

These dimwits spend millions of dollars to win a job that pays less than $200K per year. I think they can do without raises at all.

When they let me make my own choices about where my kid goes to school, I will worry about where theirs go to school.

If they used their influence gained by being elected by us, we ought to have a say in what they can do with that influence.

[Old-T]

Originally Posted by CuteOldGuy

These dimwits spend millions of dollars to win a job that pays less than $200K per year. I think they can do without raises at all.

When they let me make my own choices about where my kid goes to school, I will worry about where theirs go to school.

If they used their influence gained by being elected by us, we ought to have a say in what they can do with that influence.

Then lets freeze all wages for all people. It worked so well in the Nixon era.

Last I looked a parent can send their kids to public or private schools as they wish and as they can afford/get into.

Should any employer than be allowed to control where an employee works for the rest of their career? And the original comment was much wider than future employment.

All these sound very un-capitalistic for a board full of very free-enterprise proponents.

If you don't like what the congressmen are doing, FIRE THEM! Trouble is we have too many voters who keep fiering bad choices and replacing them with worse ones. Who should take the blaime for hiering the wrong people?

[Iaintliein]

Originally Posted by Old-T

Then lets freeze all wages for all people. It worked so well in the Nixon era.

Last I looked a parent can send their kids to public or private schools as they wish and as they can afford/get into.

Should any employer than be allowed to control where an employee works for the rest of their career? And the original comment was much wider than future employment.

All these sound very un-capitalistic for a board full of very free-enterprise proponents.

If you don't like what the congressmen are doing, FIRE THEM! Trouble is we have too many voters who keep fiering bad choices and replacing them with worse ones. Who should take the blaime for hiering the wrong people?

There's nothing "uncapitalistic" about an employer (the people) setting the terms of employment, quiet the contrary, the current set up is "uncapitalistic" because the employees (congress critters) get to set the terms of their employment. By your argument anyone who can afford a controlled substance should be able to enjoy it without fear of losing their job.

I would add to the OP's list repeal of the 17th amendment.

[Old-T]

Originally Posted by Iaintliein

There's nothing "uncapitalistic" about an employer (the people) setting the terms of employment, quiet the contrary, the current set up is "uncapitalistic" because the employees (congress critters) get to set the terms of their employment. By your argument anyone who can afford a controlled substance should be able to enjoy it without fear of losing their job.

I would add to the OP's list repeal of the 17th amendment.

No, I have no probelm setting the standards for what the conditions of employment are while a person is employed. I do have an issue with thinking my current employer has vast control over what I do after I leave. Trade secrets, etc., sure. But beyond that, no. That was the part I believe is uncapitalistic.

[Guest123018-4]

everyone has a choice of where they send their kids to school, you can even home school. The federal government should be out of education and that eliminates that problem entirely. The remain issue will be to get your local government to issue vouchers and if you do notlike what your state does their are 49 others to choose from.

When it comes to the 26th amendment, I personally think that was a mistake. Vietnam was in full swing and we were drafting kids 18 years old that had no say in the matter. Rather than to raise the draft age we lowered the voting age and there are not many 18year old kids that have enough of an understanding of why we are at war much less of what they are doing at the voting booth. We determined that an 18 year old cant drink or gamble but they can vote and fight in wars, this is fucked up.

Add the elimination of all government employee unions and you may have something.

[4karlos]

Originally Posted by The2Dogs

The federal government should be out of education and that eliminates that problem entirely

Fed is already hands-off and this why instead eliminating the problem they have eliminated the education itself. Only China has more Honor Students than all the students we have here in the US. If we had bright students It could pass but the problem is that we rank past the 20th postiion in education. Adding insult to the injury, we have the highest index of child diabetes and child obesity in the world. Home schooling is not going to build the next generation of PHd', nobel prizes and silver bullets we need to be ahead of the other countries.

[4karlos]

Originally Posted by The2Dogs

When it comes to the 26th amendment, I personally think .

OFF SUBJECT...The 26th is not the point it is just the lever for putting in motion an initiative to put the congress back in shape.

At age 18 I was serving in the army and my brain although not very diversified in interests beyond sex & fun, it already was fuylly functional and the decisions I made then, made me who I am today. I would do it all over again...almost all of it.

[IIFFOFRDB]

I like everything but #8. Throw that out and I'm in.

[Guest123018-4]

you brought up the 26th amendment, not me.
Geez, still it s a bad one like prohibition.