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I have a radical proposal. It is not new. however, i think it would do more to drive down the influence of money than anything.
when America was formed a representative represented about 55,000 now that number is 350,000? lets return to that 55k number. It would mean something like a 3000 members of congress. I would also raise the number of Senators proportionatly as well to at least 5 per state and as many as 10 per state.
1. The numbers would overwhelm the money machine.
2. It would put representatives in very close contact with their constituents thus making it harder for them to stand against the will of the people they serve.
3. It would reduce the power of any individual dramatically thus reducing the pork.
I would also reduce the average salery per member of congress to be in line with national averages. Give them 401k type savings plans and insurance plans that reflect the reality of the majority of Americans.
Term limit Members of the house to 6 terms (12 years) and members of the senate to 2 terms (12 years).
I have a radical proposal. It is not new. however, i think it would do more to drive down the influence of money than anything.
when America was formed a representative represented about 55,000 now that number is 350,000? lets return to that 55k number. It would mean something like a 3000 members of congress. I would also raise the number of Senators proportionatly as well to at least 5 per state and as many as 10 per state.
1. The numbers would overwhelm the money machine.
2. It would put representatives in very close contact with their constituents thus making it harder for them to stand against the will of the people they serve.
3. It would reduce the power of any individual dramatically thus reducing the pork.
I would also reduce the average salery per member of congress to be in line with national averages. Give them 401k type savings plans and insurance plans that reflect the reality of the majority of Americans.
Term limit Members of the house to 6 terms (12 years) and members of the senate to 2 terms (12 years).
I like this -- a lot. It's kind of variation of the "wisdom of crowds" approach also, in that you might get better results with larger input.
The only spot I might disagree with you on is the term limit. Not so much that there IS a term limit, but that the term is made up of two different terms. I felt that Obama used his first four years to campaign for his next four years, and I think if we limited the "terms" to a single block of time, we would eliminate the waste of time (and money) that campaigning for re-election has come to represent.
If there was one -- and only one -- perk you could eliminate from the mess that is Washington, D.C., what would it be?
It doesn't necessarily have to be the biggest $$ waster, or anything like that. Just something that you think should be eliminated. Something you think is a complete waste of money.
For me, it would be the Secret Service protection afforded the president AFTER they leave office. I'm okay with it while they are in office, but when you leave office, the protection should end. Immediately.
It's not like any of these clowns came into/left office with $3 in the bank. All of those book advances can buy a lot of mercenary protection.
For me it would be private health insurance and retirement pay. Put them on Obama care and SS like the rest of us
Congress got rid of Obamacare for themselves already.
No, the exact opposite happened. Congress and some of their staff make up the only group specifically mentioned in the Affordable Care Act as being mandated to obtain their health insurance only through the health exchanges being established under the Act. As of Jan. 1, 2014, they are kicked out of the Federal Employees Health Benefits program.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mackinac81
Same here. No congressman should get a pension after serving only one term in congress. Rediculous.
They don't.
A Member of Congress must serve a minimum of 5 years to be eligible at age 62 for a pension. That would be one term for a U.S. Senator, and three terms for a Congressman. See: Retirement Benefits for Members of Congress.
And since the early '80s, all Members of Congress have paid into Social Security as part of their retirement benefits.
If there was one -- and only one -- perk you could eliminate from the mess that is Washington, D.C., what would it be?
It doesn't necessarily have to be the biggest $$ waster, or anything like that. Just something that you think should be eliminated. Something you think is a complete waste of money.
For me, it would be the Secret Service protection afforded the president AFTER they leave office. I'm okay with it while they are in office, but when you leave office, the protection should end. Immediately.
It's not like any of these clowns came into/left office with $3 in the bank. All of those book advances can buy a lot of mercenary protection.
Stop paying Congressional Repubs. They say no to doing any work.
A Member of Congress must serve a minimum of 5 years to be eligible at age 62 for a pension. That would be one term for a U.S. Senator, and three terms for a Congressman. See: Retirement Benefits for Members of Congress.
"A three-term congressman (or one-term senator) who has now reached retirement age would be eligible for an annual pension of $17,588 for six years of work. That's generous, but not close to full pay."
Cool. No more military - think of the money, not to mention lives, we'd save. No Border Patrol - oh, well - what the hell - the states can pick up the slack. No more Center for Disease Control - not like they do much good anyway.
And all those alphabet outfits - FBI, CIA, NSA - they are WAY more trouble than their worth. When was the last time you heard of the FBI catching a kidnapper or counterfeiter?
Location: Prescott Valley,az summer/east valley Az winter
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wjtwet
For me it would be private health insurance and retirement pay. Put them on Obama care and SS like the rest of us
Actually Senator Grassley from Iowa wrote into the Obamacare bill that conresspeople and their top aides had to get their healthcare from whatever their state set up for healthcare, That's why congress has tried so hard to get it rejected.
I'd say that limiting lobbyers gifts to congresspeople to whatever a cup of coffee costs per day, about 50 times per year might bust the largest problem. That of lobbiests buying congessional votes.
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