How to Fix Congress

[bdickens]

Good luck!

Guess who has to vote on the measure to pass it?

[stroo]

This thread isn't about reality. None of these ideas are ever going to come close to passing.

[couzin]

No one enters Congress without already having access to wealth. Even those who are at lower end of the wealth scale mysteriously leave Congress with more money than they started with.

Yep - suddenly they have millions of dollars... and, lots of places to hide it!

[The Annoyed Man]

I have a much simpler solution although just as unlikely to ever get passed. Let's quit paying them salaries or perks. Most of our problems began when we began paying Congress a full time salary and perks.

The trouble with that is that you then having only those who can afford not to work serving in congress.... ....namely, only rich people, or people on welfare.

I've got nothing against wealth. I want a ton of it myself. My problem is that a Congress made up of only rich or poor people will be completely out of touch with how their actions will affect those whose lives are not insulated by either wealth or government handouts from congressional stupidity, and will not likely represent their interests well. I'm OK with paying congress critters in the $150K-$200K range. I just don't want it to be their career. Guys like Joe Biden, for instance, have never really held down an honest job before... and he's the reason I pray daily for Obama's good health.

The reason a regular job is important is that a congressman who's never had one has no real comprehension of how budgets work, and of how their votes affect Joe and Jane Sixpack. They say they do, but they don't because they have never really had to worry about the impacts themselves. It's just lip service.

A good senator or representative does work hard, and they deserve to be adequately compensated for it. I just don't want them to think that winning an election is a mandate for self-entitlement.

Oh, and I love the list. Oldgringo, if you run for office in my area, I might vote for you.

[idrathernot]

Great list Oldgringo!

As far as term limits go, I was at a Tea Party down in Seguin on Saturday and Debra Medina said something to the effect of:

"Many of you would not wish for your wife to go to the local saloon everynight, as it can be a corrupting influence on someone.
Likewise, many of the wives here would not let your husband do the same. We elect the best and brightest to represent our interests, but the environment we place them in is far more corrupting."

I hadn't really considered it from this angle before, but it's really something I took to heart.

She proposed that we make term limits a party priority as it's not likely to come to fruition on it's own. Given that the Republican party just announced it's "litmus" test for potential candidates, I don't see why a party term limit for campaign funding can't be drawn there. Got a lot more teeth than the "Contract With America" don'tcha think?

[marksiwel]

is there a REAL reason that you need to be in DC to do your job as a congressman/woman in these high tech days?

[idrathernot]

is there a REAL reason that you need to be in DC to do your job as a congressman/woman in these high tech days?

Considering what those "hackers" did to East Anglia, any smart politician will never use the internet again. Much less cast a vote or hold a hearing via telecommute.

I would love to bring up some interesting tax statistics though if I may. Federal Taxes Paid vs. Federal Spending Received via Taxfoundation.org:

Texas
Year: 2005
Federal Taxes Paid to DC: $146,932,000,000
Federal Spending Received: $148,683,000,000
Federal Spending Received Per Dollar of Tax Paid: $0.94
State Rank (1 is Highest): 35

Washington D.C.
Year: 2005
Federal Taxes Paid to DC: $6,735,000,000
Federal Spending Received: $37,859,000,000
Federal Spending Received Per Dollar of Tax Paid: $5.55
State Rank (1 is Highest): NA - but it is the highest.

New Mexico comes in a distant second (and have since 1981) at $2.03/tax dollar paid. When criminals do this I believe it's called a "skim".

[Oldgringo]

Thanks guys, but I'm not creative/smart enough to have created the list. It came to me from a former neighbor who is a UAB School of Business, Professor Emeritus, Ph. D., REPUBLICAN in Birmingham.

Dr. Bob may be the only REPUBLICAN educator I know. How many do you know?

[marksiwel]

Thanks guys, but I'm not creative/smart enough to have created the list. It came to me from a former neighbor who is a UAB School of Business, Professor Emeritus, Ph. D., REPUBLICAN in Birmingham.

Dr. Bob may be the only REPUBLICAN educator I know. How many do you know?

top of my head 10

[UpTheIrons]

http://bytestyle.tv/content/bytestyle-a ... slate-2010

This is a good start, I think. Members in TX District 28: your Rep is listed in the black list.

Oh, Cuellar's been on my Blacklist a whole lot longer than this list has been around! He's heard enough from me to last two congressional careers. One of my congregation members used to work in his office - the guy is a (description deleted to comply with forum rules ).

There are at least 3 people on the "R" side vying for his seat. I really don't think any of them have a chance, as two of them are too ... *ahem* ... "Anglo" to find wide appeal in the Rio Grande valley where Cuellar has been backing up dump trucks loaded with (our) cash at every opportunity. The third, a guy named Chavez, is someone I never heard of before today. If the primary winner passes the smell test, I'll do what I can, but being in the northern end of the district, I don't know how much good it'll do.

[stroo]

The Annoyed Man wrote:
"I'm OK with paying congress critters in the $150K-$200K range. I just don't want it to be their career. Guys like Joe Biden, for instance, have never really held down an honest job before... and he's the reason I pray daily for Obama's good health."

If you pay them that kind of salary, it will be their career. We only began having Congresses full of career politicians when we began paying them a good salary. You can't have one without the other.

The Annoyed Man wrote:
"The trouble with that is that you then having only those who can afford not to work serving in congress.... ....namely, only rich people, or people on welfare."

We have no poor people in Congress and never have had any poor people or even any middle income. However before we paid salaries to politicians at all levels, generally members of Congress had done something in real life before coming to Congress and had some idea how the real world works. That pretty much stopped when we started paying politicians salaries.

[chabouk]

New Hampshire pays their state reps $100 per year, plus mileage and a free toll tag. That amount is set in the state constitution, and can only be changed if the voters approve a constitutional amendment.

They also have 400 state reps, which is roughly one rep for every 3000 residents. It's almost impossible for them to hide from their constituents, because they literally live in the same neighborhoods. It's a tiny state, but they have the 4th-largest legislature in the English speaking world (behind UK Parliament, Indian Parliament, and U.S. Congress).

[lil red]

I have no problem with paying them a reasonable salary when they're working but there should be no retirement benefits. They should get their retirement benefits from the private sector job they worked before/after their public service. That would also be a backdoor term limit. The problem is it would would be good for the country and bad for the politicians so it will never pass.

[chabouk]

A lifetime limit of 12 total years in elected office would be nice. Any elected office, if it has taxing authority. City council, school board, JP, state rep, state senator, statewide elected official, any federal office....

[Purplehood]

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.

Congress shall get the same pay raises that they give to Retirees (Social Security/Military)

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.

I don't get the point of this proposal...in what manner don't they?

8. All contracts with past and present congressmen are void effective 1/1/10.
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.

I don't know what is meant by contracts with Congressmen. Please explain.