A Start to Reform Congress

[maxx]

This is making the rounds in cyberspace.

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.
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*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.
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*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. ****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, so ours should serve their term[[s), then go home and back to work.

This is how you fix Congress.

[Patrick]

Most members of Congress pay into FERS for retirement....which means their retirement will consist of three segments...a Basic Benefit Plan, Social Security, and the Thrift Savings Plan [[TSP). Members of Congress who helf office before 1984-ish are probably enrolled in CSRS where they would not get social security...they would only get a pension. The TSP is similar to a 401K but the Basic Benefit plan is like a minor pension...an annuity if you will that cannot be controlled by the beneficiary.

I am not quite clear on the other benefits that they get but I do know that their healthcare is leageus better than the average Federal employee. I think that they can also use military hospitals too...

[Detroitej72]

I can't see many politicians voting to scrap their pensions and health care benefits. After the 2010 election, one of the network news stations asked a group of tea party candidates who were elected if they would opt out of the health plan for congress. All but one said they planned on accepting the benefits. Their reasoning was that they were entitled to the plans because that was part of their compensation for serving the people. I guess government health care is good enough for the politicians, but not good enough for us little folks.

[Ray1936]

Ain't nothing gonna change. Dream on.

[rb336]

One more to ad:
No representative may accept campaign contributions from outside his or her district and no senator may accept contributions from outside his or her state.

[lit joe]

Term limits build a compound they go in and come out four years later. And they never return again.

[GOAT]

You are missing the key ingredient you crazy yanks. Get rid of the damn lobby groups. Only $500.00 from any lobby group regardless of how many members and then watch Congress work. Until then they will be bought and you will be sold out!

[ferntruth]

You are missing the key ingredient you crazy yanks. Get rid of the damn lobby groups. Only $500.00 from any lobby group regardless of how many members and then watch Congress work. Until then they will be bought and you will be sold out!

This is a nice dream thread but does anyone actually expect ANY of this to be seriously considered? I'd love to reign in the lobbying groups as much as the next guy, but no one in Congress is going to destoy the cash cow. The resulting lawsuits alone would be enough to put the brakes on any serious reform.