Saturday, January 07, 2012

Reforming Congress

Need a plan for reforming Congress which is less.....ahhh....violent than the one you think of when you see them on TV?

Here's one:

*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. [That includes losing the Congress' very own medical offices, doctors, dentists, and nurses.]

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.

It's a start.

Buffett has a proposal for dealing with deficits and the national debt:

"You just pass a law  that says that anytime there is a deficit of more than 3% of GDP, all  sitting members of Congress are ineligible for re-election."

Enforcing that would be the fun part, of course.  Stocks and/or cages would be appropriate.
--from a friend by email--

17 comments:

neomom said...

Need to add making insider trading illegal as well.

Beer, Bicycles and the VRWC said...

it will be argued that keeping the pay high will prevent corruption. I think we've seen that is not true.

neomom said...

People are ignoring him now unfortunately, but I wouldn't mind seeing Perry's part-time idea on this list. They obviously have entirely too much time on their hands with the crappola that they pass.

Jim said...

1. Congressmen and women don't get "tenure". There is no such thing. The Congressional pension since the 1980s is pretty much the same as any large corporation. They MUST participate in Social Security and they contribute to their pension. Pension benefits are based on length of time in office and age, just like any corporate retirement program.

2. See number 1. They are already in the Social Security system. It would be unfair to move all their retirement funds out of FERS (Federal Employee Retirement System) and into SS, just like it would be unfair to move your 401(k) into SS.

3. See number 1 and 2. They already do.

4. Fine.

5. Congress already participates in the same health care system as the American people. In fact, PPACA mandates that Congress participate in plans that comply with PPACA.

6. They are subject to all the same laws. Whether they abide by them is another matter.

7. Business, mortgages, car loans, credit cards, bank accounts, annuities? What would be the purpose of such a law? What "contracts" does this useless email-spread crap refer to?

Dad29 said...

and they contribute to their pension

OK. No longer "defined benefits."

Congress already participates in the same health care system

You don't know much if you don't know about the $5.00/visit in-house 'urgent-care' office, Jim.

The rest of your comments are very picky, indeed. Perhaps you should try law instead of banking.

Beer, Bicycles and the VRWC said...

What? Jim's in banking? You mean,one of those eeeevvvvviiiiillll bankers? A 1%-er? Just wait until the #Occupy folks find out about that.

TerryN said...

As an engineer I welcome Jim's comments. Helps me to decide my banking decision's I simply go the other way.

Jim said...

You don't know much if you don't know about the $5.00/visit in-house 'urgent-care' office, Jim.

So they have a low deductible. I pay $20 for urgent care. Big whoop. They also pay about $40 a month for the privilege of using the Capitol medical facility.

The rest of your comments are very picky, indeed.

Many of the criticisms on this blog are "picky".

Deek, I guess you think it really is JUST that simple.

Terry, don't believe I've offered any banking suggestions here, so knock yourself out.

Saint Revolution said...

Jim:

Why don't you cut the crapola.

'Course, if you ARE a banker, you're one of the pickpocket thieves stealing taxpayer billions through TARP, overnight lending, and other "legal" programs "instituted" (read, FORCED) upon American citizenry via illegally collected unapportioned unconstitutional taxes funnelled to our wonderful freemason "f*ckbucks" at your parent The Fed...and then you and them telling the rest of America to, "go to hell", when it comes to lending our own money back to us.

You goddamn thieves.

And don't give me any "double-talk balance sheet bullshit". My IQ and degree count is higher than your banker nose when your "schnoz" is "scraping the cumulus". I know way too many (arrogant) bankers to not know the real score.

When "Congress-Shit-Stones" make $174,000.00/year EACH, PLUS "KING-OF-SIAM" BENEFITS, all from no-checks-and-balances-taxation-without-representation Congress-set remuneration of taxpayer dollars and "spit at us" that they can "relate" to the commom man who is living on an average HOUSEHOLD (not INDIVIDUAL but HOUSEHOLD) income of ~$34,000.00/year, nobody but an "inbred dogshit moron" is going to believe that anyone making sixfold "blood money" "relates" to anyone but themselves and their own self-serving interests.

Cite your sources, you douchebag. You are wrong on every point. Don't hand me some snot you wiped off your sleeve.

Typical banker. Believe the textbooks and training manuals handed to you. Believe the professor. Read the press release that HR puked. Believe anyone and any source NOT in the real fray. Don't have a personality, don't rock the boat, cut your hair, shine your wingtips, shave your face.

Robot automaton clone. Stepford banker and citizen. 1984 O'Brien minion.

You are high. From private doctors to private health clubs to private pensions to private lobbyists to private bribes to "above-the-law" mentalities to "get-out-of-jail-free" passes from LEO, WE THE PEOPLE trust these guys about as much as we trust you bankgsters.

Ask Barney Frank's brothel-running dope-swilling butt-fuck free-pass MaryJanes how "above-board" our CongressCretins are. They love the corruption. It kept them and Barfey out of jail.

Not one thing you wrote is ACTUALLY true. Just like a sloberal libocrat, you take half the TRUTH, chew it, shit it out, and that's what we get as your "facts".

Fart me a real story, skanker...complete with cited sources.

Otherwise, your bullshit is as worthless as your loan applications.

Hey, straighten your tie, bankgster boy. You're making all the tin soldier clones look harried.

Gad, we need to resurrect Joe McCarthy to hunt his own...and all their buddies.

Like you, Jim.

Beer, Bicycles and the VRWC said...

Rev: dude...that's harsh.

True, but harsh.

;-)

Banker and 1%-er Jim talks a good Lefty game, but all the rules are in his favor. He colludes with government to help himself to our wallets, then is self-righteous about how we are SO selfish for wanting to keep the bulk of what we earn.

Now that I know where One-percent Jim comes from, it's a little easier to laugh at his pontifications.

Jim said...

Just curious, Deek. Is the bank teller part of the 0ne-percent? How about the customer service rep, the note clerk, the administrative assistant, the HR rep, the librarian?

Big banks have hundreds of thousands of employees, most of whom come nowhere near the income that would make them a 1%-er.

I work for a bank. I'm not a "banker". I collude with no government.

then is self-righteous about how we are SO selfish for wanting to keep the bulk of what we earn.

I'm self-righteous about nothing. If you are worried about your hard-earned money being taxed more, then YOU must be a 1 percenter. I've heard of no tax plan proposed by democrats that would negatively affect anyone in the "99%". On the other hand, all the plans proposed by the Republican candidates DO raise taxes for most of the people in the 99%.

Beer, Bicycles and the VRWC said...

I'm just calling it like the #OWS folks do. If you work for a bank, you must be a one-percenter. Just sayin'.

Really? Democrats won't tax the 99%? I call bullshit again. People who are truly the 1% have ways of moving their money around that is not available to the rest of us. That revenue will need to be made up someplace, and that someplace is the rest of us. I've seen it plenty of times. The government continues to suck on that tax tit and the Progs like yourself can't avoid sucking right along with it.

The ONLY Constitutional functions of the United States Federal Government are "Common Defense" and "Interstate Commerce". If you had botherd to READ that particular document you would know that.

Jim said...

If you work for a bank, you must be a one-percenter. Just sayin'.

Nobody "sayin'" that besides you.

That revenue will need to be made up someplace

Not according to any Republican I've ever heard.

The ONLY Constitutional functions of the United States Federal Government are "Common Defense" and "Interstate Commerce". If you had botherd to READ that particular document you would know that.

I have read it many times. Including Section 8 - Powers of Congress, which include:

Provide for the common Defense and general Welfare.

regulate commerce with foreign nations.

promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts.

constitute Tribunals inferior to the supreme Court.

If you ever read the Constitution instead of just your inbox, YOU would know that.

Saint Revolution said...

Jim:

Once again, cite your SPECIFIC sources for all your contentions.

Blogging is work, Jim.

'Course, you 9a to 4p two hour lunch types get a rash from work.

Cite your SPECIFIC sources...especially for your 1/07/2012 5:03 PM blog response entry.

Oh, you can't?!

I thought as much...

It's called FACTS and TRUTH, RimJob.

Anonymous said...

St. Revolution, you entire 11:27 p.m. manifesto is sourceless, especially your contention regarding how your "IQ and degree count is higher than your banker nose".

And you have the audacity to infer that Jim is elitist???

Saint Revolution said...

To: AnonyPussy 1/09/2012 9:08 PM

Parliamentary, you ignorant moron.

The burden of proof is first on Jim.

Arguments, then intuitive, to follow.

You don't build a house by TALKING about the basement block you're going to use. You supply the block and then, if it fails to qualify, parliamentary procedure process from there.

Jim inititated the debate. It is first his responsibility to supply supportable FACTS and TRUTH...then my responsibility to supply PROPER REBUTTAL or CROSS.

I am SO SICK of you ignorant stupid 100 IQ'ers...educate yourself you lazy asshole.

Hey, Jethro Bodine: It's not my job to "learn you" what you should have learned in sixth grade social studies or civics class.

Gad, how stupid are you?

Once again, AnonyShit...the complete dumb jackass.

Just get away from me...you waste my time.

Jim said...

Jim inititated [sic] the debate. It is first his responsibility to supply supportable FACTS and TRUTH.

St. DICK: I really hesitate to respond to the santorum you contribute to this blog, but the debate was initiated by Dad who's only source was his email inbox.