Considering Congress

Our Congress, particularly the House, was meant to be of the citizens and not a palace of elected rulers there for life plotting against the people and taking their money with abandon.

The following is a sampling of Federal salaries that we think strongly indicate where some changes should be made, especially when we realize the elected ruling class can trade stock on insider information and not suffer the Federal penalties as did Martha Stewart for one violation with no prior convictions!

Pension of retired US Presidents . . . . . . . . . . . . $180,000 for life.

Salary of House/Senate members . . . . . . . . . $174,000 for life even if they only serve one term!

Salary of Speaker of the House . . . . . . . . . . . . $223,500 for life.

Salary of Majority and Minority Leaders . . . . . . . $193,400 for life.

Average Salary of a teacher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $40,065

Average Salary of a deployed Soldier . . . . . . . . $38,000

Warren Buffett, in a recent interview with CNBC, offered this idea with regard to the debt ceiling: "I could end the deficit in five minutes, "he told CNBC." 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".

The 26th Amendment, granting the right to vote to 18 years olds, took only three months and eight days to be ratified!  Why?  The people demanded it. And, that was in 1971, before computers, e-mail or cell phones.

Of the 27 amendments to the Constitution, seven took one year or less to become the law of the land and all because of public pressure. Thus we propose:

Congressional Reform Act of 2017

1. No Tenure / No Pension. A Congressman / woman collects a salary while in office and receive no pay when they're out of office as they can well afford a private plan and accept Social Security like all citizens have to.

2. Congress participates in Social Security so let them improve it if they do not like it.  It would yield many times what it does today if the money were put into banks at interest or several times that if it were put into high quality equities, stocks and bonds, as is done in Chili and the public employee retirement system of Galveston, Texas.

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. The fund 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 be permitted to vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay will rise by the CPI.

5. Congress loses their current health care system and participates in the same health care system as the American people.

6. Congress must abide by all laws they impose on the American people.

7. All contracts with past and present Congressmen/women
are void effective 3/1/17. The American people did not make
this contract with Congressmen/women.

Congress 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 one term, then go home and go back to work like the rest of us.  A one-term limit would guarantee we had a House sympathetic to the people.

Adrian Vance

Note:  This was developed from a piece contributed by John Dusek.