Government Reform

            Congressional Reform Act of 2010

The Congress of the United States has seen fit to impose term limits on the office of President, yet they feel that they are more important and should be entitled to remain in office for life. Congress also feels that they do not have to abide by the same laws as the people that they impose them on. Isn't it time that the American citizens take back their country and re-establish a government of the people, for the people, as was originally laid out in the Constitution?

Here are some simple suggestions that would go a long way towards making that happen.

 

1. Term Limits - Maximum of 12 years in Federal Office

•    A. Two Six-year Senate terms
•    B. Six Two-year House terms
•    C. One Six-year Senate term and three Two-Year House terms

2.  No Tenure / No Pension 

• Elected Federal officials shall only be paid for their time in office, they can not retire from that position.
• There shall be no "grandfather" clause for those officials currently serving. If they have reached the limits of their terms, their seat shall be vacated and placed on the ballot of the next general election.

3.  Congress (past, present & future) participates in the same Social Security program as the American public..

• 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.
• Congressional withholding is calculated exactly the same as the general public.

4. Congress may purchase or invest their own private retirement plans, exactly as the American public is allowed to.

5. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Any annual Congressional pay raise will be based solely on the lower of CPI or 3%.

6. Congress shall immediately disband their current health care system and participate in the same health care system as the American people.

7. Congress may not impose any laws on the American people from which they deem themselves exempt.

8. All contracts with past and present Congressmen are void effective 1/1/11. 

• The American people did not make this contract with Congressmen.
• Congressmen made all these contracts for themselves. 

9. Election and campaign finance reform.

• All elections and campaigns shall be funded by the government. Private donations shall go into the election fund.
• All candidates for office must declare their intent to run by a date specified by the Board of Elections.
• Once there is an established pool of candidates for each office, the Board of Elections shall distribute equal funding to those qualified candidates. This is the only funding allowed to be used for campaign and election expenses. When the funds are exhausted, there shall be no further donations or contributions allowed. In the event one or more candidates withdraw from the election, their unused campaign funds must be returned to the election fund for future elections. (The unspent funds will not be given to the remaining candidates.)

Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career.  The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, that would serve their term(s), return home when their elected term was complete and resume their normal life's work.