Here is what The People need to demand in terms of a Congressional Reform Act:
- Any time there is a deficit of more than 3% of the GDP, all current members of Congress are ineligible for re-election.
- Term Limits. 12 years only, one of these possible options:
- Two Six-year Senate terms.
- Six Two-year House terms.
- One Six-year Senate term and three Two-Year House terms
- No Tenure / No Pension. A Congressman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when out of office.
- 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.
- Congress can purchase their own retirement plan, just as all Americans do.
- Congress will no longer vote itself a pay raise. Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%.
- Members of Congress cannot personally receive farm subsidies.
- Congress loses its current health care system and participates in the same health care system as the American people, currently the Affordable Care Act.
- Congress must equally abide by all laws it imposes on the American people.
- All contracts with past and present Congressmen are void effective immediately.
This makes sense to me.
The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, so ours should serve their terms, then go home to their farms and shops and back to work, just like all the rest of us.
It’s too easy for Ted Cruz to try to do away with my healthcare system if his own healthcare is not affected. It’s easy to vote for Boehner to privatize the Social Security System if his own retirement is not affected by the outcome. It’s too easy for him to shut down the government and hurt millions of people if gerrymandered districts ensure his re-election.
The People of the United States can make this happen if they simply demand it. And now is the time to demand it.