Proposed Congressional Reform Act of 2012

Warren Buffett, in a recent interview with CNBC, offers one of the best quotes about the debt ceiling:

"I could end the deficit in 5 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 for 18 year took only three months & eight days to be ratified!  Why?   Simple!   The people demanded it. That was in 1971 - before computers, e-mail, cell phones, etc.

Of the twenty-seven amendments to the Constitution, seven (7) took one (1) year or less to become the law of the land - all because of public pressure.

Proposed ‘Congressional Reform Act of 2012’              

1.     No Tenure / No Pension.  A Congressman/woman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they're 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.

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 12/1/12.  The American people did not make this contract with Congressmen/women.

Congress made all these self-serving contracts for themselves.   Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career.  The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, so ours should serve their elected term(s), then go home and back to work.

THIS IS HOW YOU FIX CONGRESS!  Don't you think it's past time? 

If each person contacts a minimum of twenty people then it will only take three days for most people (in the U.S.) to receive the message. 

If you agree, bring this post to the attention of others.   If not, leave a comment explaining your ideas on how to fix our congressional problems.  Please keep it going, and thanks.