Elected members of Congress will have the privilege of having (2) four to six year terms.
Salary for members of Congress shall work as follows:
House of Representstives will receive the median average salary for the state they represent. ( Texas would be $53,000 annually)
Senate members would receive the national annual salary for the US. (For 2024 = $64,000)
After two terms, members would be eligible for limited healthcare for remainder of their life. I believe Medicare or a similar plan would suffice.
This would push for people that cared about their state/nation to run and get as much done as possible, instead of lifelong bureaucrats that achieve nothing except making themselves rich.
THEY SHOULD NOT HAVE A SPECIAL RETIREMENT FUND OTHERS CANâT EASILY GET!
THEY SHOULD NOT GET PERSONAL EXPENSES COVERED
THEY SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO DO INSIDER TRADING!
THEY SHOULD NOT GET COST OF LIVING INCREASES! If they did their job, inflation would be ZERO!
They get TONS of other perks, so they shouldnât care about these, but these will lower a lot of costs and increase fairness. AND, if they destroy the economy or the social security fund, THEY will get to suffer WITH US!
I agree there should be term and salary limits. It should be designed like the working class. I donât mind if the have the same type of 401k options as the rest of us do and healthcare during their service, as we all need care during their term. Just as said by others, not the cadillac of services, but like the average Joe. They are doing a job, there should be some benefits, nothing more than other companies. Once Iâm done at my employer at working age, I no longer receive benefits as Iâm not longer employed by them.
I would argue the pay should be maintained. But term limits for sure.
12 years seems like a good amount of time for people to leave their mark. Two 6 year terms as a senator, and/or six 2 year terms as a representative, and/or three 4 year terms as a President. In total, 36 yrs is the maximum you can be in Congress. So if you get out of the military at 40 youâd be done around 80. But it would be dependant on when you start your life in politics.
When I see or hear people proposing this issue, i shake my head. I donât disagree that it should happen, but it canât. The very people that you want to put caps and limits on, are the people that would have to vote on it to make it law. Think about it. If someone told you your salary is too big, would you voluntarily go to your boss and ask for less money?
The better path is to reverse the 17th amendment. That would put the Senate back under the control of the state legislatures and right the checks and balances system. Our government should represent 3 parties of interest. The House represents the people, The Executive represents the Union and the Senate is supposed to represent the state governments. We have given representation of 2 branches to the people, which are the most easily manipulated
There hasnt been a federal convention sense the original, but there has been over 200 on the state level.
There hadnât been a unified effort for change, and if a political organization (political party) controls the local governments and the federal government, then the Several States will not convien on a unified goal/issue. Because, itâs in the interest of these political organizers to allow democratic processes to fall through and fail.
The best way to get one of these going is through petitions and ultimatums to your local governments in order to direct your representation.
Political Parties. Your governer, state representatives, and state senators would have to align with state interests rather than the agendasbof their political parties.
Everything needs done on the local/state level before anything can take place/gain movement federally.
Secondly, getting unanimous support for a certain set of issues, in order to convene the entirety of the government. Which in it self is a national security risk.
So, how would you move enough state legislatures to agree on this? Since the Civil War we have become a nationalist society. Prior to that we were statesmen. The states had autonomy and sovereignty. As an example of how we thought, the main reason Robert E. Lee resigned his position and went to the Confederacy was because Virginia was calling him home.
Reversing the 17th amendment would bring the voices of the state legislatures back into our government, which in turn would drive special interest groups away from the Senators and reduce big party/uniparty interests.
Education. If more people mew the local power they held, life would be different.
Also, I harshly disagree with the total repeal of the 17th Amendment. Senators used to be appointed by the States, now itâs a general election.
The Senate, as with the House, needs term limits, limits on the reach and organization of political parties, maybe primaries for special event elections.
Thereâs some links above in this thread that I posted about these limits.
The reason Congress isnt aligned with the States is because they arenât apportioned, they set their own wages, and they have political party allegiance. We are dangerously close to having to resestablish our Republic and Constitution through a 2nd Continental Congress by State Governers and county governments.
We do not need anyone living in DC. They need to live in their districts, we will not be responsible for their security nor will we pay their transportation costs. If they want security services they need to provide their own.
Lets have a national referrendum placed on every ballot in every state (like a presidential vote) for term limits for both Senators and House of Representatives. A second referrendum could be for the imposition of mandatory random drug and alcohol testing as well as random mental fitness testing for individuals that work in our federal government. (Mandatory random employee testing)
Eliminate Retirement packages for congress as well, our government can only work properly with those who Make laws having to live with those laws after their terms. Our Gov was to be one of a citizen politician, not Career politicians who cannot grasp real life as they never have to live it.