Recently the Record-Bee published my letter, which bemoaned the fact that I thought my vote sending representatives to the Congress in Washington was an exercise in futility and that there was something radically wrong with the way the country”s business is conducted there and that we had to find a way to ensure that the people”s business and only the people”s was conducted there.
Not the business that caters to a special interest whether it be the interest of those employing lobbyist or catering to a special way of life to those serving as our representatives.
Sadly, I see the “business of the people, for the people” overshadowed by this special way of life and the now all too familiar way of career ensuring party politics and posturing; party principle first instead of the U.S. and it”s citizens principles and needs first.
The Congressional way of life in Washington should reflect the life of those who elect and send representatives to Washington and pay their salaries to conduct the “business of the people, for the people.”
How? Support an amendment to the Constitution in the form of the “Congressional Reform Act of 2011,” which states;
1. No tenure/no pension
A Congress member collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they are out of office.
2. Those in Congress (past, present and future) participate in Social Security. All funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the Social Security fund 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. Congressional members can purchase their own retirement plan, just as all working Americans do.
4. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3 percent.
5. Congress loses its special current health care plan and participate in the same health care programs that are available to the American People and paid for in the same manner.
6. Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the American people.
7. All contracts with past and present Congressmembers are void effective Jan. 1, 2012. The American people did not make this contract with Congressmembers. Congress persons made all these contracts for themselves.
Serving in Congress is a honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, so ours should serve their term then go home and back to work with the rest of us.
In 1971 the 27th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution that gave 18-year-olds the right to vote took only three months and eight days to become ratified and it took only one year for seven of the 27 amendments to become the law of the land. Why? Because we the people demanded it. Are we/you ready to fix the mess in Congressional Washington?
Ray Farrow
Kelseyville
