Congressional Reform Act of 2011 - - it'll never happen

Over the past three or four weeks, I’ve received the same e-mail –from different people - about “how to fix congress”, or, as the e-mail puts it, the call for a Congressional Reform Act. Perhaps you, too, have received this same e-mail.

Here’s how that e-mail goes. (While I agree with all that’s said, I seriously doubt we’ll see this happen.)

Congressional Reform Act of 2011

It is time. If you agree, send it to 20 people good and true. If you disagree, please delete it. Thanks.

The 26th amendment (granting the right to vote for 18 year-olds) took only 3 months & 8 days to be ratified!

Why? Simple! The people demanded it. That was in 1971...before computers, before e-mail, before cell phones, etc.

Of the 27 amendments to the Constitution, seven (7) took 1 year or less to become the law of the land...all because of public pressure..

I'm asking each addressee to forward this email to a minimum of twenty people on their address list; in turn ask each of those to do likewise.

In three days, most people in The United States of America will have the message. This is one idea that really should be passed around.

Congressional Reform Act of 2011

1. Term Limits.

12 years only, one of the possible options below.

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.

A Congressman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they are out of office.

3. 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.

4. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan, just as all Americans do.

5. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%.

6. Congress loses their current health care system and participates in the same health care system as the American people.

7. Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the American people.

8. All contracts with past and present Congressmen are void effective 1/1/12.

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

Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, so ours should serve their term(s), then go home and back to work.

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. Maybe it is time.

THIS IS HOW YOU FIX CONGRESS!!!!!

If you agree with the above, pass it on. If not, just delete.

AND, NOW FOR A BIT OF BREAKING NEWS.....

Now that he's resigned from Congress, Anthony Weiner - our favorite weiner - has agreed to sign on with Twitter as its lead-trainer for technically challenged twitterers. His reported Twitter salary, benefits and stock options package is 12x more than he made as a U.S. Congressman. Not bad for a twit (or, was that a tweet?)