in response

I received am inspiring message today from a SIL.

She may be a Big Thinker. Grade A if so, because this got me going:

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1. No Tenure / No Pension.

A Congressman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they are 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 equally abide by all laws they impose on the American people.

7. 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.

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OK, so here's my thing.

Serving as a member of Congress is a strange privilege, one that should be honored, but not be a career. People burn out of good ideas and must be replaced by those who continue to burn with them.

A remuneration for years served should of course be levvied, as those who have served deserve their recognition, but this payout shouldn't be out of proportion to what they've done. MERIT BASED, any one? Just like your teachers?

Those who call themselves bold enough to politic on the public's behalf should also be bold enough to declare they are of the public are not afraid of being part of them again once their term is over. That is, 'I was a politician, and now I am again a plumber.' There's no shame in that. Plumbers are, if not more worthy than, then at least as worthy as, our best politico.

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And that's it.

I abhor politics. I enjoy politicoes, no matte what stripe, as they are globally amusing and engaging with their diatribe and enthusiasms.

Tiff out.