Would you support this as a constitutional amendment?

Discussion in 'Political Opinions & Beliefs' started by Daggdag, Apr 6, 2020.

  1. Daggdag

    Daggdag Well-Known Member

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    If at any time the government is shut down because of a failure by Congress to pass a budget, no member of Congress shall be paid a salary or receive any benefits of their position until such time as a bat budget is passed and they shut down ends. Do shall include housing, travel and all other allowances .
     
  2. Facts-602

    Facts-602 Banned

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    I can get on board with that.
     
  3. Levant

    Levant Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Great idea. Let's change it so that they must pass an annual budget prior to October 1 each year or they're cut off completely on October 1. Not just a budget but an on-time budget.
     
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  4. Texan

    Texan Well-Known Member

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    Be sure to include Congressional term limits.
     
  5. Surfer Joe

    Surfer Joe Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Waste of time. Most of them make more money from lobbyists and speeches than from their government job and they are mostly millionaires, so they can afford to be intransigent. But don't forget to include the potus and vp and the rest of the gang in your little scheme if you want to play fair.
     
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  6. Surfer Joe

    Surfer Joe Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    And stop the revolving door cronyism between government and lobbying and consulting. And bring back the draft for good measure for men and women.
     
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  7. Oh Yeah

    Oh Yeah Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Seeing Trump donates all his salary to charity that might be biting the nose to spite the face. A better measure would be to cut off any monies to the Kennedy Center for the performing Arts, the Smithsonian and National Endowment for the Arts and Humanities and Planned Parenthood.
     
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  8. Tim15856

    Tim15856 Well-Known Member

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    Their congressional salary is pocket change to most of them. There is no quick fix for our government at any level.
     
  9. garyd

    garyd Well-Known Member

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    Expand it to include the president and you're on. However the side effect may be that you give the leadership on both sides a lot more power over the rookies who are not generally as financially secure.
     
    Last edited: Apr 7, 2020
  10. Texan

    Texan Well-Known Member

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    It's amazing that so many people from opposite sides of the aisle can agree on this, yet nothing is ever done. We should agree on an Article 5 Convention and both sides agree to not cloud the Convention with side issues.
     
    Last edited: Apr 7, 2020
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  11. Swensson

    Swensson Devil's advocate

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    As someone else mentioned, I reckon it's not uncommon for congresspeople to have enough money to not bother with that.

    Interestingly, this means rich congresspeople can hold the salaries of their opponents hostage, and force their ideas through while congress people who live on their salaries have to compromise.
     
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  12. Dayton3

    Dayton3 Well-Known Member

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    Not a chance. The whole idea is ridiculous. It assumes that their congressional salary is a key motivator for members of Congress. In reality, most of them would be paid more in the private sector.

    Remember that Walmart District Managers make more money than most members of Congress.
     
  13. God & Country

    God & Country Well-Known Member

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    I'm inclined to agree on the waste of time thing, after all it's congress's job to vote on such matters. There should be some restrictions on how much extra money a member of congress is allowed while in office. Lobbying should be prohibited. The president and vice president should not be involved in any other enterprise while in office. Congress, even in the days of Adams and Jefferson was a venue for wheeling and dealing but it has evolved into what the president has described as a swamp and no doubt applies equally to both parties. We can do better but we won't as long as they keep us divided.
     
  14. ECA

    ECA Well-Known Member

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    Forget the salary idea. Term limits, term limits, term limits
     
  15. Dayton3

    Dayton3 Well-Known Member

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    Very bad idea, very bad idea, very bad idea.

    You make it impossible for members of congress to gain experience then you basically transfer huge amounts of power to unelected bureaucrats and lobbyists.
     
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  16. btthegreat

    btthegreat Well-Known Member

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    We are picking the most divisive, hyperpartisan and fringe grandstanding candidates from the base of each party in the primaries and vote out the moderates, centrists and the compromisers who actually excel at sitting down and hashing out a bill and then we blame them for not doing what the base of each party dictates they not do. Grandstanders, hyberpartisans and obstructionists are the politicians that CNN MSNBC and Fox likes to interview, because they make great tv with partisan talking points and predictably enough we hand over the keys to the castle time after time.

    We like to demand results and punish those who vote for them because they were not pure enough to on party base litmus tests.
     
    Last edited: Apr 7, 2020
  17. btthegreat

    btthegreat Well-Known Member

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    When all the lobbyists have 20 years of experience and know the details of the statutes and why they were constructed the way they were, and the legislators have to depend on someone with 8 years of experience as the 'institutional memory of the House' we are in big trouble. By the way, who do you think is more desperate for re election dollars in their campaign kitty from a few super well heeled private corporate interests, the guy who just got elected 4 years ago, or the one who has hung around long enough to be able to dilute his need with broader reach, more name familiarity and more connections to the party?

    Honestly the 20 veteran can afford to piss off one or two specific donors or special interests groups representing one or two industries and refuse that check, because he has broader connections outside any one group, industry or corporation, but the guy who just got in last term cannot.


    Term limits are stupid.
     
    Last edited: Apr 7, 2020
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  18. pol meister

    pol meister Well-Known Member

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    I agree, a two term limit already exists for the president, it should exist for representatives and senators as well.
     
  19. Seth Bullock

    Seth Bullock Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Not a "quick" fix, but term limits would be good.
     
  20. RodB

    RodB Well-Known Member Donor

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    I like the sentiment, but no. I think such an amendment would be misguided and replete with all kinds if unintended consequences. However I agree with Texan about term limits.
     
  21. pol meister

    pol meister Well-Known Member

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    Most politicians use "experience" to enrich themselves. We need to refresh the congressional chambers often, and we can best do that with term limits.
     
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  22. Seth Bullock

    Seth Bullock Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Experience at what? Pontificating? Avoiding responsibility? Shmoozing with lobbyists and big donors?

    Members of Congress don't really work. The real work of crafting laws is done by staffers and lawyers.

    Many of the members of this board know as much or more about the issues than the average member of Congress. And it doesn't take "experience" to properly represent your constituents.

    Term limits would take away the motivation to sell your soul to the highest bidder because after your term was up, you'd be out. The motivation would be to actually accomplish something.
     
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  23. Sanskrit

    Sanskrit Well-Known Member

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    Draconian term limits and prohibitions against private sector and especially MEDIA crossover after X years of service is what is needed... and well into the middle grade of government service, not just Congress. The salary of politicians and elite bureaucrats is a total red herring designed to fool rubes. They make most of their unearned $$ via GRAFT.

    2 Senate terms, 4 Congress terms, 20-30 yr caps on federal judges, 15 yr caps on agency employees past a certain grade, moratorium of media/contractor/grantee crossovers permanently. No you can't be the top executive of this agency while having your wife as a high ranking media executive or lobbyist. That this last BS especially hasn't been curtailed yet is criminal.
     
    Last edited: Apr 7, 2020
  24. Kranes56

    Kranes56 Banned

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    While some representatives are rich, there are also some who are poor and can't afford to stay in Washington. What then? Are we really saying that we want our representatives so poor that they need to turn to outside funding to have a roof over their heads?
     
  25. Seth Bullock

    Seth Bullock Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Honestly, I have thought that members of Congress ought to be taken care of and compensated similarly to a mid-level military officer. I think they should be housed in officer quarters on a nearby base like Fort Belvoir which is close to D.C. Officer quarters are quite nice. Members of Congress would be given a car to drive, a clothing allowance, PX privileges, free medical for themselves and their families, kids could go to school on base, etc. A major in the military makes about $86,000/year. That amount ought to suffice adequately what with all of the other freebies.
     

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