A List of Legislative Suggestions

Submitted by Preston Carter aka pjc812 at My Pipes Community.

On Compensation:

• For every dollar that is spent beyond what is taken in, that money shall be deducted from Congress and the President’s pay until the deficit is covered.

• No benefits shall be granted to a congressman after their tenure. These are temporary positions and shall be treated as such.

• The President’s compensation after leaving office will be 1/4th the amount received while performing his duties.

• All salaries shall be taxable. The President’s salary shall be taxable at a rate of 60%. The President has no real personal expenses while in office so this shouldn’t be a problem.

• Any Congressman’s salary shall be taxable at a rate no less than 50% more than the top marginal rate for all private citizens.

• If the Congressman’s or President’s personal net worth is in excess of what they expect to receive in compensation (gross) during their tenure, their compensation shall be a net value of $0.00. These are public servant positions and should not be considered for profit.

• Health insurance shall not be provided to the Congress. As stated in item no. 2, a Congressman’s tenure should be considered a temporary position and as such no full time benefits are required.

• If Congress and the President insist – against the will of the people – to provide a public option for health insurance, Congress and the President will be required to participate in this public option with the same rules and restrictions extended to the public. This will ensure equal treatment for all American people regardless of their political position.

• No compensation shall be provided to a Congressman on vacation. As stated in item no. 2, these are temporary positions.

• A Congressman’s job is to write legislation and vote on said legislation. If the Congressman does not see fit to show up for their job and vote on legislation, they shall have an amount no less than $5000 deducted from their annual NET salary.

• The President and the Congress shall be required to fully disclose their personal wealth to the American People on an annual basis. No “off shore” accounts or “Trust Funds” will be allowed to hide net worth and avoid paying applicable taxes. It is hypocritical to expect the American People to provide a full disclosure every year without the Congress and the President doing the same.

• If the President, a Congressman or a nominee of the President is found to have errors on their tax returns, they shall immediately be disqualified from holding any Federal position and compelled to pay all applicable back taxes with fees and interest.

On Term Limits and Eligibility

• Each Senator shall only be eligible for one term, retroactive. Each standing senator shall mandatory step down following the expiration of their current term in office. Each Representative shall be eligible for three terms, retroactive. Each representative shall mandatory step down following the expiration of their 3rd term in office. As stated in item 2 of the paragraph titled “On Compensation”, these are temporary positions and we have some Congressman getting too comfortable and too out of touch with reality.

• No person currently holding an elected office shall run for President of the United States.

• No person currently holding elected office shall run for Congress. Do your job; don’t shirk your duties while you’re trying for a better job.

• Each Federal Judge shall have a 6 year term limit, retroactive. This will keep the courts fresh and the judges in touch with reality.

• No private contributions will be allowed for any Presidential candidate. Only public money will be permitted.

• A Candidate for President of the United States must have served for at least 10 years in the Armed Forces. As Commander in Chief of the US Armed Forces, he should be expected to be familiar with Military protocol, methods and procedures.

On Self Defense

• If a Congressman votes to diminish 2nd amendment rights (or “Gun Control” as they like to call it), that Congressman shall be required to forgo any sort of personal protection or secret service protection. Lead by example, not by fiat.

• If the President signs any legislation restricting gun owner rights, the President too shall lead by example and forgo armed protection.

• The Congress shall ratify no Treaty with the United Nations restricting American 2nd Amendment rights.

• While we’re on the subject, the Congress shall ratify no further UN treaties. They only thing they have accomplished is to cost the American People billions of dollars and undermine our security.

On Transportation

• No Congressman shall be allowed the use of a private jet. Since Congress finds it so despicable that the CEO of a failing company should fly on a private jet, Congress too should provide their own transportation. After all, if a pupil were given Congress’ recent approval rating as a grade, they would be expelled from school due to poor performance. This is no better than an executive of a failing company spending millions of dollars on a luxury.

• Additionally, each member of Congress shall be required to fly Coach Class when air travel is necessary. We are trying to save money from the Federal Budget, and unnecessary luxuries should be avoided at all costs.

• No Congressman shall have the use of taxpayer funded motor transportation. Each vehicle purchased by a Congressman shall be from an American based company and receive no less than the minimum MPG required by the EPA on compact cars

• Every vehicle in the Congressman’s motorcade shall be bought and paid for by the Congressman, not the American tax payer. No Sport Utility Vehicles shall be allowed in the Congressman’s motorcade.

On Government Foreign Aid

• Any foreign country with a despotic or totalitarian regime shall be immediately cut off from any and all government foreign aid. Private Charities may still give aid.

• Any foreign country with known political corruption among its nation’s leaders shall be immediately cut off from any and all government foreign aid. Private Charities may still give aid.

• The US shall immediately withdraw from the United Nations. Our relationship with the United Nations has not helped us in any real way except to tie our hands with respect to how we want to live and our own national security.

Last Notes

• Once the budget has been balanced, we pay down foreign debt.

• Once our debt has been paid off, cut all trade ties with China. We do not need to be enslaved to a Communist country.

• Finally, if indeed the Constitution is a living and breathing document as some insist, then these changes are all possible and no argument of Unconstitutionality is valid. The only reason any member of Congress would object to any of these terms is for reasons of Personal Gain, and should therefore be disqualified from service.

These are just a few domestic policies I think would help the cause, maybe balance our budget and get the government working for the people again, not the other way around.