Friday, May 31, 2013

Letter to the Editor: A Proposal to Improve Congressional Responsibility

Below is a letter to the Editor by Middletown Republican Town Committee chairman Ken McClellan.. Opinions are that of the author and do not necessarily reflect that of Insider Staff.  
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Congressional Reform Act of 2013
A Proposal to improve congressional responsibility

1. Congress, as a body and as employees of the United States, must abide by all laws they enact.

2. No Pension. A Congressman/woman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they're out of office.

3. Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social Security. All funds currently in the Congressional retirement fund move to the Social Security system immediately. Retired congresspersons will be credited with SS contributions commensurate with their salary, and receive payments on the scale based on those payments. Congresspersons will pay into Social Security system. Social Security funds may not be used to purchase government securities. This will save taxpayer money and force congresspersons to think about the long-term viability of Social Security.

4. Congresspersons can choose to participate in 401k plans or purchase their own retirement plan (IRA).

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

6. Congress participates in a health care insurance plans as the American people. They can elect to purchase private insurance or join an exchange set up under the Affordable Care Act. Any care provided in a government medical facility or by government employees (including military health care providers) will be billed, and paid for by the congressperson and their insurance plan.

7. All contracts with past and present Congressmen/women are void effective 12/31/13. The American people did not make this contract with Congressmen/women. Congressmen/women made all these contracts for themselves. It’s time to stop that practice.

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.


Ken McClellan,
Middletown, CT

4 comments:

  1. If we follow your suggestions we might actually have representatives in office who are there to serve their bosses (the people they represent) instead of their own self-interests. Would those in power allow it? It is up to us, the voters, to determine who reprepesents us in Hartford and in Washington. Good to read the political discourse in a CT paper.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sir as retired military, you must be aware that since January 1, 1984 all new elected federal officials are covered under the Federal Employee Retirement System (FERS). They pay FICA, have a 401K and a much more conservative defined benefit pension plan than those elected before 1984. The Federal government has actually fixed their pension system somewhat.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Want to fix congress?

    Repeal the 17th Amendment and return Federalism; return the vertical structure of power to the People. For round numbers sake...$3.5 trillion budget/350 million people = $10,000/every man, woman and child. Imagine if the US Senator sent this bill home on Dec. 31st due and payable on April 15. A family of 4 would owe $40,000. How long do you think your state legislator and and US Senators would stay in office if this was actually to happen?

    We have momentum on our side. No tax on the fruits of our labor. www.fairtax.org. Crony-capitalism, pandering for votes through corporate welfare and social welfare programs ends. No more favorites and coercive enforcement of laws of men vs. the Rule of Law. The repeal the 16th Amendment will fall into place.

    Return to a sound currency to avoid the manipulation of the Federal Reserve.

    Uphold the whole 2nd Amendment. Read Edwin Vieira's 'The Sword and Sovereignty' to understand the full protection of the individual when exercised in it's entirety.

    Dismantling of every agency not authorized by the people as per Art I, Sec 8. Once the IRS is out of the picture Congress can focus on this project.

    Including the US DOEducation

    Full authentic education of our children managed at the local level teaching civics with deep understanding of our US Constitution so we can return to a better quality of representation at all levels of governance, starting with themselves.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Want to fix congress?

    Repeal the 17th Amendment and return Federalism; return the vertical structure of power to the People. For round numbers sake...$3.5 trillion budget/350 million people = $10,000/every man, woman and child. Imagine if the US Senator sent this bill home on Dec. 31st due and payable on April 15. A family of 4 would owe $40,000. How long do you think your state legislator and and US Senators would stay in office if this was actually to happen?

    We have momentum on our side. No tax on the fruits of our labor. www.fairtax.org. Crony-capitalism, pandering for votes through corporate welfare and social welfare programs ends. No more favorites and coercive enforcement of laws of men vs. the Rule of Law. The repeal the 16th Amendment will fall into place.

    Return to a sound currency to avoid the manipulation of the Federal Reserve.

    Uphold the whole 2nd Amendment. Read Edwin Vieira's 'The Sword and Sovereignty' to understand the full protection of the individual when exercised in it's entirety.

    Dismantling of every agency not authorized by the people as per Art I, Sec 8. Once the IRS is out of the picture Congress can focus on this project.

    Including the US DOEducation

    Full authentic education of our children managed at the local level teaching civics with deep understanding of our US Constitution so we can return to a better quality of representation at all levels of governance, starting with themselves.

    ReplyDelete

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