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How would you clean up Congress?
Let's pretend for a moment that your Congressional Rep. decides to clean up Congress and they employ you to clean it up. The proposals you make they will follow, you can do anything but be partisan.
Or if it works better for you, think this way you are running for Congress and someone asks you how would you clean up Congress to win back the people's trust?
So have at it.
I choose the latter it is easier for me, as I have had and still may in the future have political ambitions.
What I would do is limit the payroll of congressmen equal to the median household income of their district, I would eliminate all unnecessary perks and cut staff to a bare minimum. Congressmen would have to hold "townhall meetings" monthly in their districts, and answer the people's questions.
So if I ran, my promise would be like this:
My district's families live on $30,000 a year. I will only make $30,000 a year and pay for my own utilities and all else unless such expense can be proven to be official business helping my constituency. Any pay over that amount, half (if I aran again) would go into a reelection fund (with no interest), the other half to charities that help my district.
I would refuse ANY private meetings with lobbyists.
My campaign would be funded solely by said reelection fund, fundraisers such as picnics, dances etc. ALL would be open to the public and all would be free to attend or anonymous donations of less than $500. Anyone trying to pay more, will be refused.
My staff would be limited and I would attend all floor and my committee meetings.
Now let's look at what these mean:
Monthly townhall meetings: Allows me to understand how and why my district would want me to represent them on issues. I would not be going by "party line", I would be doing the job the people elected me to do, which is be their voice. I may not even agree with some of the votings but I am there to represent the people, not my own personal agendas.
I would have my own stances, and debate them with the people, I would also let them know all the facts that I would have and could discuss publicly, (ex. of info I would have to withhold: national security or a contract that would make a stock raise or lower, etc.) but would yield to the majority.
If I make and live on what the median income of my district is, then I am going to work hard to find ways to improve that income, so that I may have a raise.
By not accepting any private meetings or monies from lobbyists, I am not beholden to them, just to the people who elected me.
The public fundraisers would show I am answerable and available to ALL constituents, not just my party or those who pay exorbitant plate fees at dinners.
You want to clean up Congress, make them answerable to the people of their districts.
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I just love people who use the excuse "I use/do this because I LOVE the feeling/joy/happiness it brings me" and expect you to be ok with that as you watch them destroy their life blindly following. My response is, "I like to put forks in an eletrical socket, just LOVE that feeling, can't ever get enough of it, so will you let me put this copper fork in that electric socket?"
Last edited by pan6467; 12-18-2005 at 09:36 PM..
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