I don't do chain letters or even know if this is legitamate - but read it and see what you think:
Warren Buffett, in a recent interview with CNBC, offers one of the best
quotes about the debt ceiling:
"I could end the deficit in 5 minutes," he told CNBC. "You just pass a law
that says that anytime there is a deficit of more than 3% of GDP, all
sitting members of Congress are ineligible for re-election. The 26th
amendment (granting the right to vote for 18 year-olds) took only 3 months
& 8 days to be ratified! Why? Simple! The people demanded it. That was in
1971...before computers, e-mail, cell phones, etc. Of the 27 amendments to
the Constitution, seven (7) took 1 year or less to become the law of the
land...all because of public pressure.
Warren Buffet is asking each addressee to forward this email to a minimum of
twenty people on their address list; in turn ask each of those to do
likewise.
In three days, most people in The United States of America will have the
message. This is one idea that really should be passed around.
*Congressional Reform Act of 2011*
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.
If each person contacts a minimum of twenty people then it will only take
three days for most people (in the U.S.) to receive the message. Maybe it is
time.
THIS IS HOW YOU FIX CONGRESS!!!!! If you agree with the above, pass it on.
If not, just delete.
.
Works for me - I'm not sending this on however... BTW - if we really wanted to overturn Rowe V. Wade, or better yet - outlaw abortion all together - why haven't we done so? It has been 40 years that abortion on demand has been legal in this country - with millions spent to campaign against it. What up with that Padre?
.
What do I know? Absolutely nothing. Wake me when it's over.
The very idea that Warren Buffett would send out a chain letter should raise suspicion.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.snopes.com/politics/medical/28thamendment.asp
http://www.andrewtobias.com/bkoldcolumns/111018.html
Yeah, seems like a silly chain mail.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I do like some of the ideas in there. Congress was designed to be made up of citizen-legislators, not career politicians.
I'd also like to see a repeal of the 17th Amendment, which allowed for the direct election of senators. That defeats the purpose of having a Senate in the first place - today they are nothing more than super-powerful representatives, but the were originally intended to represent the interests of the states over and against the interests of Washington - another check and balance.
I like how New Hampshire does it - state congressmen get $200 for their services, meaning the members either work, are retired from working, or have a spouse who works. Then again, that makes it hard for poor guys to get elected (but I guess there's no law against receiving welfare while in congress - and it'd be a good reason!).
I also like the idea of forcing Congress to participate in Social Security rather than the cushy retirement plans they have.
Their pension system is also messed up - correct me if I am wrong, but if I am a Congressman and serve 5 terms (10 years), I get a lifetime pension? That, on top of whatever other work I do, which will be handed to me because I was a Congressman? Seems odd.
My dad, who generally knows what he's talking about when it comes to politicians (having been on all sides as a lobbyist, civil servant, and then small-time politician himself) has often opined that a lot would change in politics at the national level if their pension and compensation plans were more like those of the rest of us. Warren Buffet probably didn't propose it, but that doesn't mean it's not mostly a good idea.
ReplyDeleteI'll get right on it. If only I could remember my email pass code.
ReplyDeleteUpdate: I just logged in.
Sue