Why Congress Sucks!

Congress sucks! And 82% of Americans agree. But today on #OffTheGrid, we get to hear why from the horses' mouths. Members of the Senate and House gave their "expert" opinions on what's wrong with their places of employment. And of course, I have my own ideas about how I'd clean House and Senate! What are your ideas?

1: Remove all congress members who have received financial donations from corporations for their campaigns
2: Institute a "congress draft". All non-felon American citizens are eligible for this draft. If you are drafted, you are allowed to decline. Each congressional seat will have 5 potential candidates from this draft, chosen by the area they live in. Citizens in these areas will vote on which draftee is eventually selected. The chosen draftee is appointed to the congressional seat, and paid standard congressional income.
3: Limit congressional appointments to 1 term per lifetime
4: Any allegations of abuse of power (which will expand to include gifts from any company) will be investigated.
5: Remove all lobbyists
6: A congressional vote can overturn a presidental veto
7: An executive order can be veto'd by congress as per above.
8: Dissolution of established political parties. No more "Republican" or "Democrat" status is applied. Candidates may not claim to be either party. If done, their draftee status is revoked. If already elected, the member will be removed from congress and a special vote will be instituted to replace him/her.
9: As above, voters will not register under a specific party. They are simply voters. Any non-felon American citizen over 18 may vote.

a reply to: JesseVentura

I think step one would be for me to GET RID OF ALL OF THEM AND START OVER!!!

Now, I know it would be mass panic without government officials, so I would hire all new immediately. Start with campaigns for the people to review each candidate and do a sort of census type election where the ballot is sent to the taxpayers legal residence. From here people vote after you review online each candidate individually and vote them in this way. Everyone gets to vote and review all information on their individual from their home.

Once all votes are counted, the new officials would go to their respective new offices and replace the current individual in office. This way the people's vote puts in the appropriate person and replaces the person in office currently. This would go for every single person! There would be no republican, democrat or anything like that. People put their video or information online and they are reviewed. This could be worked on to make sure enough information and video evidence of what makes that person a candidate. You can email, IM or contact each person via their information site to ask questions. We are in an information era here, so there is no reason each person cannot individually answer questions from voters!

This would be a system I would work on from day 1 and get something in motion to get everyone in office that the people actually elect! This would not include who has the biggest bankroll or power from backing...It would be who wants to work for the people and if they don't work for their position, they will be elected out of office! No more benefits for life! No more 4 years or 2 years or anything! If they are doing a good job, and this is voted on each year, they stay in office! If they are not doing their job based on people voting, they are out and a new person is brought in. This would entice people to actually work for the people!

It is at least a system that could be started, worked on and put into effect...This plan isn't something set in stone, just something to start off of and increase the care of these elected officials to take care of what the people want and are asking for...IMHO of course!

Congressional Balanced Budget Amendment:

Congress shall pass a balanced budget by the end of the fiscal year. Failure to pass a balanced budget makes all sitting members of Congress ineligible for re-election.

a reply to: ScientificRailgun

Interesting suggestions, I especially like the dissolution of political parties

- tie there wadge to the US national adverage.
- fine them $1000 for every percentage the economy contracts
-reward them £1000 for every percentages the economy expands
-if employment goes above 8% then those in congress get welfare to live on only
-purgury charges for politicians that lie, if they dont meet a promise or go againt what they say then they have to appear in court to justify that and if they cant criminal procedings will be brought against them
-life for treason for any politician caught in any bribary or corruption scandal.
- evey politician thats votes yes in favour of a war will have 1 family member of military age drafted into service. No sending other boys and girls to die for them. And they have to serve as enlisted in a front line unit .

originally posted by: ScientificRailgun
1: Remove all congress members who have received financial donations from corporations for their campaigns
2: Institute a "congress draft". All non-felon American citizens are eligible for this draft. If you are drafted, you are allowed to decline. Each congressional seat will have 5 potential candidates from this draft, chosen by the area they live in. Citizens in these areas will vote on which draftee is eventually selected. The chosen draftee is appointed to the congressional seat, and paid standard congressional income.
3: Limit congressional appointments to 1 term per lifetime
4: Any allegations of abuse of power (which will expand to include gifts from any company) will be investigated.
5: Remove all lobbyists
6: A congressional vote can overturn a presidental veto
7: An executive order can be veto'd by congress as per above.
8: Dissolution of established political parties. No more "Republican" or "Democrat" status is applied. Candidates may not claim to be either party. If done, their draftee status is revoked. If already elected, the member will be removed from congress and a special vote will be instituted to replace him/her.
9: As above, voters will not register under a specific party. They are simply voters. Any non-felon American citizen over 18 may vote.

All 9 pragmatic and doable, most impressive.

I'd add one more,

10: Drafted candidates with dual citizenship shall be exempted due to conflict in loyalties.

I do not know enough about the Mexican gov. to understand how this effects the USA

a reply to: crazyewok

I like all of your suggestions save for the last one

That encroaches on the personal freedoms of the family member. A family member should not be forced to pay for the stupidity of it's relative on Capitol Hill.

=Congressional salaries and benefits should be in line with the average constituents they represent so they can better relate to the average American.

=Maximum 2 term limit. No more career politicians.

=No party affiliations. Congressional representatives shouldn't have to be held accountable for following a party line. Candidates have their own ideas not a party platform.

=Candidates should be elected by the majority, not by electoral votes.

-Absolutely no lobbyists or corporate donations for any candidate running for congress.

=All congressional candidates including incumbents will have the same spending cap for their campaigns.

=Congress is required to approve any war or armed conflict that will result in putting our young men and women in harms way. Absolutely no exceptions.

I also agree with everything ScientificRailgun said.

I hear a lot about term limits and while it sounds good, I am not sure it is.
Being in the construction trade for 30 years I know how to do my job.

If you are going to build a 5 or 10 story building, do want guys with experience building it or a bunch of newbies?

If you are driving down the highway in a rain or snow storm, next to a semi truck, would you prefer that driver to be experienced or on his first day?

Now ask yourself of running our country?

I don't think term limits is the answer.

Getting the money out of politics is, and the insanely high wages and perks.

The ethics of politicians has to be restored.(or introduced)

Watching the Last week with John Oliver show the other day he said the man in charge of regulating "payday loan" stores owns like 13 of them. That is unacceptable.

We need the people of the US to finally tell people like Rush Limbaugh to put up or shut up. If he is so perfect and has all the answers get in there and do something or shut the f up... same as the other guys.

You hear stories about military personnel having homes foreclosed on or child custody issues while deployed overseas and our congress can do nothing to stop it yet illegal aliens are DEMANDING they get their way.

Somebody needs to tell them to shut the F up and we will get to them when we get OUR problems resolved.

Here we go again... Term limits. Abolish party politics. And tell the lobbyists to stay at home! Close the electoral vote so everyone in every district has equal representation.

Yes our Congress sucks Jessie. I shall do the country a BIG FAVOR here.. It's MY FAULT! There now that that is done and out of the way lets organize and stop the crazy... Demand your vote back, fight these corporations and stop supporting the people who take their money! I told my Congressman last year if he supported the pharma cons he wouldn't get my vote. I did everything I could to pull that one off but spent a year getting people to vote against him. He lost last week.

Unfortunately I have to start all over again with the guy who Replaced him.. shouldn't be that way. So until we citizens band together with all of our media power and "Out" these fools, we're gonna have to deal with it.

originally posted by: scattergun
Here we go again... Term limits. Abolish party politics. And tell the lobbyists to stay at home! Close the electoral vote so everyone in every district has equal representation.

Yes our Congress sucks Jessie. I shall do the country a BIG FAVOR here.. It's MY FAULT! There now that that is done and out of the way lets organize and stop the crazy... Demand your vote back, fight these corporations and stop supporting the people who take their money! I told my Congressman last year if he supported the pharma cons he wouldn't get my vote. I did everything I could to pull that one off but spent a year getting people to vote against him. He lost last week.

Unfortunately I have to start all over again with the guy who Replaced him.. shouldn't be that way. So until we citizens band together with all of our media power and "Out" these fools, we're gonna have to deal with it.

It isn't going to take all of us, only 12% of us. (Republicans got 11% of the total Americans to vote for them last election.) Similarly, the Iranian revolution only had about 10% of the country motivated. It doesn't take much to get a lot done.

a reply to: JesseVentura

Because they're for sale to the highest bidder? That's the fact of the matter and they'll say anything to obsfucate that fact.

I have not logged in in about a decade to post a reply but needed to do so for this one.

I am surprised none of the more aware members here have mentioned the congressional (and presidential staff). Karl Rove anyone? i believe ALL the staffs need to be sent home when the various seats turn over as well- with something akin to a non-compete contract. For me a period of say 15 years or maybe even two terms of whatever office they supported is sufficient. And since they have proven that they like to game (cheat) the system- that is the ENTIRE staff all the way down to the bottom to include janitors. With that there is also need to outlaw independent contractual 'advisors'.

A lessor idea is ban lawyers and felons all together- pretty much same thing in my book.

I loved the balanced budget requirement suggestion above. . . I would add that if not done on time lock the doors and NO ONE exits until they produce one ready for signature.

Have a campaign law in effect that ALL campaigning be done "off the clock" and very similar to military leave policy that ALL such trips start and stop in the area local to their place of employment. . . no more combining a couple of days of hand shaking on the tax payers dime by tying it to a hour of so "fact finding" trip or a speech.

Not totally on topic but ALL new legislation needs to come with sunset clause (not longer than two terms) and cannot be made permanent. I for one do not like this continuous growth of things I am ultimately in jeopardy for but have no reasonable way to know all the requirements. Also other things are just downright silly. . . murder is murder. . . assault is assault. . . do we really need to slap something like “hate crime” definition on top of that. . . good laws will be renewed; bad laws will drop off the books without need of the geriatrics at the SC taking their sweet time to review a super small percentage of them AFTER someone gets “standing” to challenge usually YEARS after bad laws are passed. While we are at it . . .have another requirement to ratify a law. . .those geriatrics need to review and sign right next to the president before a law can be implemented and become a more direct participant in this “check and balance” thing.

-Launchpad

a reply to: scattergun

I admire your vigilance. You're right, we all do need to come together as citizens and demand that certain issues are addressed.

a reply to: JesseVentura

only82 % that s because the other 18% dont understand

a reply to: JesseVentura

Jesse congress sucks because we suck.

The American dream is all about greed think about it. Its the land of opportunity where everyone can get rich. Its not the land of family and community, or the land of the people who build bigger and better things to benefit humanity. Its the land where you can start a manufacturing plant building weapons and sell them to ISIS. Its the land where you can sell drugs on the street and get rich and be in movies. Its not the land of the people who explore consciousness and space. Its the land where people build big houses and get on TV and buy Ferrari's.

Congress is #ed up because were #ed up its as simple as that. They are products of our culture.