Let's make legislators kick in more to their health insurance--that'll save a bundle!

If we spend less on Congressmen, there's more for We The People!!!!

and to be totally honest, congresscritters shouldn't be paid at all out of taxpayer dollars. It's not for nothing that they become millionaires in office while the middle class watch our incomes fall.

How is it that our employees in Congress have higher salaries and superior benefits than we do? That's always baffled my mind.

Personally, I'd prefer for our legislators to get paid about $10 million/year. That way they would be free to do what they felt would be best for the people, as opposed to doing what is best for the moneyed interests who donate tons of campaign cash to insure that those same legislators can run for office again and keep their jobs.

-Laelth

Most politicians already run for office to feather their nests. Why make it easier?

Since they will never agree to pass a Term Limits law let's demand that they cannot receive funding from outside interests beyond, say, $100 max . . . and all challengers would get equal funding from a big donations pool so the incumbents don't have an insurmountable financial advantage every time. Yeah, Citizens United is still there and corporations and fat-cats can still give money -- but it would be to a general fund -- or they could exercise their free speech to their wallets' content at any time before a 90-day window prior to an election.

And the biggest thing is former elected officials should be barred from engaging in, or working for, directly or indirectly, any lobbying firm or lobbyist.

If we cut out the financial incentives, we'll start getting good folks who are interested in public service.

Cronyism works because you have friends or acquaintances that want something from you, and by providing them with that something you might get an ego boost from it, and form a mutual relationship where if you scratch my back, I scratch yours, etc.

So I don't think raising the salary would do much good at all. They actually believe that they're "doing the right thing" by making favorable legislation to one company over another.

If not make them pay half their pension every month...

congressional pay and bennies to save taxpayers a lot, but no one ever gives the numbers.

The idea is to make the bastards who give THEMSELVES raises every year, without fail (while screwing over others on government pension schemes) feel a bit of pain.

It's all about "shared sacrifice." Sort of like the right wing's symbolic attempts at cutting PBS money.

http://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/susan-milligan/2012/03/13/warren-buffett-and-the-mythical-congressional-reform-act

Man--or woman--does not live by facts alone.

There's an art to calling out hypocritical congresspeople. Or there can be...it doesn't matter if their paychecks get cut, it just matters that they squirm at the prospect.

"along with the facts."

How much of a "bundle" we'd save would depend on how much of a co-pay we demanded, and how much a pay cut we made. The likelihood of any of that happening is about equivalent to my walking on the moon...but the idea is to goad the legislators by calling them out as both lazy and overpaid.

Of course, those bastards vote on their own raises--it's highly unlikely they'd vote to cut their salaries or their benefits. It would be fun for citizens to propose it, though, over and over again. in constituent-crafted bills. On TV. On the Sunday talkers. Make it a part of late night and Comedy Central monologues.

If it's mentioned early and often, perhaps they'll be shamed into at least pretending to earn their pay.

congressional salaries and benefits, it doesn't make sense to say it's too much. How does that pay and benefit package compare to other under-worked, pampered professionals?

It's popular to attack congress this way--but I think many who use the tactic do so to rile people up to be angry at Congress and push the "both sides are to blame" meme that keeps the Rs from accruing their full share of blame for the dysfunction caused in large part by their obstructionism. I don't care to jump on the RW bandwagon.

I'd rather treat our representatives as professionals, calling out the ones who most blatantly aren't rather than sending them a unifying message.

But hey, don't let me bring you down. No one seems to have the facts about congressional pay and bennies, so I'm sure you'll get plenty of support for your plan.

They act like they are our masters. They need schooling.

I spent years dealing with those guys on a one-to-one level. I knew them, their COS's, their staffers. Believe me, some of the biggest jerks are people you would not expect, and some of the nicest, most self-effacing and hard working ones are ones you would not expect either.

I don't think "both sides are to blame." I think the GOP has EARNED the lion's share of the blame with their unified obstruction, deliberate foot-dragging, and general assholishness, and I see nothing wrong with pointing it out--those bastards were sent to DC to legislate, not to obstruct. They need to get the goddamn spirit and start doing just that.

Congressional salaries are a matter of public record, you know. I wouldn't mind making that dough--and I'd do more to earn it than some of those SOBs do. I know about their health care plan, because it is very similar to the military one....of course, those bastards get "front of the line" privileges at Walter Reed and Bethesda, in front of active duty servicemembers. How do I know this? A Congressman without an appointment, who decided that one day was a good day to have some elective surgery, TOOK MY ANESTHESIA following an operation I, on active duty, "had" to have (scheduled in advance, and not "elective&quot , causing the medical staff to have to scramble to find an alternate method to sedate me post-op. As a consequence, I suffered a shitload of post-op pain and ended up hospitalized for almost a week instead of two or three days. I was not a happy camper and I let the senior military leadership know as well as some of my acquaintances on the HASC. Of course, that was well after the fact and didn't help me at the time. It was dead fucking wrong, though.

They act like lords, when they are our serfs. They need to "get correct" and start working for We The People, or be put on notice that they're going to get tossed.

While just the opposite is true. That's all this is, just Rs pushing the self-serving message of the greedy, selfish 1%ers. Well, to be fair, some Rs are statistically and factually challenged, so some of them may actually believe it.

adults in the room who take away the credit card and force the GOP to live within their means.

Wasn't the budget and America's bank balance in much better shape during the era of that "librul" Bill Clinton? The one who spent us into the shitter in eight short years was "W" (is for War Without End, Amen), our pal Porgie....

Wake his arse up

I picture the house leadership "think tank" sitting together in a room. Does anyone have an idea on some specific spending cuts to propose? Anyone? Anyone? Boehner?

Obama needs to reply: "OK, we'll start right here with your coffee. As of right now, you bring your own. You can still use our milk and sugar, of course. We will send your office the bill."

So, what's the program that's not underfunded, Mr. Speaker?

We spend several times over what the rest of the world spends. The sad part is the spending is not on our men and women in uniform but on defense contractors.

Time to end this corporate welfare.

to take the contracts and if they're not, someone else will.

Him: Excuse me would you sign a petition to cut government spending?

Me: What do you want to cut?

Him: Wasteful stuff.

Me: Define "wasteful".

Him: *gets mad, asks someone else*

I get emails like that from RW relatives and when I ask for the specifics or point out that the specifics given in the email are bogus, they get mad. Last time I was told they didn't need any more of my "lecturing." I said, I didn't need any more of their RW BS email forwards.

A lot of people like to be mad about stuff, but they don't really want to analyze things. Thus, the RW success with fear-mongering and fact-free rabble rousing.

Kudos!

Every time I see a picture of them in the same light, I'm amazed that people think there is a big difference in "the color of their skin". Really?