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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region Forums"I could end the deficit in 5 minutes" = Congressional Reform Act of 2012
This popped in my FaceBook News feed today:
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 one (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 2012
1. No Tenure / No Pension.
A Congressman/woman collects a salary while in office and receives no
pay when they're 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/women are void
effective 12/1/12. The American people did not make this
contract with Congressmen/women.
Congress 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. Don't you think it's time?
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surrealAmerican
(11,362 posts)Your Facebook friend apparently didn't check Snopes.
proud2BlibKansan
(96,793 posts)
Make7
(8,543 posts)http://www.snopes.com/politics/quotes/buffett.asp[/font]
proud2BlibKansan
(96,793 posts)Scuba
(53,475 posts)
Aldo Leopold
(685 posts)
riqster
(13,986 posts)The only cure is to check these sorts of things before passing them along.
Twenty seconds would have sufficed to reveal that you have been suckered. It's not too late to be cured, though.
another_liberal
(8,821 posts)Congress shouldn't have the health care system most Americans have, all Americans should have the same single payer health care system Congress already has.
And, exactly what is wrong with pensions? Why wouldn't we want retired Congress members to have a pension?
As several posters have already suggested, this whole idea smacks of Tea Party influence not Warren Buffet.
freshwest
(53,661 posts)The Senate and House work on a system of seniority. Most voters aren't that stupid and willing to lose what advantages they have now. And even if they did toss them out, the big money in their states would ensure pure plutocratic candidates. If they don't like what they're doing, they limit their term via the next election. Spam emails are now OPs. Oh, well.
proud2BlibKansan
(96,793 posts)another_liberal
(8,821 posts)Members of Congress have a more generous health care program, and a more generous pension program as well.
I will see if I can find you a link to the info.
proud2BlibKansan
(96,793 posts)another_liberal
(8,821 posts)If you read down that source you linked to a bit more carefully, you will see a paragraph which begins with the sentence:
"In addition, members of Congress also qualify for some medical benefits that ordinary federal workers do not."
The details follow.
proud2BlibKansan
(96,793 posts)I pay less than that for urgent care at Walgreens.
I also don't find the care at Walter Reed to be such a great benefit either. As my former congress rep told me "Would you want to get treatment there after hearing about how badly they are caring for our wounded troops?"
So no, not such a "generous" program.
As for their pension, they USED TO have a great pension program but that was done away with 20 years ago. Now they are on the same pension plan as all other federal employees.
another_liberal
(8,821 posts)Don't you think, or don't you?
proud2BlibKansan
(96,793 posts)He flew home for his necessary out patient surgery.
RC
(25,592 posts)participates in the same health care system as the American people.
It is some version of Blue Cross/Blue Shield.
All Congress Critters are Federal Employees and enjoy the same right and benefits as any other Federal employee. So #1 is already null and void. Unless you want to take away the benefits of the rest of the federal work force.
#2 is a good idea, as they do not now.
# 3 They already do do this.
#4 has some merits, but it's own set of gotchas. Why? Because the federal government is already cooking the economic books.
#6 Is a good one to implement. They do exempt themselves form some laws they pass.
#7 What does this one even mean? Grover Norquist's "No New Taxes"? Then say so.
You are correct in that we all should have Single Payer, Universal Health Care in this country, no matter who we are or where we are in the economic ladder.
But Congress does not have Single Payer health insurance.
Ed Suspicious
(8,879 posts)to deficit spend. The posted idea would lead to horrible austerity and a downward deflationary spiral.
zeemike
(18,998 posts)And could make it worse...as a poor congressman is easier to buy than a rich one....and buy them they will.
The real problem is the corrupting influences of big money on the system...and even more so now when the big money is in the billions instead of the millions...that makes buying congressmen really cost effective.
Want to really shut it down?...Then you need to make laws preventing any congressman from taking any gratuities and establish an enforcement system that aggressively pursues any corruption.
RevStPatrick
(2,208 posts)
garthranzz
(1,330 posts)The "Double FacePalm" is now a buzz word!
RevStPatrick
(2,208 posts)Every one you could ever want popped up!
Coyotl
(15,262 posts)
Chorophyll
(5,179 posts)demwing
(16,916 posts)this is debunked, and documented in this thread. 
No Compromise
(373 posts)The Founding Fathers
envisioned citizen legislators, so ours should serve their
term(s), then go home and back to work.
libdem4life
(13,877 posts)...edit or resend with a notation that it's great information from an unknown source. Proceed, Voters and Citizens.
