Got this from a friend. It makes a great deal of sense.

The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people; it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government - lest it come to dominate our lives and interests.” --Patrick Henry

The 26th amendment (granting the right to vote for 18 year-olds) took only 3 months and 8 days to be ratified. Why? The people demanded it. That was in 1971 ... before computers, before e-mail, before cell phones.

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.


CONGRESSIONAL REFORM ACT OF 2011

1. No Tenure / No Pension. A Congressperson collects a salary while in office and receives no pay after leaving office.

2. Congress (past, present, and 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. The funds may not be used for any other purpose.

3. Members of Congress can purchase their own retirement plans, just as all Americans do.

4. Members of Congress may no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%.

5. Members of Congress lose their current health care system and participate in the same health care system as the American people.

6. Members of 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 these contracts with Congress. Members of 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 receiving this sends it on to a minimum of 20 people then it will only take 3 days for most people (in the U.S.) to receive the message. Maybe it is time.
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I have long thought that special benefits and monetary privileges for members of Congress work against any urgency they might have to get serious about what the country needs. This would kind of solve that, yes?
xx, Teal