You say you want reform?

by **sixtimeseven** » Mon Jan 30, 2006 4:58 pm

1) Go back to the voting requirements implied by the forefathers. In order to vote in a public election you must be a taxpayer. You want to change things in Washington? Get a job. And add the Australian caveat; voting is mandatory, or else there is a hefty fine. Voter fraud of any kind is a minimum 10 year sentence. -- That's called Public Welfare and Election Reform. 2) Instead of building a 20 foot high fence around Texas, build one around the entire Capitol enclave. No dining out; no carry-in Chinese food. Everybody eats at the same mess hall--beer and wine only. Do not let in anyone who is not an elected official or staff--not even family--nor allow any visitors or lobbyists without one week advance notice, for a maximum of one hour, the list of visitors is available to the public at all times. All visits must be open door, eyewitnessed by two other persons not on the congressperson's staff, and video taped, preferably with a sheet of bulletproof glass between the elected official and the visitor. And while we're at it, remove all the doors in every building except those on restroom stalls. Do not let elected officials or staff leave the enclave without 72 hours prior notice, and require purpose for departure listed, notice of destination, name, phone, email and physical address of a local contact, the list to be available to the public at all times. -- That's called Kickback, Bribery, Back-Room Dealing, Insider Trading, and Leak of Sensitive Information Reform. 3) Restrict the definition of a lobbyist to mean: an individual, taxpaying, adult, registered voter. No direct access to elected officials to anyone but a lone registered voter. Visits by agency bureaucrats and military personnel are restricted to information only, not influencial. If the big money interests want big influence, let them start at the grass roots and organize the voters one at a time, like the parties do. -- That's called Lobbying Reform. 4) No contributions or donations over $1,000. No cash donations. All donations must be purchased though the FEC or the USPS, who will forward them directly to one--and only one--campaign fund designated by the candidate. No more than one donation from any one bank account,--individual, joint, group or corporate. -- That's called Campaign Finance Reform. 5) Eliminate seniority systems on Capital Hill. Every two year session must have open elections for all chairmanships and party roles. And restrict the total number of days in session to 180 per year. Elected officials are required to stay in Washington within the enclave during the entire 180 days, and must go home the rest of the time, at their own expense. Congressional pay should be set and determined annually by the individual state legislatures. Let them earn what they are worth to their constituencies. No more secretive automatic pay increases. -- That's called Congressional Reform. 6) No more than three tax legislations may be passed during any two year session of Congress. Existing tax code would function adequately but for all the kibitzing done all year long every year. All bills must be written and passed as offered or rejected in toto. No amendments, earmarks, riders, or last minute supplements to any bills. Get it right the first time, or start over from scratch. No unrelated issues may be added to or inserted in any bill, for example: no military appropriations bills may be laden with drilling rights in ANWR. -- That's called Legislative Reform. 7) An impeachment committee will be formed as a standing committee in the House, beholden and subordinate to none other. It shall be comprised of a 50-50 split of the two major parties, and will include at least one member of any and all representatives from independent or third parties. Any president determined to have given misleading or false information to Congress as a whole or to any individual or committee, in any form, particularly within the State of the Union Address, will be subject to an immediate, automatic, mandatory impeachment hearing charged with lying to Congress, without regard to party in control, or House Rules or protocol. -- That's called Executive Oversight and Party Reform. 8) Consider that approximately one seventh of the general population is unconscionable, sociopathic, and/or unethical. It can be assumed that one seventh of the total number of 535 elected members of congress have the same character flaws. Therefore, for any and all ethical violations which are deemed to be reprimandable by the respective houses, violators are required to be suspended from their seat for a minimum of 60 days without voting rights or congressional pay. They must complete a minimum of 240 hours of public and/or community service in their own district or state, earning no more than the minimum wage. They must be required to keep a daily activity journal, hour by hour, and be prepared to produce said journal at any time requested by any constituent, any other member of the same house of congress, any law enforcement official, or any legitimate journalist. Failure to adhere to the terms of the above, or any subsequent violation will result in immediate expulsion from their elected position. -- That's called Ethics Reform. JR Ford UP (Unsubstantiated Press) St Petersburg, Fl sixtimeseven@aol.com <a href="http://hometown.aol.com/sixtimeseven/myhomepage/profile.html">hometown.aol.com/sixtimes...ofile.html</a> "You say you want a revolution?" -- John Lennon

You say you want reform?

You say you want reform?

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