Congressional Reform has been talked about for decades, if not from immediately after the U.S. Congress was first convened a couple of hundred years ago. The problem always has been that the only group with the power to implement such reforms is the very one that needs reforming; a fundamental conflict of interest that is difficult, if not possible, to resolve. Consequently, the reforms that have been made over the years have almost exclusively been based on ways to improve the lot, lifestyle, and retirement of individual congress men and women – you don’t ask the fox to regulate the hen house, and expect radical change that affects the production of eggs!
Recently, Warren Buffett, the entrepreneur and business guru, made some suggestions that would not only reform Congress in a way that would benefit the people of the United States, but would also reduce the deficit. They are well-thought-out, poignant, and doable, if it wasn’t for the fact that there are not in the individual interest of any Congress person to enact. Be that as it may, it is worth considering each of his points with the hope that some Congress, some day, will put the country before themselves – a hope that seems far off, and diminishing, at present. Buffett’s points follow:
“I could end the deficit in 5 minutes,” Buffett 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 1 year or less to become the law of the land … all because of public pressure.
Buffett continued, “I am asking each addressee to forward this message 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.” (I am doing my bit with his blog!)
*Congressional Reform Act of 2025*
1. No Tenure / No Pension. A Congressman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they are 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 equally 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 are void effective 5/1/25. The American people did not make this contract with Congressmen. Congressmen 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 terms, then go home and back to work.
“THIS IS HOW YOU FIX CONGRESS”, he said.
Some great ideas, and ones that should be implemented immediately…if only we could figure out who can implement them, because Congress most certainly will not!
