It made news recently that Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal called for Congress to become part-time:
“When they live under the same rules and laws they passed for the rest of us, maybe you’d see some more common sense coming out of Washington, D.C.” he told the conservative publication. “Instead, you got a permanent governing political class.”
Jindal, who once served as a congressman, cited Mark Twain in his proposal.
“We used to pay farmers not to grow crops, let’s pay congressmen to stay out of Washington, D.C.,” he said. “Mark Twain said that our liberty, our wallets were safest when the legislature’s not in session.”
Heck, I’ve been advocating a part-time Congress for a while. But I’d take a slightly different approach.
First, I’d go along with a part-time Congress. After a Congress is elected, one 90-day session, and then adjournment sine die.
I’m not so sure about term limits. If someone does a good job part-time, let him stay at it. With it becoming a part-time job, we might not end up with so many Congressman-for-life situations. I’d skip term limits.
Next, I’d clean out Washington. It’s the seat of government. And, with a part-time government, we don’t need so much going on there. We certainly don’t need anyone living there. No housing. None. No one would own a house or an apartment in Washington. Because no one would live there.
The District of Columbia was set aside for the seat of government, and should be that and nothing more.
Sure, there are a lot of people that live and work in Washington, DC. There shouldn’t be. Yes, it would be difficult to have to get a real job. I hate it for them.
And, well, I’d stop there. For now. I mean, with a part-time Congress, and no reason for a bunch of people living there, that pretty much solves most of the problems coming out of Washington.
But, maybe I’m a little too optimistic. What do you think? What would you do to clean up Washington. Or, better, clean out Washington?
Why do we need all government agencies to be in Washington? Most of the food in this country is grown in the Midwest; can’t the Department of Agriculture be in Iowa or Kanasas? A lot of agencies serve large portions of the American public, wouldn’t it make more sense to have them located somewhere a little more centrally located, say St. Louis or Omaha? The Department of Energy (assuming you even need one) could in in Texas or Wyoming.
Spread it around a bit, make it harder for the lobbyists to work the system, make the “blue state liberals” take a three hour airplane ride to protest (although they might enjoy the TSA groping), instill some “red state” values and common sense into the process and we might wind up with a better government. Just sayin.
I’d turn it into a parking lot.
Ever heard of ‘shocked quartz?’
@Jimmy,
As part of the “cleaning out” of Washington it should be necessary to finally do away with things like “censure” and actually hold elected officials to the same laws and punishments the rest of the country’s citizens are subjected to. I imagine just those Washington politicians guilty of tax-evasion would be enough to fill a fairly good-sized prison. So, there may be some “shovel ready” construction jobs in the DC area building the new facilities to hold the Rangels that have abused their position and broken our laws.
Instead of Washington DC we need to set congress up with a circus tent. Every session would be in a new city. It would stop the permanent homes in a ruling class bubble city. You would here questions like why did we spend 300 million dollars on a new “educational administration” building when the schools should be condemned.
If nothing else lets be honest, carnies are a step up the evolutionary chain from congress-critters.
Are you nuts!? 90 Days! All sorts of skull duggary can be done in 90 days! I say one week per year is plenty! And if Congress ain’t in session, nobody in any of the offices that serve congress will be working either! Then we go after POTUS and like make him a part-time mayor of the nation. The Supreme Court is disbanded because we make all lawyers illegal and all laws illegal! Now we have a bunch of unemployed lawyers running around! Muwahahahahahah!
I hear you, SoB, but you’ll still need a really large parking lot for that new D.C. prison. We can build it last after all the construction workers have gone home and the prison is populated. We’ll need room for all the ‘visitors.’
@Jimmy,
You’re right, there should be a parking lot. But, do you really think once these guys are in prison they’ll get visitors?
Yeah, Son of Bob. See, all the programs on TV about the poor prison population being “failed by society” (etc., etc.) will attract all kinds of visiting liberal do-gooders and mainstream media from around the country, not to mention relatives and fellow politicians. They’ll need parking spaces. When we put in the big parking lot, that’ll show ’em how much we care. And, as a bonus, they’ll understand how much we don’t like to fail.
Term limits? Minimum limits only. Yes like they have now, 20 to life in that prison. Make all streets one way only… Out of town.
Fixed it for me.
Don’t forget unintended consequences, folks. That is to say, don’t think like a liberal. There would be large unintended consequences from term limits. Most importantly, it would shift power to agencies. As congressmen frequently come and go, the agencies will become the keepers of knowledge and policy. I still support term limits, but it’s worth considering and planning for the downsides.
The only thing about razing the apt buildings in DC is, what about people who have real jobs in DC? Dont get me wrong, I think we need to go back to a part-time congress, I’m talking about staff at museums, rangers at the parks and monuments, you know the ones that have real jobs in that city. While I applaud USSjimmycarter’s enthusiasm, he might have gone off the deep end on this one.
Here’s some thoughts.
First, take away the golden retirement package. No one should be in Congress long enough to retire.
Insist that Congress people spend any time not actually in Washington attending to business, attending to their constituents. That means living in their district, in a house or apartment that is their primary residence.
Pay them the amount the average American makes. No more Ist class seats in airplanes, no more getting a pass on security feel ups.
Lobbiest should be banned from Washington DC. None allowed within 200 feet of a politician.
No more nepotism, new hires must be vetted by someone, to keep our representatives honest about their brothers, cousins, sister, brother-in-law’s mother new job in the Congressman’s office.
Term limits, term limits, term limits.
Oh and everyone and I mean EVERYONE has to play by the same rules. If I have to show a birth CERTIFICATE to put my kids in school, so does every other guardian. As does every politician, no matter what. No substitution, no passes, no excuses.
Here I am arguing for quartz glass parking lots and along comes seanmahair (as usual) with reason.
Ok, I can change. If I can’t have my unlimited free parking, seanmamabear, I’ll settle for shutting it down. That’s right. Shut Congress down.
Ok, your turn. It’s up to you and me to negotiate a solution here because everyone else is out in ‘Black Friday’ participating in riots.
After I read about Obama’s game of “pick-up basketball” today, may I suggest that Obama play basketball with that guy more often.
I have long advocated the dispersal of our central government out of the capitol district. In military terms, dispersal would prevent the utter destruction of the central government, and insure the survival of thousands of government employees. I recommend moving the Dept. of Agriculture to Des Moines, Iowa. The people of Des Moines know a thing or two about agriculture, and that knowledge would pass on to the central government employees who relocate there. I suggest twelve or thirteen departments be moved into the interior of the nation and away from the current capitol. I would choose secondary cities in the thirteen largest states (with the exception of Iowa, as previously mentioned). Each department would move, lock, stock and barrel, to the new location and provide it with an immediate economic boost. Each economic boost would also be felt in each of these largest states. We could energize the economies by relocation and spending at that local level.
Government employees would continue to receive their current salaries, but those who do not want to re-locate could quit. The departments would be smaller, and a re-organization would make sense as they settle into their new homes. The government employees would be free from the political pressures of the current capitol region, and would find themselves far less stressed in their new locations among their fellow Americans. Political intrigue and infighting would be reduced. Lobbyists would find it immensely more expensive to do “business” as usual. Militarily, we would have a government that was properly dispersed and safer. Economically we would strengthen at least twelve to thirteen localities and states.
Politically we would remove all sorts of pressures and dilemmas for the working government employees. We would reduce the size of the departments.
Keeping all our central government in Washington is no longer useful. We can communicate by dozens of means, we don’t need the horse and buggy approach anymore.
The faster we PHYSICALLY move the government out of the D.C. area, the faster we reclaim our government.
The problem with American politics cannot be solved by term limits. As Burmashave said, the power would shift to agenices – the corruption and stupidity would not be dismissed.
Until we can change our current political culture by getting the majority of Americans to at least understand what our political culture should be, I do not believe term limits will do nearly enough.
Ok, how about single terms that just happen to end with vaporization, Marko?
I am sick and tired of the law-happy people of both parties. Repeal, rescind, cancel. Can’t do it? Shut it down and call a Constitutional Convention. We’re already toast.
I kinda agree with seanmahair except for the term limits. I think instead of term limits, depending on the economy ie economy up taxes spending down, every body involved gets another chance, economy down taxes or spending up – up to every third legislator is shot.
Let them all serve 3 terms. 2 in office followed by one in prison. They are all crooked.
The thing is we have layers upon layers upon layers of legislation.
I think 1 in 2 out, For every one new tax or law or bill 2 old ones have to get removed. That should work very well for a time and then we can transition to reasonable 1 – 1
Since they have decided that minimum wage is sufficient to earn a living on, just pay them that amount.
Congressional pay and benefits are decided by referendum each year.
Like in The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress, set up a third house whose function is solely to repeal laws. (A vote of 1/3 is sufficient to repeal.)
It’s all in the money. as long as there are hundreds of billions in discretionary funds, crooks will find a way a them. Hence the Tea Party: get the national government back within constitutional bounds, and the cycle of lobbyists, campaign contributions, new agencies and invasive laws will dry up. Follow the money on any of these and you’ll find politicians getting rich on corporations trying to bend the law to their advantage:
ethanol subsidies
banning incandescent lights
health insurance mandates
banned foods of all types
One quick fix? since the fed augments the state, no federal money for any state that is above average income. That is, no federal money for the top 25 states in per capita income: no education, transportation, farm subsidies, health care, snail darter subsidies, endowment for the Arts…
Starve the beast, and a whole new class of people will aspire to federal service.
jr
Term limits YES! Most of the States have term limits and the feds had it once but the SCOTUS knocked it down. OK, let’s have an amendment. That would be a lot easier than a part time congress. Besides, the best way to get rid of there agencies would be a new congress. The biggest crooks in DC are the ones that have been there longer that most voters have been around.
There’s been some talk of the agencies taking power if term limits are imposed. Here’s the solution: no less than 90% budget cuts to current agencies and a budget of $0 for new ones: make them legally earn fair market value for their services on the open market if they wish to continue to exist.
I too was out Black Friday shopping Jimmy-lad. I started at 3:30 was done by 6:15 and at work at 6:50. That said, shutting Congress down and opting for a Constitutional Convention sounds good in theory but might be severely disappointing in reality.
While the American people have somewhat redeemed themselves in this last election let’s recap some of their previous stellar performances of the past.
Election 2008
The continued election of Pelosi, Reid, Schummer at el.
The continued popularity of “Reality programs” ie how to put on TV shows and not have to pay writers.
Continued resistance to immigration control (not reform mind you control)
Behavior like we’ve seen at the Black Friday sales – Civilized? I don’t think they know the meaning of the word.
The continued war we are engaged in within our own borders, cultural, emotional, spiritual and ethnic. Diversity instead of unity, selfishness instead of selflessness, greed over generosity.
but my very favorite is:
The rampant disregard of the spiritual until something bad happens and then the weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth. The supplication of the Divine and then once the crisis is over, the immediate and complete abandonment of those principles and that supposed relationship.
While Americas do not hold a corner on the hypocrisy market, we should know better. We should have been taught better, not in schools, although that is part of it. AT HOME. We should have been taught correct principles at home.
Sorry ranting again. Just wanted to let you know why I’m not sure if Constitutional Convention would be a waste of time, money and resources. It might be better to start having the cartoon characters popular among adults today teach American history and civics. I’m not sure they can do worse then has been done the last 30 years.
And the up side is they don’t have to coach a sport to get the job.
If everyone were like you, seanmahair, the world would be a way better place, indeed.
God should have made more like you♥
Make it more like being chosen for Jury Duty… Make it as uncomfortable as possible, let them all sit on woodedn benches during debate, no cafateria, and pay them 50 dollars a day…. I would also establish a department of What the F__K? they can review every spending bill and ask What the F__K do we need turtle tunnels for?
How about a constitutional amendment which allowed a hunting season on elected officials? You could hunt them for sport or food.
Ban air conditioning and heating within DC. <-That's a period. It's the green thing to do. Place sucks without AC. That'll pretty much drive everyone out.
Blarney dearest Jimmy boyo, wonderful and sweet but blarney just the same.
You are a darlin’ man though.
Amend the Constitution to increase the age at which one can begin to serve as a rep, senator or prez by 10 years. This will (ideally) eliminate some punk college kid with a masters in poly sci or a law degree running the show in the house. It also would allow for someone to actually have a real job and some experience in life prior to beginning government service. Finally, no retirement packages for life. They can invest in an IRA like everyone else. I disagree with term limits but a part time congress would eliminate that issue when the reps have to return home for half a year to justify their actions on a daily basis.