Our congressional leaders have seen fit to implement the perfect health care system for the country, but have chosen not to make it applicable to the senior leadership of congress and their staff. It is hard to justify this position.
For too long we have been too complacent about the workings of Congress. Many citizens had no idea that congressional operations and members of Congress are exempt from various laws or have special benefits such as:
- After 5 years of service, someone in Congress can retire with a pension salary 2-3 times greater than a similar executive that pays into social security (They did not participate in social security until 1984) also see NTUF Report
- Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970
- Freedom of Information Act and Privacy Act and Open Record Laws
- National Labor Relations Act of 1947
- The Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974
- Various building codes
- Various equal opportunity, equal employment and affirmative action laws
- Minimum wage
The Republicans fixed previous transgressions in 1995 under the Congressional Accountability Act. However, the latest step to special privileges is to exempt congress from aspects of Health care Reform, specifically senior staff and legislators with respect to health exchanges. Somehow, that doesn't seem logical. We do not have an elite that is above the law. Some have proposed a constitutional amendment in a well meaning but error filled email. The basic amendment is:
Proposed 28th Amendment to the United States Constitution:
Congress shall make no law that applies to the citizens of the United States that does not apply equally to the Senators and/or Representatives; and, Congress shall make no law that applies to the Senators and/or Representatives that does not apply equally to the citizens of the United States
Baring an amendment, perhaps instead, someone in the senate or the congress should propose the "We the People Act" removing limitations of laws applied to citizens but for some reason excluded from application to government. Other rules might be:
- No congressman shall be paid more than 4x the average wage of the American people
- No senator shall be paid more than 4.5x the average wage of the American people
- No "Earmark" may be authorized to the sole benefit of the sponsors district
- All Senators and Congressman must sign an affidavit acknowledging if they have or have not read the entirety of the bill they are voting on
What rules would you add?
