A Right leaning friend of mine posted the above, and it made me think. This was my reply to him:
We need term limits on these positions. We need to consider “lifetime years” in politics, and “years in a specific office.” I think if you’ve spent more than 15 years of your life in a political office, then you need to go find a real job. See, our Founding Fathers? They had real jobs. They worked on farms, were lawyers, land speculators, physicians, ministers, and more. They didn’t sit for years in DC, moping about the halls of the White House (or in Philly before the WH was built). They got out and interacted with We the People. Current people in Congress have no idea what We the People are doing, how we live, or any of that. They are VERY much like the kings of old. They are so removed that they have no clue at all.
If the government is shut down, then it needs to be shut down. That means you don’t pay bills, and you don’t get paid.
And I am damn serious about the budget. I mean every word I wrote. Lock them in and make them eat bad pizza until they figure shit out. I know Trump tried, and he is doing his best, and I’m not blaming him. Right now I am entirely blaming Dems, though I think a couple of red seats are voting with the blue right now. Regardless, this whole CR thing needs to stop, unless it’s an absolute emergency (like we’re in wartime or something, with bombs being dropped on our citizens).
I suspect that if their own money and interests were on the line, as much or moreso than the American people, they’d get it done in a right quick hurry. As it is, this shut down is all about grandstanding and making noise while actual people suffer. And it needs to stop.
Another possible response to this kind of shenanigans by the government is to make it so that anytime there is a government shutdown, the entire Senate has to retire at the end of the current fiscal year, with no possibility of returning to DC or big government. Both sides. Yes, this gives a certain level of power to people… but only at the expense of their own positions. If someone wants another player out THAT badly, sure, make the whole shebang go down. It has to be something that really hurts the current sitting people, enough that they want to avoid it at all costs, but that allows for someone to fall on their metaphorical sword if there’s a problem that’s THAT big.
Me, I don’t mind the government shutting down, per se. I am upset at people being forced to go to work and not get paid. That’s wrong. In any other job, if you stop getting paid, you stop working. I’m not working for free. Fuck that. I believe that the longer the Feds are out of the equation, the more likely it is that We the People will figure out just what we can and can’t do without. That means every day they’re out is another day closer to the majority of voters realizing that help for vulnerable children and adults is more easily dealt with at the local level. It shows we can still get on with our daily lives. What do “those people” actually do? Yes, some of them do good things. But is it worth it? I’m not entirely convinced. Our Founders called for small government.
Our Founders: Pick your government. Pick smaller government than that. Put some government back. THAT’S STILL TOO MUCH GOVERNMENT.
I’ve proposed in the past that elected officials should be paid at whatever the rate was on the day they were first elected (essentially doing one better than the 27th Amendment). That would be a useful deterrent against inflation.
I’ve thought for some time now that Congresscritters (House & Senate both) should be paid by the State they (mis)represent. And that they should be required to pass a balanced budget before taking up any other legislation.
“elected” officials SHOULD be paid the going rate for office workers… not the over inflated “wage” they get now.
remember the class warfare these fukkers were promoting awhile back??
“no ceo is worth 400 grand a year”…
well there aint a politician worth minimum wage in congress or state office. funny they “shut down” the gubmint but all those useless fuks are getting paid.
Steve Earle was right- aint none of them worth a trickle down dime..
Some of them are not taking pay:
Rep. Joe Courtney (D-CT): Requested his pay be withheld and has done so during every shutdown since his election.
Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT): Requested her pay be withheld for the duration of the shutdown.
Rep. Eli Crane (R-AZ): Requested his pay be withheld, believing it inappropriate to receive a salary while others go without.
Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT): Plans to donate his salary to charity if the shutdown continues.
Rep. John James (R-MI): Announced he will refuse his salary during the shutdown.
Rep. Thomas Kean Jr. (R-NJ): Stated he will forgo his congressional salary.
Rep. John Larson (D-CT): Stated his intention to stand with federal workers.
Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC): Vowed to have his pay withheld and co-sponsored a constitutional amendment to prevent congressional pay during shutdowns.
Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA): Announced he will not accept a paycheck.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT): Intends to donate his pay to charity.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC): Is donating his pay to local nonprofit organizations.
Sen. Ashley Moody (R-FL): Is donating her salary to the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay.
I *believe* (though am not 100% certain, so YMMV) that the reason we pay elected officials is that it is supposed to deter them from taking bribes. I’m not sure it’s worked.
There has not been an actual real honest-to-God budget since… 1998, if I remember correctly. It has been nothing but continuing resolutions and spending bills, no budget. Congress has a legal responsibility (if I understand correctly) to pass a budget by October 1 every year. But… we have not seen them do that fundamental basic task for decades.
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Yes, term limits would help, but the reality is our founders did not imagine a politician class because they were not paid. The early congress members did it as a collateral duty. They received a per diem when in session, and were reimbursed expenses. Then, in a fit of “genius” someone decided to pay them, and combine two of the worst of the deadly sins together into one career. And, now we have people who are literally screwing over the average American in order to ensure they get re-elected.
There is no *legal* requirement, no Constitutional requirement for them to pass a budget. Again, I suspect that our Founding Fathers had no idea anyone could be like this, and so didn’t think to safeguard against it. Just a guess, though. From Google: “The primary constitutional provision for the U.S. budget is Article I, Section 9, which establishes that “No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law” and requires public reports on government finances. Congress holds the power of the purse, with Article I, Section 8, granting it the authority to lay and collect taxes, pay debts, and borrow money. These clauses mean federal spending and taxing require laws passed by Congress, while state governments have their own, often varying, constitutional provisions regarding balanced budgets.”
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Because they’ve been dicking around with CRs and other stopgap stuff, they’re technically not in violation of the Constitution. And if they don’t spend any money during shutdown, they still aren’t in violation of it. If someone tries to force them to pay stuff, then they *could* be (but aren’t necessarily) in violation of the Constitution. It’s complicated, like most gubment stuff.
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I totally get that they haven’t done it. My suggestion is that we change the rules so that it does get done. Every time. From now on. If they want to act like children, we can treat them that way. If the job isn’t done, they don’t get to go home.