This year’s election has brought a record-breaking flow of electioneering of all kinds. We all have received monumental volumes of political communications ranging from well-considered position statements to vile attack ads. It was refreshing for me to get an essentially
This year’s election has brought a record-breaking flow of electioneering of all kinds. We all have received monumental volumes of political communications ranging from well-considered position statements to vile attack ads.
It was refreshing for me to get an essentially non-partisan e-mail that contained a thoughtful and constructive concept that would resonate with most citizens.
For years we have watched our federal Congress become two increasingly rancorous bodies, generally bitterly divided along party lines without the meaningful give and take that characterizes parliamentary societies in less-polarized times. This behavior together with irresponsible campaigning has resulted in the determination by our citizens in numerous opinion polls that only about 10 percent of our population approve of the performance of our Congress. We critically need to have a better-functioning legislative system.
Politics being what it is, it may well be inevitable that ideologies will continue to differ, but we can and should attempt to reorient our legislators so that their guideposts are serving their constituents instead of attempting to maximize their power and greedily feathering their nests.
The e-mail to which I refer is entitled “How to Fix Congress,” and sets forth drafts of eight provisions to be included in what is optimistically styled the Congressional Reform Act of 2010. The items proposed are totally non-partisan and offer reforms that could be readily subscribed to by most citizens. They are:
— 12-year term limits. That would be two terms for senators and six terms for representatives. On Kaua‘i we have term limits of eight years for our county council. The proposal envisages the notion of our Founding Fathers that serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. Countless illustrations could be adduced of corruption that seems inevitably to affect extended continuance in power. George Washington set a wise pattern when he could have served longer but elected to step down after two presidential terms.
— No tenure and no pensions. Compensation should be limited to time of service in office. Presently pensions are given members of Congress for as little as one term in office.
— Members of congress participate in Social Security. All funds in the congressional retirement program should be transferred to the Social Security system. Members share the benefits and the costs of the Social Security program that serves the great majority of Americans as do other American citizens.
— Pay raises for members of Congress will no longer be determined by them. Instead annual increases will be set at the lower of CPI change or 3 percent.
— Members of Congress will cease having their own health care system and instead will participate in the same health care system as applies to American citizens generally.
— Members of Congress will be subject to all laws enacted, past or future, without exemptions or special treatment.
— All other financial privileges given to members of Congress will be terminated, effective January 1, 2011.
— No member of Congress will affiliate with any person or firm engaged in influencing legislation, directly or indirectly, until at least two years after membership ceases.
These provisions are not comprehensive, but they are foundational. The electorate needs to be convinced that the persons they elect have as their basic purpose the representation of the people of their district or state rather than building a little nest for their well-being.
This will not occur if their preoccupation is self service and their state of mind is that they constitute a privileged elite group with immunities, exemptions and interests at variance with those who they are intended to serve.
The provisions serve to strengthen the relationship that the member has with the area he or she serves which tends to attenuate as the tenure of the member is extended and an “inside the beltway” state of mind grows.
The concepts of the provisions are purely non-partisan and are supported by virtually all of the folks with whom I have discussed them. We critically need to dispel the public lack of confidence in Congress so that it can much more effectively deal with the vital problems confronting our nation.
Although there would be strong support for these measures for congressional integrity, a fundamental problem remains. For the proposals to become law they must be enacted by our Congress.
Is it likely that a member of Congress preoccupied with self interest would act to remedy the matters which are of public concern?
That would most likely only happen if there is a sufficient ground swell of public pressure to create a recognition among our members of Congress that failing to act would jeopardize their careers.
We now have a newly elected crop of all 435 members of the House and 33 just-elected members of the Senate.
Initiating their new terms with the reforms mentioned would provide a refreshing start for a Congress that will be confronted with epic decisions to restore the well being of our economy.
If you believe the enactment of the provisions described would be beneficial please pass these thoughts along and help build the necessary enthusiasm for achieving what should be recognized as important and needed reforms.
• Walter Lewis is a resident of Princeville and writes a biweekly column for The Garden Island.
