This Royal Decree (you may all stop commenting on my beauty now, thank you) addresses Congress. I know. I already feel dirty, and all I did was type the word.
Oh, Congress, Congress, Congress. You've been very, very bad. You are SO grounded. Congress is completely out of control. They have forgotten their place in the scheme of things. They've gotten too big for their britches. Egos and power-mongering, backroom deals and wallets padded with kickbacks. They are corrupt as a body. Entirely corrupt. So I guess the first thing I would do is encourage the citizens to seriously examine the candidate you voted for. See if they're part of the problem or could be part of the solution. If they are part of the problem, out they go. Start with a clean page. And really pay attention to what your proposed candidate is about, not just his pretty promises.
Personally, I would like to see three major things happen to Congress.
One, I would require complete transparency, meaning they would only be allowed to address one issue at a time. No more of these packages. Each issue would be required to be its own bill, and each issue would be voted upon on its own merits, not because you sweetened the pot with some deal. THOSE are the polititcs that make people angry. If you want pork, have the chutzpah to stand up and ask for it. Don't try to sneak it in to some completely unrelated legislation as a backroom deal. That's the problem. It's why we don't trust you. Because you've proven yourselves to be untrustworthy. And I'm talking to both political parties. I know. I can hear you saying, "But that would slow government to a snail's pace!" And I have two responses to that. One, you say that like it's a bad thing. And two, it would require them to really analyze how much something is worth. How much time are we willing to spend on this one thing?
Two, term limits. Maximum of three for the Senate, nine for the House. That's 18 years. That's a career in almost any field. If you know your days are numbered, maybe you'll keep your focus just a little better.
And three, remuneration. No more full retirement after one term. No one in the private sector gets anything like that. You all totally live in glass houses when it comes to throwing stones at the Wall Street biggies for their Golden Parachutes. Yours are PLATINUM. You don't even have to be good at your job to get it. I would institute a pension. If you serve the maximum number terms, and they need not be consecutive, you are entitled to the full pension. If you only serve one or two terms, your pension is proportionate to your service. As far as wages go, there would be a base pay amount, but I would make it an amendment to the Constitution that, aside from minimal cost-of-living raises (which would be determined by the market, not the Legislative body), pay raises for Congress would be decided by popular vote, state by state. Think about it. You get a raise when your boss thinks you're doing a good job. WE are their bosses. It's time we reminded them of that, don't you think?
