If you see this just know that whoever wrote this is baing their information on myth, not on fact. It shows a profound lack of research or even a basic understanding of how Congress functions.
1. Congress participates in FERS(Federal Employee Retirement System). This is the same retirement system postal workers, janitors, researchers etc. participate in. They also have no tenure of any kind, as we know members of Congress have terms of either 2 or 6 years. As a side note, their pension was changed, and now on average pays 30,000 less per year than it used to.
2. This is how it currently is, unless they are eligible for federal retirement(minimum of 5 years, and small% of original pay, must be passed a certain age and meet eligibility requirements) or have reached the age where they receive social security.
3. Members of Congress already pay into social security. (since 1984)
4. Considering it's in the FERS, it's a little different, but pretty much similar, but they're already paying into the FERS.
5. Many already do, the real adjustment should be to eliminate their ability to do insider trading (they know X bill is coming to a vote to affect Y industry, they can vote and make money on it) Some members of Congress tried to pass something in 2012, but it was blocked.
6. Currently they haven't voted themselves a pay raise in quite awhile.
7. Most of them participate in the same healthcare plans that any federal employees receive. Some have purchased private insurance plans.
8. This claim is false.The only exception to this is in the constitution, where they cannot be arrested while heading to the capitol. (so that party bosses couldn't sway a vote by locking up the enemy, yes this has happened)
9. Whoever wrote this one has no clue what they are talking about. What contracts do they think members of Congress have?
This week Congress once again failed to pass a continuing resolution to fund the government. One of the issues they continue to push down the road is the issue of infrastructure funding.
Most of our funding for infrastructure comes from sales tax on gasoline. As vehicles become more efficient, less gas is needed and funding for our infrastructure diminishes.
The American Society of Civil Engineers’(ASCE) most recent report card on the U.S. infrastructure scored a D+. And according to the World Economic Forum, the U.S. now ranks 16th overall in quality of infrastructure, behind other major countries like France, Spain and Japan. According to the ASCE report, an estimated $1.7 trillion in additional spending is needed by 2020 for our surface transportation to be adequately improved.
A recent report showed that there are at least 61,000 bridges which are structurally deficient and in need of serious repair or replacement. These bridges see tens of millions of drivers daily and there is no telling when the next one will fail.
Our roads, for example, require a lot of maintenance, especially after long winters. Potholes and rough roads cost drivers an estimated $324 a year on car repairs. Many cold-weather states and cities sink much of their transportation budgets into repairing these roads yearly.
Right now 42% of America’s city highways are considered highly congested. And that costs our nation's economy an estimated $101 billion in wasted time and fuel each year. Maintaining our infrastructure is also very costly.
Everyone in Congress will tell you that they are very concerned about the nation's crumbling infrastructure, but no one can agree on an approach to repairing it. Short resolutions have pased
The biggest issue is how to fund it. The most commonly suggested plan would be to raise the gas tax a few cents in order to bolster federal Highway Trust Fundrevenue. House Republican leaders want to change corporate tax laws that encourage U.S. companies to park foreign profits overseas and use this revenue to fully pay for highway and transit aid. The change would allow corporations to transfer money back to the U.S. at a lower tax rate.
Senator Bernie Sanders, former presidential hopeful, introduced a bill last year which would have increased infrastructure spending by $1 trillion over five years. "My legislation puts 13 million people to work repairing the backlog of infrastructure projects all across this country,” Sanders said. “These projects require equipment, supplies and services, and the hard-earned salaries from these jobs will be spent in countless restaurants, shops and other local businesses. It’s no surprise that groups across the political spectrum – from organized labor to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce – agree that investing in infrastructure will pay dividends for future generations.”
One suggestion by former republican presidential hopeful Ohio Governor John Kasich, was that the federal government decrease their gas tax, thereby allowing individual states with greater infrastructure needs to increase their own gas taxes accordingly, thereby cutting out the middle man and making sure the funding goes to the states with the greatest need.
"Instead of sending our gas tax money to Washington, where federal bureaucrats skim some off the top to pay for their own agencies, Congress should dramatically cut the 18.4 cents-per-gallon federal gas tax to just a few cents per gallon — just enough to pay for interstate connectivity and other safety concerns. States would then be free to set their own gas tax rates, aligned to their own needs as identified by their own residents, communities, and leaders."
For years, transportation experts have called for a massive investment to save a network of roads, bridges and transit systems that has fallen into disrepair. Will Congress work to solve this problem now or punt the question down the road again?
After watching nearly every GOP debate for the 2016 election I've come to the conclusion that we need to fundamentally change the way the debates are run. Because when they yell over each other, ratings go up and we know that these networks only care about the ratings. The focus should be on policy and experience, instead it's about entertainment. These debates are not centered on who is the best choice for president, but who gives the best gotcha line. Even the post debate coverage is often short clips of jabs that one candidate did against another. Here are 7 suggestions to fundamentally change the way the debates are run:
1. Debates not controlled by network news. Whether it's CSPAN, or an independent group, we need to get the networks out of the debates. They want their ratings to go up, not for us to have high quality debates. All networks shall have access to broadcast the debates. Also all debates will be broadcast live on the internet, without a paid subscription. There will be time for a break in which ads can be played, but they must not be of a political nature. 2. Mute the other candidates mics when a candidate is speaking or the moderator is asking a question. No one can talk over another candidate, and candidates cannot get into shouting matches.
2. All questions must be related to a policy question, or a candidate's experience. No more questions about what someone else said.
3. No response time for personal attacks, and all personal attacks reduce future talking time by 30 seconds per attack. Policy attacks are open game. Character attacks are off limits.
4. Once the field narrows to 5 candidates, allot a longer time for each initial response. One minute is hardly enough time to cover important policy topics.
5. The audience is to be quiet or removed from the debate. This has been done before. There is no need to have an audience and the booing and cheering interrupts and wastes time. Mics should not be placed to pick up the Audience
6. Each candidate will be asked an equal number of questions and time to speak. Time of each candidates speaking will be measured and if one candidate is getting less time, they will be allotted additional time to answer a question.
7. 20 seconds to the end of the time that is allotted per question the candidates will be given a warning buzz. 10 seconds after their allotted time their mics are muted.
If we treat the debates like they're a circus or a wrestling match then they are only good for entertainment. If we treat our nation's selection of the next president of the United States with respect, we will possibly see a rise of better policies, and maybe more civility in politics.
The final debate before the nation's first primary in New Hampshire is in the books. Who do you think won tonight's debate? Who lost? Who had the best moment? Vote now and tell us your thoughts in the comments.
As we get closer to the first presidential primaries, we need to closely examine the characteristics of our nominees and make sure they are the best fit for our nation. Each of us may argue for or against how good a specific president has been, but it is important to look at each president and identify the qualities that brought our country forward and made us the nation we are. We cannot look forward to future leaders without looking to the past to understand who and what brought us to this point.
From my observations of U.S. history, I would say there are 10 qualities of a great president. They are:
1. A love of our country It would be rare to find a president who truly does not love their country, but it truly should be the number one requirement for the job. This person will be a parental figure for our country, bringing counsel and comfort. They will be the example to all other leaders within our country in the way they should act. Good leaders lead from love, not from greed or lust for power. They truly love everyone in that country, and want to help bring all to higher heights. If you look at George Washington, Ronald Reagan and Abraham Lincoln, I can't think of two men who loved their countries more. Both of them showed that love in their leadership in war and in peace.
2. Vision of the future Each president must look to the future with a clear vision of what America will become. Presidents need to look beyond here and now, seeing the vast future of possibilities and framing a future for the country. The problems they must solve are not just the current ones that are occurring, but possible future ones. Ronald Reagan clearly saw the end of the cold war, and prepared our country for that future. John Adams knew the only way our country would be secure and truly independent from European powers was for us to have a strong military, especially a navy. Our founders understood the need for a strong but limited government of the people. Each great president's vision of the future has led us into new heights as a country, and if we work to elect another great president, we can reach higher heights than ever before.
3. Accountability Great presidents understand that mistakes happen, and they own up to those mistakes. They also understand there is a limit to their power. Understanding that their accountability is to the people, they are open and honest about their intentions and their actions.
4. Respect Often respect is overlooked in our search for a president. When I speak of respect I am referring to respect for the office of the president, respect for the people who have entrusted you with great power, and respect for those who disagree with you. Too often we look at political correctness as the problem in Washington DC, but in my opinion it is a lack of respect that I find most disturbing. To have respect for someone who disagrees with you means you are willing to hear them out, and consider their opinion as well. Under the Washington administration he leaned on Congress heavily, understanding that his presidency required power from the will of the people as expressed by their elected representatives.
5. Cohesiveness Great presidents bring people together. They don't blame everything on the previous administration or the opposing party. They always have their eye on one single idea: unity brings us strength. We can only build a greater nation on stronger bonds of unity.
6. Courage As commander in chief and chief executive it is extremely important that a president have courage. Every presidency has and every future presidency will face tough challenges with the potential for terrifying outcomes. Millions of lives will be at stake, and with that comes the need to be courageous and strong in the face of those challenges. During his tenure as president, Lincoln faced a country torn apart and throughout all of the trials and disappointments he held us together with courage in the face of opposition.
7. Honesty In our basic social contract as a society we must remember that honesty and integrity are essential to our survival as a nation. As we come together, we trust each other and rely on each other for security and strength. Honesty is essential to trust. Dishonesty breaks the bonds of trust that bind us together as a nation, making us weaker as a whole.
8. Compassion On the battlefield and here at home, each president must have compassion. Compassion for the mother who loses a son away at war. Compassion for the individual who lost their home to natural disaster. They must have compassion for each individual and see them for who they are- brothers and sisters sharing this planet. As leader of the free world, our nation still shines as an example, and part of that is the compassion and giving that we have shown and continue to show.
9. Great communicator It’s simply impossible to be a great leader without possessing the skills of a great communicator. Whether you think of FDR, John Adams, JFK, Abraham Lincoln or Ronald Reagan, each of our great president's have been great communicators. Especially in times of trial we have relied on our presidents to comfort us, strengthen us, and lead us forward through great speeches.
10. Being a servant of the people Last of all comes a reminder that they are always here to serve our country, not their own ambition. The position of president is not that of celebrity in chief, but of servant in chief. Each president should remember and respect their office. While selecting a president we should remember that this person will join the ranks of Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, FDR, JFK, and Reagan.
