Yule, Christmas, Hanukkah, All That

By Jim Culp

December 24, 2019

It is that time of year again. There is hustle and bustle everywhere. People are moving about… shopping, caroling, pushing, shoving, and all that happy holiday business. It will all culminate into some sort of event tomorrow morning at various times. Some people have one day off for this event, others have many. Some make it a two-hour thing; some make it eight days or more. I used to know guys at various jobs who didn’t take off all year long until December. They take xx days of calendar leave, but it would last from December 5^th to January 5^th. I don’t know what in hell they did with all that time, but that was their prerogative.

When I was a wee lad in El Paso, Texas, we celebrated a type of holiday that was semi-secular and semi-Christian. We’d set out stockings for Santa Clause to fill with goodies and wrap up something we bought or stole to give to our mother and stepdad. Some Christmas holidays were a full house, others were just four or five of us. I liked it when there were lots of folks there, like my older brothers and sisters. Then there were grandkids, and that made it even better. We’d pretend that Santa Clause brought us presents and filled the stockings and do our Christian diligence by saying prayers before we ate and before bed.

Those holiday times dwindled down to very small events when we moved to New Mexico and there were just four of use in the house. It was very blouse’ and we had to go to more church, but that involved after church food, so it wasn’t so bad.

When I joined the Army, my first duty station was a forward unit in the Republic of Korea. We were a forward bridge unit, about 13 kilometers south of the DMZ. Christmas there is not celebrated by the locals, but it sure was by American soldiers. We had great chow (mess-hall food) for at least two days. Our chow there was never too bad, but it was great on holidays. Turkey, ham, all the fixings. Then we’d have a huge party at one of the clubs in the village and get shit-faced on every liquid we could pour down our throats. Time went by, and I had a child of my own. I carried on the tradition that I grew up with and gave my child the same lessons about Santa Clause on the toy side, and Jesus, Mary and Joseph on the religious side.

At 0400 on December 25^th, 1989, I kissed my wife and one-year old girl as I left Junction City to leave with my unit for Saudi Arabia to prepare for the Persian Gulf War. We had fruit cakes, candy, and tea on Christmas morning. The rest of that time is another story.

In December of 2003, my Army unit was in the Tigris River Valley in Iraq. The mess hall put out a good spread for us, and no one went hungry. Two of my officers and I had a few drinks of Turkish whiskey that I received from a truck driver. It was the best whiskey I ever drank…if you know what I mean.

Life since then has been good, bad, and somewhere in between for sixteen years. Times have changed, and commercialism has made holidays something that I can do without. But I will always remember those special Christmas mornings with family…blood and brother. Both are precious.

Have a wonderful holiday season and may your Yule Tide be rich with love and blessings.

-Jim 

“Pay…and Pay a Little More”

November 24, 2019

By Jim Culp

If you are someone like me that has had some challenging life experiences, you have probably stopped (once or twice in your life) and asked yourself; “am I doing all of this for nothing?” Or at some point in your existence, you stopped and said to yourself “it just seems that all I do is pay, pay, and pay more.” Well, the trouble is…you’re probably not saying anything that is too far from the truth.

Let’s take a short trip back in time. Not too far, just 111 years. It was mid-October of 1907, and the country was in a recession. Banks were declaring bankruptcy, and thousands were without jobs. The New York Stock Exchange fell 50% from its previous year’s height, and nationwide panic ensued. People rushed to pull their money from banks (back then money was real) and many of them succeeded. Many did not. A veritable panic swept across the USA like bubonic plague. People looked to government to fix the problem, just as they did on the unemployment crisis and many others. Well, the problem was “fixed,” but it would be six years later (1913) and the fix would be permanent and irreversible. Bankers, not lawmakers, would decide what worked for us and what didn’t. Bankers, not lawmakers, would decide what we do and when we do it for the next 106 years. That brings us to today.

Your “money” today is a note of debt. It is not more worth a true value than a handful of lint you vacuum from your house’s corners (please see attached; or retrieve a Federal Reserve Note from your wallet).

You’ll notice that this note reads “Federal Reserve Note.” It’s a note that guarantees that the Federal Reserve of the United States will honor that note anywhere you use it legally. You can pay a debt, a grocery bill, or stuff it in a coke machine. It works. But the principle is based on debt. Your government is in debt, and that debt is owed to bankers. These are men that are worth trillions of “dollars” which are backed by thousands of assets across the globe. Do you notice that taxes in some years don’t seem to get higher? Well, they do. It’s done in fractions of cents over long periods of time, and we (the ignorant public) never notice it. When a tax is 4% today, and tomorrow it is 5%, there are riots in the streets. But when it goes to 4.02% in a week, no one bats an eye.

These taxes are in the thousands, but here’s a fun list for your enjoyment:

The inheritance tax.
Accounts Receivable Tax
Building Permit Tax
CDL license Tax
Cigarette Tax
Corporate Income Tax
Dog License Tax
Excise Taxes
Federal Income Tax
Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)
Fishing License Tax
Food License Tax
Fuel Permit Tax
Gasoline Tax (currently 44.75 cents per gallon)
Gross Receipts Tax
Hunting License Tax
Inheritance Tax
Inventory Tax
IRS Interest Charges IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax)
Liquor Tax
Luxury Taxes
Marriage License Tax
Medicare Tax
Personal Property Tax
Property Tax
Real Estate Tax
Service Charge Tax
Social Security Tax
Road Usage Tax
Recreational Vehicle Tax
Sales Tax
School Tax
State Income Tax
State Unemployment Tax (SUTA)
Telephone Federal Excise Tax
Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee Tax
Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Taxes
Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax
Telephone Recurring and Nonrecurring Charges Tax
Telephone State and Local Tax
Telephone Usage Charge Tax
Utility Taxes
Vehicle License Registration Tax
Vehicle Sales Tax
Watercraft Registration Tax
Well Permit Tax
Workers Compensation Tax

Is that list long enough for you? Don’t worry, it’s way longer than that. The government of the United States of America in 2019 has a federal deficit of $984 Billion. The citizens of the United States are in debt to the US Government for $16.7 Trillion. This system is built to establish credit for you, and then place you in millions of dollars of debt to the Federal Reserve System. It has taken bankers 200 years to accomplish this, but they control what happens in the United States now, and a large portion of the Earth for that matter.

So, when you pay your bills next Saturday night, rest assure that you, your government, and everyone from Hawaii to Key West is right there with you…in debt.

-Jim

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“Dems Debate”

November 21, 2019

By Jim Culp

It’s late November of 2019. Wow…it feels almost unreal to say that. We are at the threshold of another election year, and one where someone will need to take on the duty of leading this country for four years. The President of the United States is sliding closer and closer to impeachment, and the world is an ever-changing place that holds daily surprises on every front.

Last night, after a couple of hours of other television programs, we turned on the Democratic Debate. There were at least eight of them (maybe ten?) that I was watching answer questions. All of them think they have the answers, and I seriously doubt that any of them do. I watched as Elizabeth Warren, Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, and Kamala Harris rattled on with the same stuff. They have all the answers, and everything will get fixed properly if one of them gets elected.

I listened more closely to three of these candidates, and they were Andrew Yang, Tom Steyer, and Tulsi Gabbard. I say this because each of these persons being some refreshment to the table, and I welcome that. I like these three candidates’ platforms, and hope to see them get further in the races against the diabolical Republican Empire that has taken foot in Washington D.C.

Andrew Yang is a smart guy, a philanthropist and entrepreneur. I like his tax ideas, and I like that he has an impressive resume that he could apply to our government and its broken sense of taxation.

Tom Steyer is a philanthropist and a billionaire (one strike) that has stood for Democracy for many years. He’s got some good ideas, but some liberal agendas that I am not crazy about. I’ll keep a real close eye on him.

Tulsi Gabbard is a soldier, a former Congresswoman, and a lovely lady. I am inspired by her willingness to take on the big dogs in this race. She is a champion for veterans, a long-time member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and a person that is willing to take on issues that others seem to want to get away from. I really like her stance on our government going back to only declaring wars when Congress approves it (you know, like the Constitution says). I’ll keep a close eye on her too.

In the end, I think it will come down to Biden and Warren. But hey, 11 months is a long time. We’ll see.

-Jim

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“In the name… of God?” Part II

November 18, 2019

By Jim Culp

It is a time in our country when, once again, people take sides. There are Democrats, Plutocrats, Socialists, Republicans, Evangelicals, and combinations of two or more of those. I believe in our day and time that we deal with the plague of ignorance more than any other problem. In 2016, something happened that I never imagined would. Donald J. Trump became President of the United States. It was a time of absolute bewilderment for me, because this guy is a billionaire; and knows absolutely nothing of politics or governing a country. He’s spent his life acquiring properties, making deals, and living in absolute luxury.

In 2017, it was amazing to me that so many “spiritual leaders” and “people of God” were so supportive of a man with Donald Trump’s track record. He’s never been a man of ideals, except his own. He’s never been a man that any woman could trust; and is presently married to an ex-call girl. He should have been publicly denounced when he was running for POTUS after he was caught on tape saying, “you can do anything you want with these girls…grab ‘em by the pussy; anything.”

But all of that aside, it is the evangelicals that are killing me nowadays. They say that Trump has been sent by God to be our King, and that God is with him. Enter Paula White. This gal is married to the keyboardist of one of my favorite rock and roll bands, Journey. Jonathan Cain has been playing awesome music most of his life and has always had my respect as a member of Journey and Bad English.

Paula White is a non-denominational Christian who is presently holds the position of Donald Trump’s Spiritual Advisor and special adviser to the Faith and Opportunity Initiative at the Office of Public Liaison. What a title. I’m not sure if Paula has performed some of the same services as Stormy Daniels did, but I know this. She does the same kind of bullshit that our old minister did back in New Mexico (see Part I). She frequently tells her audiences that if they don’t send money to President Trump and herself, God is going to reprimand them in some way. She also claims to have the gift of “speaking in tongues.”

Well, let me tell you something… I’ve visited more than fifteen countries in my life, and not one of them would have a clue what you were saying if you showed up and said “Maga maga shikira-maga-poo!” If you weren’t arrested and jailed, you’d at least be taken to the police department for mental evaluation. I’ve enclosed a video where this goofy bitch shows you her gift. Give me a fucking break.

It is not, mind you; that I mind this woman doing this. It’s comical. It’s also not that I mind fanatics like Pat Robertson and Joyce Meyer spouting off their ridiculous nonsense to people every day. We must have someone to refer to when we need to define “radical fanatics.”

What I do mind, however; is the President of the United States not condemning people for comparing him to a deity. He loves it, and probably thinks that he is one. No, Trumpet, you’re not. You’re just another rich boy that rigged an election and got into the White House.

-Jim

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 https://www.facebook.com/NowThisPolitics/videos/408647796738859/

“In the name…of God? Part I”

November 5, 2019

By Jim Culp

“We are living in the last days…” is a sentence frequently spoken loudly by a person of some clerical rank or statue in the early days of my youth. My family attended church services at a large property called the “Cielo Vista Park Baptist Church” out on Hawkins Boulevard. The church itself was a massive building to the south, and then there was another large building to the north of the property that housed a gym and numerous classrooms where children of all ages attended “Sunday School” on Sunday mornings. This church was our home for one to four hours every Sunday morning, Sunday night, and Wednesday night. There were sometimes sermons that the pastor, associate pastor, or some guest speaker would “remind” the congregation that “He (the Christ) is returning soon… so give all you can so that we can save more souls from eternal damnation.” I never paid much attention to these diatribes, I was a very young boy when we started attending church services here; and was still eleven when we loaded the truck to move to New Mexico.

When we moved out there, we assumed the same posture at a much smaller church…one with a private school attached. It was on the east side of “Fighting Colt Hill” and was called Bible Baptist Church. The church is still there; I visited it in 2018. It’s the same place, just older. The school was closed years ago. But it was there that the Word of God would be drilled into my eager little brain, and the ways of this God and his Son, the Christ. The church was always called “the house of God.” However, your body was also called the “house of God,” because in Christian theory, God resides within the human being that has accepted his son Jesus (the Christ) as his eternal master and savior.

Well, for little James Matthew Culp, this was all cool. I was part of the people that God loved, and God was the reason that we had a nice home and property in the foothills, and that we could attend a school that taught the Word of God, and the teachings of the Christ when became a human for a while and visited Earth from 0 to 33 A.D.

But one day, the leader of our church brought a sermon to the crowd that changed all of that for me. He said that people in the church were not giving enough, and that his ministry could not continue unless they gave more. In church terminology, this means that people are not giving the “extra” amount that they should. Everyone in that church, except maybe a lone person or two, gave ten percent of their earnings to the church each month, and most (in addition) gave a significant amount to missionaries across the globe that this and many other churches supported with direct funds. My parents each had an income. My step-father was a (at this point) a 33 year veteran of the Santa Fe Railroad, and had the second highest seniority in the New Mexico Division. He was paid very well, and his “extra” every month was (in addition to his 10%) was a whopping 20%. My mother drew social security for my brother Dave and I. She would also give 30%. So, from my house alone; this tiny little church would receive $2,200 a month.

Now, let’s analyze that a little bit farther. Six other prominent families attended that little church at the time. They were all miners or some type of worker at the Kennecott Copper Mines in Santa Rita, or the Phelps Dodge Copper Mines in Tyrone. They all had nice incomes. None of them were rich by any means, but they had really good incomes. I say all of that to say this…that little church received a pretty fair amount of donations every month, and the church paid 100% of the pastor’s bills.

So, on the day that sermon came, I was about 14 years of age. I wasn’t the smartest kid in Silver City, but I wasn’t ignorant either. I was competent in 7^th grade math, and a really good reader. I started “putting 2 and 2 together,” as the old folks used to say. This “man of God” was  absolutely nothing but a con-artist and a scammer. He was also the Principal and Chief Finance Officer of the school that was attached to the church. He drew a whopping salary for that job. I also attended that school for 6^th and 7th and seventh grade, and later 11^th grade.

However, my mother had become the treasurer for the school and the church. This was decided by the board of Deacons, a type of Congress/President arrangement. Two months in a row, amounts of more than $1,500 from tithes could not be accounted for. When my mother brought this information to the Board of Deacons, they challenged the pastor on the issue. He promptly resigned.

When I turned 18 years old in October of 1984, I announced to my parents that I was no longer attending church. I saw the same game being played with a new Pastor and a new Principal. I joined the US Army in January of 1985, and the old town became a memory.

I told you that story to warn you that organized religion is hypocrisy and a means of a group of people to get rich. Tithing is an Old Testament tradition… and has nothing to do with Christianity. The essence of modern Christianity is based upon the teachings of Jesus the Christ, and he didn’t command anyone to support a free loader that claims he is the person that God sent to your group.

Look for Part II, coming very soon.

-Jim

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Guns and Children 10312019

“Guns and Children”

October 31, 2019

By Jim Culp

I read an article today about one part of the young generation of kids being anti-gun, and the other part of it being “pro-gun.” The article stated that kids are being trained by their parents that are “NRA supporters” and “patriots.” Well, I don’t think either one of those things matter when it comes to kids and guns. Let me explain.

I hold true to the belief and reality that guns are tools. Granted, they are powerful tools, but so are my other two objects that will be today’s examples. These are my Honda Civic automobile, and my 12-inch miter saw. Both are tools, and when used improperly or carelessly, can be dangerous or deadly. But let us get back to guns for a short time.

Our society (here in North America) has demonized firearms to the point of people fearing them as much as they do fire, death, or war. The media daily pours gun violence, gun laws, and gun restriction down our throats like we were dogs in a training yard. “Guns are Evil,” and “Guns kill Children,” are sounded from the speakers like the Pope preaching love and peace to a crowd at the Vatican.

The truth to the matter is that guns are inanimate objects unless they have interaction from three sources. These are the human brain, a human programmed machine, or an impact from a powerful source that causes the ammunition inside the gun to discharge. The third source is highly unlikely; but can happen. Firearms are tools just like my car or my saw.

I began teaching my daughter how to use and handle forearms when she was about 9 years old. Some people would tell me that she was too young, but I believe a parent is the judge of their own children, as long as it doesn’t involve abuse. My daughter and I would drive out to my private shooting range, and I would fire my “big guns” first, and she would play in the creek and the woods while I did so. We’d then eat our lunch and go over the rules of shooting. After that, we’d shoot .22 (rimfire cartridges) at paper targets to make sure they remained sighted in. Then we would scatter 9 or 10 fired shotshells in a large area, and play “walk the shell.”

This is a game of two players shooting the same target, one at a time, and trying to “walk” the target over a line in the distance (about 10 yards).

The shooter that succeeds first gets a point. When all the shells are “walked,” the person with the most points is the winner. By the time my daughter was 12, she was beating me one out of three games, sometimes two of three. She never shot anyone, held up a store, or killed 10 people at Walmart.

So back to my other examples of dangerous tools. Again, I’ll use my daughter as my human example. My car is a great tool that can transport me to distant places like Omaha, Albuquerque, Florida, and North Carolina. It’s a very handy tool for these and other travels; near and far.

If I decide to go to a party and drink a liter of Old Number 7, I am foolish indeed to make the decision to drive my car one block, much less 20 miles. I fully admit to doing so (many times) in my younger days. Oh, the folly of youth. The tool (in this case, my little Honda Civic) becomes a deadly machine that weighs 2,500 pounds; and is moving at anywhere from 20 miles per hour to 65 miles per hour. The result of this machine (driven by an impaired person) can be tragic, life changing, or even deadly. For this reason, I coached my daughter on driving for over a year and a half before I let her drive alone. I also made her learn to drive my truck with a 5-speed manual transmission, just so she knew the difference. Why all this? Because in a short time, you’ll be allowing a kid to get behind the wheel of a vehicle that weighs over a ton, can attain a speed of over 100 mph, and effectively becomes a big bullet. That responsibility puts a handgun or a rifle in the back seat. But people today think the other way around.

So back to my second example; the miter saw. This is a tool that electrically powers a twelve inch, toothed circular blade at 4,800 revolutions per minute. It cuts boards, blocks, and just about anything made of wood. Change out the wheel, and it cuts metal, plastic, or other materials. You wear well made eye protection, and good ear protection. If you don’t, a piece of material can fly out of the blade and leave you blind or bleeding.

Did I ever allow my daughter to operate this machine? No. It’s a machine that takes years of use to gain proficiency on. Even experienced users take short-cuts sometimes and the results can be very bad.

So, some folks would say that guns are more deadly and kill more people than miter saws or Honda Civics. I say nay, because it’s all about the training, a good teacher, and an open-minded student.

In closing, I will say that the gun issue is a closed subject for me. I know what a gun is, what it can be used to do, and the legal limits of how a gun can be used within the confines of the law. I think that most of these people that don’t allow their kids to grow up with guns are probably the same parents that don’t assign chores to them or make them clean their rooms. I reckon there is a connection there.

-Jim

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“The Beast”

October 28, 2019

By Jim Culp

“And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.”

-The Revelation of Saint John the Divine, Chapter 13, Verse 1

When I was a kid growing up, my family lived in El Paso, Texas for the first 12 years of my life, and then my step-father transferred with the Santa Fe railroad to Hurley, New Mexico; and we made our home 15 miles northwest in Silver City, New Mexico. It was a wonderful time for my brother Dave and I; we were thrilled to have miles of woodland hills as our new playground and shooting range.

As in El Paso, my family attended a church three times per week; following a flavor of Christianity that sets itself apart from the Church of Rome and does not follow its doctrine other than a few areas.

When I was 9, I heard a missionary talk about the Book of Revelation, a 22 Chapter manuscript that is regarded as the revelation of Jesus the Christ to a man named John. It is still argued whether this John was one of the four disciples of the Christ, or another John that followed Christianity and could write a large manuscript in Greek. Either way, this man had not been killed by the Romans, and instead was exiled to the island of Patmos, a small land mass off the coast of Greece in the Icarian Sea. No one knows how long of a period it took this man to write this book, but it became part of the Holy Bible sometime in the 200’s.

This part of the bible intrigued me as a young person, and by the time I was 14, I had memorized over half of it. Revelation was the story of “good” in victory over “evil,” and the followers of Jesus the Christ being transported to a home in the heavens. The 13^th chapter (that I opened with) was my favorite, and since I could never find a photo of the beast, I created an image of him in my mind, and never forgot it; even to this day.

In 2004, I converted to Druidism, and cast the cloak of Christianity and organized religion to the wind. There was never a bigger feeling of freedom in my 53 years. I was free to do as I wish, and there was no god to punish me for living my life as I see fit.

But the one thing that has never left me is the Beast; it still visits me once or twice a year in my dreams and scares the hell out of me. Is the Beast real?

That’s for you to decide.

-Jim 

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“Who, What?”

By Jim Culp

October 16, 2019

I recently heard some nominees to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame that mortified me.

Some I recall were:

LL Cool J

Janet Jackson

Rufus

John Prine

Bill Monroe

Um…all due respect…especially to my main man John, but let’s take a step back here.

None, I say none ya’ll…or these artists…are Rock and Roll.

Classifications of music artist nowadays astounds me.  Back in 1987, they inducted Aretha Franklin into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Same crap. Did Aretha do some great stuff? Sure, she did. But Aretha isn’t Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, or Angus Young. She is/was a Soul, R&B, and Gospel singer.

LL Cool J was a Rapper. Janet Jackson was R&B all day long. Rufus is funk, R&B, and disco.

Bill Monroe, for Christ’s sake, was a pioneer of Blue Grass. He wasn’t Rock and Roll, and never claimed or wanted to be. That’s like placing Dolly Parton or Porter Wagoner in the RRFOF.

I can’t leave out my hero John Prine. I love his songs, his lyrics, and his guitar methodology. But he’s folk all day long. He wouldn’t do well singing along with Def Leppard or ACDC. Come on people.

What are you boys smoking?

-Jim

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Government Week 1

“A Government for the people, and by the people.”

September 20, 2019

By Jim Culp

For the next three to four weeks, my blog will be about our government. I’ll talk about what I feel that we do right, and what we do wrong. I am not a person with a fancy degree (or a degree at all for that matter) or a student of government. What I am is this…I am a retired soldier, a former employee of the federal government, and a Patriot.

In this first week, I will identify the first legislative body of our federal government (the House of Representatives) and identify some of their guidelines, and how I would try to change them.

I will also lay out a short suggestion for both houses that explains to the reader what I believe should be the qualifications for appointment and the terms of tenure.

The U.S. House of Representatives is the largest governing body in the federal government. It has 435 members, because states are assigned by their number of congressional districts. In comparison, an example would be California having 53 Representatives, and Montana only having one. My home state of Texas has 36 reps, but my “growing up” state of New Mexico only has three.

At the present time, the House of Representatives is composed of 235 Democrats, 199 Republicans, and one Independent. At the present time, the leader (called “Speaker”) of the House is Nancy Pelosi, a veteran congresswoman of 34 years. The House is chaired (called a “whip”) by Steny Hoyer, a veteran congressman of 38 years. In my adult life, I have seen these same people, year after year, in the same seats of government. I believe that to be a problem. I also believe it is why nothing changes.

You can research (as I have) all the “leaders” in Washington, their policies, their scandals, and their modus operandi at your leisure, but I’ve come to some conclusions that beg sharing with my readers.

Qualifications for US House of Representatives:

“Article I, Section 2 of the Constitution sets three qualifications for representatives. Each representative must: (1) be at least twenty-five years old; (2) have been a citizen of the United States for the past seven years; and (3) be (at the time of the election) an inhabitant of the state they represent. Members are not required to live in the districts they represent, but they traditionally do.^{” 1}

I would immediately work to change these qualifications. There would be no exceptions to these rules whatsoever.

A) The age range for a person to serve as a House of Representatives member would be 30 to 55.

B) The candidate would have to be a naturally born citizen of the United States.

C) The candidate must be an inhabitant of the state and have domicile in the state.

D) The candidate must have served a minimum of two years in the Armed Forces.

E) The candidate must have attained a master’s degree in Congressional Law.

“Representatives and delegates serve for two-year terms…” ²

I would immediately work to change this rule. There would be no exceptions to these rules whatsoever.

A candidate for the House of Representatives would be Four Years.

The candidate may seek re-election and serve for one more four-year term. At the completion of this eight years, the candidate is not able to be elected to any other legislative office of the federal government.

“As of December 2014, the annual salary of each representative is $174,000.^[27][28] The speaker of the House and the majority and minority leaders earn more: $223,500 for the speaker and $193,400 for their party leaders (the same as Senate leaders).^[28 “

I would immediately work to change these qualifications. There would be no exceptions to these rules whatsoever.

A)    The annual salary for members of the House of Representatives would be equal to GS-9 pay scales for government employees. This rate would fluctuate with changes to the pay scale approved by the President.

B)    The annual salary for the Speaker of the House of Representatives would be equal to GS-10 pay scales for government employees. This rate would fluctuate with changes to the pay scale approved by the President.

“All members of Congress are automatically (without the option of withdrawal) enrolled in the Federal Employees Retirement System, a pension system also used for federal civil servants. They become eligible to receive benefits after five years of service (two and one-half terms in the House). The FERS is composed of three elements:

1.     Social Security

2.     The FERS basic annuity, a monthly pension plan based on the number of years of service and the average of the three highest years of basic pay

3.     The Thrift Savings Plan, a 401(k)-like defined contribution plan for retirement account into which participants can deposit up to a maximum of $19,000 in 2019. Their employing agency matches employee contributions up to 5% of pay.

Members of Congress may retire with full benefits at age 62 after five years of service, at age 50 after twenty years of service, and at any age after twenty-five years of service. They may retire with reduced benefits at ages 55 to 59 after five years of service. Depending on birth year, they may receive a reduced pension after ten years of service if they are between 55 years and 57 years of age.^[31]  “

I would immediately work to change these qualifications. There would be no exceptions to these rules whatsoever.

A)    No member of Congress (either house) would serve as a “career politician.” After a member has served his 4-year or 8-year tour, he is given severance pay equal to one year’s salary.

B)    There will be no “retirement pay” for any member of Congress, nor can any Congressman accept monies or gifts of any form from any person inside or outside of government.

There are other benefits that these vampires receive every year, and I would work to curtail those also. The term “government servant” has lost it’s meaning. I believe that people work to get elected into Congress because they know it is free ride after doing so. They vote themselves pay raises, take bribes from lobbyists, and make a habit out of working for themselves instead of working for the people that they represent.

Next week, we will discuss the Senate…the second part of the Legislative portion of our government.

Cheers,

-Jim  

References:

(1)   "Qualifications of Members of Congress". Onecle Inc. Retrieved January 26, 2013.

(2)   “Wiki”. Retrieved September 20, 2019

3.  "Salaries and Benefits of U.S. Congress Members". Retrieved December 24, 2014.

4.       Jump up to: ^a b c Brudnick, Ida A. (January 4, 2012). "Congressional Salaries and Allowances" (PDF). CRS Report for Congress. United States House of Representatives. Retrieved December 2, 2012.

5.      ³¹ Wiki. Retrieved September 20, 2019