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