The Warren Buffett Solution

1. No  Tenure / No Pension.
A Congressman collects a salary while in  office and receives no pay when they are out of office.

2.  Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social  Security.
All funds in the Congressional retirement fund move  to the Social Security system immediately. All future funds flow  into the Social Security system, and Congress participates with  the American people. It may not be used for any other  purpose.

3. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan,  just as all Americans do.

4. Congress will no longer vote  themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay will rise by the lower  of CPI or 3%.

5. Congress loses their current health care  system and participates in the same health care system as the  American people.

6. Congress must equally abide by all laws  they impose on the American people.

7. All contracts with  past and present Congressmen are void effective 1/1/12. The  American people did not make this contract with Congressmen.
Congressmen made all these contracts for themselves. Serving in  Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers  envisioned citizen legislators, so ours should serve their  term(s), then go home and back to work.

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Sounds like it would be worth a try but you'd have to get it through Congress right? Fat chance! This is a constitutional amendment that would have to come from the states. One of the big problems we have is professional politicians. That was not how the system was envisioned and it corrupts the whole system.