The Latest Congressional Scandal

[mugsy]

Personally - I think that all of the politicians in the country should be shot and we should start all over.

You wouldn't get anyone better...once you become a politician, all bets are off. And when you reach the federal level the scruples are gone. The cynic that I am says that when you rise to the federal level of politics you are corrupt at least at some level....OK Richard and Sara have at me! lol

[Pam]

You wouldn't get anyone better...once you become a politician, all bets are off. And when you reach the federal level the scruples are gone. The cynic that I am says that when you rise to the federal level of politics you are corrupt at least at some level....OK Richard and Sara have at me! lol

Mugsy, I have to agree. I think that all people in positions of power, right on down to the lowly cop on the beat, may develop elevated opinions of their importance. There are just too many cases of people who are given power thinking they are above the law and getting into all kinds of trouble. In the case of politicians, I think they may be innocent going in but I do believe that all of the cr@p that comes with the job, not to mention pressure put on them by the seasoned *old boys* doesn't help. Term limits would certainly at least allow the ability to clean house more often. Oh and, yes, I think we will be hearing more from Sara and Richard! LOL!

[mugsy]

. Term limits would certainly at least allow the ability to clean house more often. ! LOL!

Well our illustrious Congressman from NE IN initially ran on the premise of setting term limits...now 12 years later, he's still running...he's an idiot! lol

[LilacDragon]

Actually, the thought goes a little deeper then that.

The whole system needs to be revamped.

Congressmen and Senators should be allowed to spend a certain amount of money on their campaigns. Commercials that mention their opponents or talks about what their apponents did or did not do would be illegal and immediately yanked of television and radio. There would be no fancy perks - take away the gym and all the rest of the crap that they have access to for free. Pay would be based on the median average of the constituents that they represent. Pensions would be based on pay and payraises would be on par with the rest of the country. They would be allowed to serve no more then 3 terms and if they weren't doing their job (representing their constituents and working to make their lives better) then they could be fired. Any activity that could be considered criminal would be reported to the police both in their district and in D.C. and anyone involved in covering up said activity would be vulnerable to facing the same charges.

[Pam]

Actually, the thought goes a little deeper then that.

The whole system needs to be revamped.

Congressmen and Senators should be allowed to spend a certain amount of money on their campaigns. Commercials that mention their opponents or talks about what their apponents did or did not do would be illegal and immediately yanked of television and radio. There would be no fancy perks - take away the gym and all the rest of the crap that they have access to for free. Pay would be based on the median average of the constituents that they represent. Pensions would be based on pay and payraises would be on par with the rest of the country. They would be allowed to serve no more then 3 terms and if they weren't doing their job (representing their constituents and working to make their lives better) then they could be fired. Any activity that could be considered criminal would be reported to the police both in their district and in D.C. and anyone involved in covering up said activity would be vulnerable to facing the same charges.

LD, if you were running you'd have my vote.

[Lady's Human]

There is a way to fire a politician who isn't doing his job representing his constituents, it's called voting. In an extreme case where you want to do it mid-term it's called a recall election.

Allowing them to spend only a certain amount on campaigns would never pass muster with the First amendment, as political speech is what the amendment is squarely aimed at. Not allowing a politician to talk about their opponent would also never pass constitutional muster. It wouldn't be a good idea to begin with......say the opponent has a criminal record a mile long, but the local paper likes him and won't print it. Wouldn't concealing that information from voters be a BAD idea?

Reporting a criminal offense to the police in the congressman's home district and prosecuting it in DC would be illegal. You can't prosecute someone twice on the same charges.