Thought For the Day

The solution might be to write checks.
What if we passed a law on national term limits that stipulates paying a $2M bounty to all members of Congress inconvenienced by the act!!

Apparently, recognizing this problem is above their pay grade … The solution is simple, give congress a pay raise!
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I’d be pleased to arrange for handsome compensation for members of Congress, give ’em $400,000 a year given current nominal income levels with the following conditions:
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A. Members are elected for four year terms.
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B. Members of the House are elected by the public in year one. Members of the Senate are elected by state legislatures in year three.
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C. If one has been a member of Congress for 14 of the last 16 years or would hit that wall were one chosen for a prospective term, one must stand down.
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D. Persons are debarred from running if, on the date of the election, they are not between their 39th and their 72d birthday.
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E. Quondam members of Congress are debarred from working as registered lobbyists if their registration gives them a franchise to buttonhole federal employees.
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F. Quondam members of Congress are (with qualifications) debarred for a period of time from owning or renting property within the District of Columbia, within the counties of Montgomery and Prince George’s in Maryland; within the counties of Arlington, Fairfax, Prince William, and Loudoun in Virginia; and within the municipalities of Alexandria, Falls Church, Fairfax, Manassas, and Manassas Park in Virginia. They are likewise debarred from being guests of any household or corporation at property owned or rented in these loci for more than 21 days in any bloc of 366 days. Upon leaving Congress, they are given one year to vacate any rental property and two years to sell any real property owned. If their district during their time in Congress intersected with any of the named localities, they can own or rent property in those localities. The debarment begins at the point in time they are expected to vacate their property and lasts for a period of six years.
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G. They receive a stated compensation. Tax liability is calculated in reference to that stated compensation. Benefits are financed by assessments on that stated compensation, and withheld accordingly.
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H. They pay for their meals, lodging, shipping, and transportation out of their cash income. If they receive gifts of hospitality, these have to be logged and reported to an appraiser. Given current year nominal incomes, anything worth more than $26,000 is subject to gift-and-inheritance taxes.
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I. The budget for office expenses includes staff compensation and charges for office space, furniture, equipment, and communications in DC and in the district. It only includes travel expenses (for one’s household and office staff) for trips between Washington and one’s district. No more ‘fact finding’ missions.
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J. All employees of the United States Congress working on campaigns are on furlough. Their medical insurance continues, but their salaries stop.
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K. The tax code is cleansed of sectoral preferences. ESPECIALLY those pertaining to members of Congress.
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L. Seats on committees are assigned biennially. Members have a qualified franchise to retain a seat they held in the last biennium. However, if they have held a seat for nine of the last ten years or will hit that wall during the coming biennium, they must relinquish the seat.
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M. Open seats on committees are distributed via lotteries. Disciplinary interdicts which include stripping a member of a seat can only be imposed by a vote of his caucus and only if a majority of the members of the caucus concur.