Serving in Congress was intended to be 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. Here are some suggestions on how to enforce this (some from Warren Buffett):
1. All contracts with past and present Congressmen/women should be voided effective immediately. The American people did not make these contracts–Congress made them for themselves.
2) Limit members of Congress to 12 years in office.
3) Pass a law that says that anytime there is a deficit of more than 3% of GDP, all sitting members of Congress are ineligible for re-election.
4) Do not allow Congress to vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay should rise by the lower of CPI or 3%.
5) Members of Congress should equally abide by all laws they impose on the American people.
6) Members of Congress should lose their current health care system and participate in the same health care system as the American people.
7) All pensions for members of Congress should be taken away. They can purchase their own retirement plan just like all Americans do.
8) Force members of Congress to participate in Social Security, like the American people.
9) Move all funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the Social Security system immediately.
10) Ensure that all money in the Social Security system can be used for no other purpose than Social Security.
11) Make lobbying illegal.