General Stock Ideas

[bigworld]

Xena: While we probably don't agree on very much I see the benefits of your idea. I would up the ante against Congress in several additional ways.

First, all laws passed by Congress must also apply to them and members of their families and their staffs...no exceptions. No passing Obamacrap and exempting themselves.

Second, no accumulation of retirement benefits for any member of Congress during any fiscal year in which the US Budget is in fiscal deficit, with no creative accounting allowed. If the US can't pay its current bills then members of Congress will be penalized financially.

Third, the size of the baby Boom generation has been known since the mid 1950s. Logic dictated that a large portion of them would live on to retirement age. Thus, the US Government had 60 plus years to prepare for the retirement of the baby boom generation and did nothing to prepare for it except allow the the Federal Debt to balloon to $18 Trillion Dollars and counting. Therefore, if Social Security benefits need to be reduced, delayed or means tested then all Congressional pension benefits should suffer the same reductions. If John Q. baby Boomer has to wait until age 70 to retire and collect SS then all members of Congress past and present cannot collect on their Congressional pensions until age 70.If Social Security payouts need to be reduced by 38% (a figure I've seen bantered around) then all congressional pensions need to be reduced by the same percentage.

There are by most estimates about 12,000 registered lobbyists in Washington DC. For 535 members of Congress and the Senate combined. That is over 22 lobbyist per lawmaker. I propose a $100,000 Dollar yearly registration fee for lobbyists, proceeds to the Treasury. That would raise $1.2 Billion. You can never get rid of "rent seekers" in Washington. But we can make it more expensive for them to do business with our elected whores.