Should Congress to be exempt from the laws they pass?

[Woodman909]

I found this quote and thought it might provoke some interesting discussion:

[QUOTE="Nothing so strongly impels a man to regard the interest of his constituents, as the certainty of returning to the general mass of the people, from whence he was taken, where he must participate in their burdens."

–George Mason, speech in the Virginia Ratifying Convention, 1788[/QUOTE]


Thoughts? Can you think of any laws that congress should be exempt from and why?

 

[jamesrage]

I found this quote and thought it might provoke some interesting discussion:




Thoughts? Can you think of any laws that congress should be exempt from and why?

Nope. They should not be exempt.

 

[TheNextEra]

Can you think of any laws that congress should be exempt from and why?

No, they shouldn't be exempt from any laws they pass. When they put the public on SS, they should have been right there. When they passed the ACA, they shouldn't have been exempt from that. They shouldn't have a different retirement either than the public.

The fact they can just is a form of elitism.

 

[Visbek]

Congress is not exempt from the Affordable Care Act. That's just chain-letter / echo-chamber nonsense.

Sen Grassley (R-IA) proposed an amendment to require Congressional representatives and their staffers to buy through the exchanges. Normally, if you get health insurance from your employer -- as reps and staffers do -- you don't use the exchanges. They are designed for people who are not eligible for insurance from an employer, Medicaid or Medicare. The Office of Personnel Management decided to pay for this insurance, at the same rate as they were getting before.

I.e. a Republican stunt created a special requirement for Congress & staffers to use the exchanges. (Why Congress is (or isn't) exempt from Obamacare)

Oh, they also pay Social Security taxes, they have since 1984. Before then, they were part of a more generous pension system; they neither paid into nor received credit for SS while in office. (Members of Congress Pay Social Security Taxes)


There are almost no laws from which Congress is exempt. You may now resume our regularly scheduled sanity.

 

[Bodi]

I found this quote and thought it might provoke some interesting discussion:




Thoughts? Can you think of any laws that congress should be exempt from and why?

Not off hand... and I would go the opposite way and say that any laws that Congress passes should first be applied by independent powers to the congress people themselves first for a while prior to applying it to the people.

 

[Mycroft]

I would go one step further and reduce the work week for all government employees...except the military...to 29 hours. I would then remove the government-subsidized health care options and tell all of them to so see their State's Exchange program for their health insurance.

It is only fair that government workers share in the pain of the civilian workers...and it would reduce government spending by a big chunk.

 

[obvious Child]

There are almost no laws from which Congress is exempt. You may now resume our regularly scheduled sanity.

They were largely exempted from insider trading for years.

How Congress Quietly Overhauled Its Insider-Trading Law : It's All Politics : NPR

 

[Woodman909]

Not off hand... and I would go the opposite way and say that any laws that Congress passes should first be applied by independent powers to the congress people themselves first for a while prior to applying it to the people.

interesting... but time consuming

 

[Ockham]

Congress should never be exempt from laws they pass; such acts are inherently dystopian and provide the political class zero motivation to use common sense and pass necessary and legitimate laws. Instead this motivates them to pass partisan, potentially corrupt and crony capitalist laws which help their political party or worse, their own political careers at the expense of the people and country they vowed to represent.

 

[Comunitee]

Congress is not exempt from the Affordable Care Act. That's just chain-letter / echo-chamber nonsense.

Sen Grassley (R-IA) proposed an amendment to require Congressional representatives and their staffers to buy through the exchanges. Normally, if you get health insurance from your employer -- as reps and staffers do -- you don't use the exchanges. They are designed for people who are not eligible for insurance from an employer, Medicaid or Medicare. The Office of Personnel Management decided to pay for this insurance, at the same rate as they were getting before.

I.e. a Republican stunt created a special requirement for Congress & staffers to use the exchanges. (Why Congress is (or isn't) exempt from Obamacare)

Oh, they also pay Social Security taxes, they have since 1984. Before then, they were part of a more generous pension system; they neither paid into nor received credit for SS while in office. (Members of Congress Pay Social Security Taxes)


There are almost no laws from which Congress is exempt. You may now resume our regularly scheduled sanity.

They don't even have the franking privilege anymore.

 

[AliHajiSheik]

They don't even have the franking privilege anymore.

Franking as in using their signature instead of postage, yes. Otherwise, I can find no evidence of your statement.

 

[iliveonramen]

I would go one step further and reduce the work week for all government employees...except the military...to 29 hours. I would then remove the government-subsidized health care options and tell all of them to so see their State's Exchange program for their health insurance.

It is only fair that government workers share in the pain of the civilian workers...and it would reduce government spending by a big chunk.

I haven't felt any pain....I've gotten three pay raises and a promotion. Survival of the fittest.

 

[Smeagol]

I found this quote and thought it might provoke some interesting discussion:




Thoughts? Can you think of any laws that congress should be exempt from and why?

The only exemptions for Congress I can support are those that save the tax-payers money while not handing over their influence to interests other than the average constituent who lives on Elm street in their district. For example if Congress wants to exempt themselves from paid vacations like other Federal employees, sure. Stuff like that.

 

[Mycroft]

I haven't felt any pain....I've gotten three pay raises and a promotion. Survival of the fittest.

Are you sure you are a liberal? I mean, you didn't comment on the reducing government spending thing, so maybe...like most liberals...you are not interested in reducing government spending. But I'm surprised to see a liberal who doesn't care about the little guy...who doesn't think, like Obama, that we should all share in the pain. Or maybe you actually are like Obama...he doesn't share in the pain, either.

 

[iliveonramen]

Are you sure you are a liberal? I mean, you didn't comment on the reducing government spending thing, so maybe...like most liberals...you are not interested in reducing government spending. But I'm surprised to see a liberal who doesn't care about the little guy...who doesn't think, like Obama, that we should all share in the pain. Or maybe you actually are like Obama...he doesn't share in the pain, either.

I care about the little guy but I'm also not going to constantly fight against the little guy while he shoots himself in the foot. Most things are win/win for me. If we cut taxes I benefit if they increase taxes then I think we're going the right route in getting our finances in order.

If they don't cut government spending I think we're doing the right thing for the long term future of our country but if they do...oh well...maybe the poor should show up in vote or at least not vote against their self interest.

 

[radcen]

If I recall correctly, Congress is still exempt from the Civil Rights Act.

 

[Bodi]

interesting... but time consuming

Perhaps... but there would be no more ridiculous laws or ones that people can be exempt from.

 

[EdwinWillers]

I found this quote and thought it might provoke some interesting discussion:

Thoughts? Can you think of any laws that congress should be exempt from and why?

No, they're supposedly "us" and therefore should not have the temerity to pass legislation on us that doesn't apply to them.

I can therefore only think of one law from which they should be exempt: writing laws from which they're exempt.

 

[vasuderatorrent]

I would go one step further and reduce the work week for all government employees...except the military...to 29 hours. I would then remove the government-subsidized health care options and tell all of them to so see their State's Exchange program for their health insurance.

It is only fair that government workers share in the pain of the civilian workers...and it would reduce government spending by a big chunk.

Should we reduce their pay to $7.25 per hour? At 29 hours per week that would take their pay down to $10,933 per year. We should do that for about 6 months. Then we can raise their pay back to the regular $90,000 per year after the six month period.

vasuderatorrent

 

[vasuderatorrent]

There are almost no laws from which Congress is exempt. You may now resume our regularly scheduled sanity.

Good idea.

vasuderatorrent

 

[Mycroft]

Should we reduce their pay to $7.25 per hour? At 29 hours per week that would take their pay down to $10,933 per year. We should do that for about 6 months. Then we can raise their pay back to the regular $90,000 per year after the six month period.

vasuderatorrent

LOL!!

Heck, let's be generous. $10.00/hr.

 

[vasuderatorrent]

let's be generous.

No, let's not.