This node is part of the 13 challenges for the 13th generation.
Problem:
Washington is a mess.
Solution:
Crack down on perks and the abuse of power.
Following are some of the key changes that would help make Washington work for us.
- Provide public funding for all federal elections – barring candidates who took private donations, even from themselves or their families, from receiving one dime of public money.
- Congress must be covered by every law it passes, and its members should receive the same kind of treatment (health care, pension benefits, parking, travel) available to the average American.
- Limit congressional pensions so that they are on a par with private pensions. Former vice president Dan Quayle, who is heir to a multimillion-dollar family newspaper fortune, is expected to collect $1.8 million in retirement benefits in his lifetime, starting at age 60.
- Create a presidentially appointed Commission on Perks that would eliminate all special favors to Congress and the White House.
- Prohibit members of Congress and their staff from accepting any donations, however small, from registered lobbyists.