I read an article the other day about how 545 people control, run and make decisions for 300 million plus citizens of this country. Those people are: The President, members of Congress and the Supreme Court. This got me to thinking that most of these people are career politicians, they are in it for the long haul. This means, as we all know, that you have to look out for yourself and protect your best interest, build your alliances and pad your checkbook. We all do this to some extent in our own careers.

Now, I don't think this is what the founders of this country had in mind when the established the Declaration of Independence or the Constitution. We were to have a citizen government, of, by and for the people. We now seem to have a government of, by and for 545 citizens. If you are lucky, or powerful enough, to get one of these positions, you are sitting in the cat bird seat.

Ever watch the TV channel that broadcasts the House or Senate activity? There may be a member up at the podium speaking about a bill or delivering a sound bite for the evening news, but when the camera pans around the chamber, there is no one there. Oh there are staff members milling about, sharing notes or whatever, but nobody is listening to the speaker. Seems like there should be lots of Members there listening the pros and cons, participating in the discussion and weighing their decision as to what is best for this country. No wonder the approval rating for Congress is around 12%.

Well, maybe we need to change how Congress operates and I have some ideas.

1. Term Limits: President / VP: 2 terms, a total of 8 years (it already is that way)
                          Senators: 1 term, a total of 6 years
                          Representatives: 2 terms, a total of 4 years
                          Supreme Court: 1 term (I know they are lifetime appointments), a total of  10 years

2. Vacations: 4 weeks per year, plus all national holidays

3. Salary: All members of Congress should paid by the State they represent. That State can determine how much to pay its representatives. The only people, of the 545, who should be paid by the Federal government are the President, Vice President and the Justices. I did not vote for the representatives of any other state but my own. This would eliminate Congress from approving it's own pay raises.

4. Health Benefits (while in office)

                               President / VP: full health care for them and their immediate families.

                               Senators: whatever their respective states allow for their state workers
                               Representatives: whatever their respective states allow for their state workers
                               Justices: same as President / VP

5: Retirement Benefits: none, get a job. There could be credit for federal employment for President, VP and the Justices towards future federal employment, such as postal work, national park ranger or such. As for members of Congress, it would be up to the individual states to determine what is appropriate.

And here is something that is probably going to anger a lot of people; Do away with Parties! It seems that after each election, the party that lost or is not in control, that the ONLY thing they want to do is campaign to get control back. It is like two or three groups of kids in the playground trying to control the ball field. If there were no parties, there would be no "aisle", no caucuses, no platform to support, no blaming the other party for mistakes, no stonewalling so your party can get what it wants. Each member would have to think and decide for themselves what is best for the country first and then their state.

These are just some random thoughts.