Qualifications, Term Limits, and Ethics for Federal Office Holders
Summary:
- Raises the minimum ages for Representatives to 35; Senators to 40; and President to 45
- Moves up the start of each new Congress to one week AFTER each Federal Election
- Moves up the start of each new Presidential term to the first week of December
- Limits service in the House of Representatives to ten years or five full terms.
- Limits service in the Senate to twelve years or two full terms.
- Eliminates conflicts of interest between Federal Office Holders and lobbyists and government employees
- Establishes a re-occurring Commission of Citizens from each State to set the compensation, benefits, staff and budget levels, and maximum levels of political donations for Federal Office Holders
- Precludes Congress from recognizing any caucus or group whose membership is conditional on race, gender, ethnic, or religious affiliation
- Eliminates ALL gifts, services, benefits, etc to Federal Office Holders other than those allowed by new strict political donation rules
- Limits the periods for which current Federal Office Holders may accept political donations to the months immediately preceding primary or general elections
- Eliminates the use of federal resources by a current Federal Office Holder in the pursuite of re-election
Benefits:
- Updates age levels to reflect changes in maturity and life expectancy since 1791
- Eliminates lameduck Congressional sessions and the possibility of "loser" majorities passing new laws
- Requires candidates for President to be ready to govern upon election and immediately begin the process of detailing their proposed budget priorities
- Reduces the temptation for Federal Elected Officials to sell influence and power as they will no longer go to Washington believing it to be a long-term career
- Implements a new federal public service model: accomplish something; go and serve; be recognized for superior performance and be promoted by voters; OR go home and live within the society for which you just participated in writing the laws (no more career politicians in the same seat for 50 years)
- Slams shut the revolving door between public service and lobbying
- Puts Citizen controls on Federal Office Holders compensation, benefits; staff levels, and operating budgets
- Recognizes that the Congress is the AMERICAN caucus; NOT a collection of special interests around which divisive laws and policies are to be pursued
- Allows Federal Office Holders to GOVERN for the majority of their terms of office rather than spend it soliticing contributions for the next election
- Reduces the prospects that serving as a Federal Office Holder is a path to personal wealth and perks
- Disallows the use of federal resources while seeking re-election (No more flying around the US on Air Force One for two years prior to election to attend fundraising events)
