Debt Ceiling

July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.

By -

Editor, Times-Union:
Warren Buffett, in a recent interview with CNBC, offers one of the best quotes about the debt ceiling:

“I could end the deficit in five minutes,” he told CNBC. “You just pass a law that says that anytime there is a deficit of more than 3 percent of GDP, all sitting members of Congress are ineligible for re-election.”

The 26th amendment (granting the right to vote, for 18 year olds, took only three months and eight days to be ratified! Why? Simple! The people demanded it. That was in 1971 ... before computers, e-mail, cell phones, etc.)

Of the 27 amendments to the Constitution, seven took one year or less to become the law of the land ... all because of public pressure.

Warren Buffett is asking each addressee to forward this email to a minimum of 20 people on their address list; in turn ask each of those to do likewise.

In three days, most people in The United States of America will have the message. This is one idea that really should be passed around.
Congressional Reform Act of 2012
1. No Tenure / No Pension.
A Congressman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they are out of office.
2. Congress (past, present and future) participates in Social Security.
All funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the Social Security system immediately. All future funds flow into the Social Security system, and Congress participates with the American people. It may not be used for any other purpose.
3. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan, just as all Americans do.
4. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3 percent.
5. Congress loses their current health care system and participates in the same health care system as the American people.
6. Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the American people.
7. All contracts with past and present Congressmen are void effective 12/1/12. The American people did not make this contract with Congressmen. Congressmen made all these contracts for themselves. Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, so ours should serve their term(s), then go home and back to work.

If each person contacts a minimum of 20 people then it will only take three days for most people (in the U.S.) to receive the message. Maybe it is time.

This is how you fix Congress.

Tam Vogel
Winona Lake

Editor’s note: This is word-for-word an email forward that has been circulating since 2009, according to snopes.com (snopes.com/politics/quotes/buffett.asp). Buffett is not the author of the imaginary amendment.[[In-content Ad]]

Editor, Times-Union:
Warren Buffett, in a recent interview with CNBC, offers one of the best quotes about the debt ceiling:

“I could end the deficit in five minutes,” he told CNBC. “You just pass a law that says that anytime there is a deficit of more than 3 percent of GDP, all sitting members of Congress are ineligible for re-election.”

The 26th amendment (granting the right to vote, for 18 year olds, took only three months and eight days to be ratified! Why? Simple! The people demanded it. That was in 1971 ... before computers, e-mail, cell phones, etc.)

Of the 27 amendments to the Constitution, seven took one year or less to become the law of the land ... all because of public pressure.

Warren Buffett is asking each addressee to forward this email to a minimum of 20 people on their address list; in turn ask each of those to do likewise.

In three days, most people in The United States of America will have the message. This is one idea that really should be passed around.
Congressional Reform Act of 2012
1. No Tenure / No Pension.
A Congressman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they are out of office.
2. Congress (past, present and future) participates in Social Security.
All funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the Social Security system immediately. All future funds flow into the Social Security system, and Congress participates with the American people. It may not be used for any other purpose.
3. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan, just as all Americans do.
4. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3 percent.
5. Congress loses their current health care system and participates in the same health care system as the American people.
6. Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the American people.
7. All contracts with past and present Congressmen are void effective 12/1/12. The American people did not make this contract with Congressmen. Congressmen made all these contracts for themselves. Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, so ours should serve their term(s), then go home and back to work.

If each person contacts a minimum of 20 people then it will only take three days for most people (in the U.S.) to receive the message. Maybe it is time.

This is how you fix Congress.

Tam Vogel
Winona Lake

Editor’s note: This is word-for-word an email forward that has been circulating since 2009, according to snopes.com (snopes.com/politics/quotes/buffett.asp). Buffett is not the author of the imaginary amendment.[[In-content Ad]]
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