Congressional Reform Act of 2010

I received this e-mail today and agreed with it (mostly)... so I'm posting it here for ya'll to debate.

1. Term Limits: 12 years only, one of the possible options below.

A. Two six year Senate terms and six two year House terms
B. One six year Senate term and three two year House terms


2. No Tenure / No Pension:

A congressman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they are out of office.


3. Congress (past, present and future) participates in Social Security:

All funds in the Congressional retirement fund moves to the Social Security system immediately. All future funds flow into the Social Security system, Congress participates with the American people.


4. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan just as all Americans.

5. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%.

6. Congress loses their current health care system and participates in the same health care system as the American people.

7. Congress must equally abide in all laws they impose on the American people.

Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, serve your term(s), then go home and back to work.

Happy Holidays Folks!

Here's wishing every a very happy holidays season. Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Saturnalia, or the Winter Solstice this time of year, I hope you have a happy, merry, joyous, rip roaring time.

I'm posting this today as I am about to embark on a trip to visit relatives for the next week or so and will probably not be posting or commenting here during that span.

Feel free to use this post to discuss any subject you wish... or simply to wish each other good tidings.

Cheers!

A Good Example of Why Atheists Feel Persecuted by Christians

Religious bigots are trying to use an illegal provision in the North Carolina State Constitution to oppose an Asheville, N.C. elected official who is an Atheist.

Last fall, Cecil Bothwell won a position on the Asheville, N.C. City Council. During the swearing-in ceremony last Monday, however, Mr. Boswell -- an Atheist -- chose to not place his hand on a bible, or swear an oath to a deity. This has outraged opponents, including religious bigots who are trying to use a provision in the North Carolina State Constitution that automatically disqualifies anyone "who shall deny the being of Almighty God."

This provision violates the Constitution of the United States; and it is unlikely that Mr. Bothwell's intolerant opponents could prevail in the legal arena. Nevertheless, this story has spread in media throughout the country, and fueled another round of debate over whether Atheists, Humanists, and other nonbelievers are "really citizens" of the United States!

Lieberman Socks

A French Racist Rears Her Ugly Head

A junior French minister has told young Muslims living in France they should dress properly, find a job and stop speaking slang.

Whereas finding a job is noble goal, the manner in which someone dresses, how they speak, and their culture are something that a government official should not be making broad generalizations about.

And, really, why should this idiot give a damn how anybody wears their cap (front to back or back to front)?

The world has enough diversity for us all to be individuals and not dictate how others live.

"We Are Not Entitled to Our Own Facts"

Zombie Reagan Raised From Grave To Lead GOP

Zombie Reagan Raised From Grave To Lead GOP

No, Wait... Now I Know the Only True Religion!

So much for the jealous God. A survey released earlier this year by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life found that the U.S. is a "nation of religious drifters." If, in the realm of love, Americans gravitate toward serial monogamy (moving from marriage to divorce to remarriage and so on), we likewise flit from one religious affiliation to another, pledging our fidelity, say, to Methodism in our youth, Catholicism in middle age and Episcopalianism in our dotage.

Most (not all) religious people would probably have a very hard time explaining exactly WHY they believe what they believe. Back when I was still a "believer" this is what started me toward the tipping point of dis-belief. I was asked "Why do you believe that? Who taught you that or where is that written?"

I was raised catholic and then drifted toward non-denominational christianity because of a lot of the stupidity in the catholic doctrine. And I adopted different "beliefs" - altering things I had been "taught" as a catholic to better suit "reason." But challenged as I was above, I soon realized that there was no firm basis for what I believed... and that was when I went to re-read the bible front-to-back... and realized that it was ridiculous, too. There was no "there" there!

So back to the article in the link above. Why do people switch religions when the one they are in claims to be the absolute truth? I'm not sure... fickleness? a nagging skepticism? that hot gal is a Baptist so I will be, too?

I think many people cling to religion because it brings them a sense of community and belonging. Nothing wrong with that, I s'pose... unless, or until, they start to impose their beliefs (whatever they happen to be that day) upon others.

When they choose to leave their religion, I'm guessing that it brings comfort to choose another religion, instead of putting the entire concept to the test. Your thoughts?