Constitutional Fix #5: Congressional Special Treatment

Continuing with my further comments on the list I first enumerated here of ten things which need to be changed in the US Constitution, I want to discuss number 5,


" Special treatment of federal employees/Congress with respect to pensions, healthcare and other benefits"

Among the more frustrating things members of Congress have done is exempted themselves and their entity from various laws which it imposes on all other Americans.

For instance, in the recent health care bills authored by Congressional Democrats, members of Congress were allowed to opt out of the socialized health care that the body will impose on the rest of the nation.

Members of Congress have their own pension and health care benefits. Because so many have made Congress a career, they can legislate perks for themselves which ordinary citizens can never receive.

It would be impossible to mention, in advance, every way in which Congressional members could feather their own nests via legislative exemptions. A simpler approach is to add an amendment to the Constitution prohibiting any language in any bill or law which allows for different treatment of Congressional members from other citizens. No exemptions.

Making this a Constitutional component gives it permanent standing and moves it beyond the reach of any future Congress.

Of course, if we had term limits, this would be less of a problem. However, until, and even then, it simply makes sense to remind federal legislators that they are not above their constituents, and are never entitled to special treatment simply because they won an election.