Reforming Congress - Drain The Swamp

[Although we are not a fan of Warren Buffett, we recognize that even scoundrels have good ideas.  We have added some additional comments below to support this concept.]

The BUFFETT Rule

Notable pressure points for our elected political representatives. 

Salary of retired US Presidents .. . . . .. . . . . .. . $180,000 FOR LIFE.

Salary of House/Senate members .. . . . .. . . .   $174,000 FOR LIFE.  [????]

Salary of Speaker of the House .. . . . .. . . . .     $223,500 FOR LIFE.  [????]

Salary of Majority / Minority Leaders . . .. . . . .  $193,400 FOR LIFE. [????]

Average Salary of a teacher . . .. . . . .. . . . . .. .  $40,065

Average Salary of a deployed Soldier . . .. . . ..  $38,000

[These are self-imposed salaries,

 voted BY Congress, FOR CONGRESS, 

and the American citizen has no say in the matter]

If you wish to end the deficit, you simply pass legislation that declares that if there is a deficit of more than 3% of GDP, all sitting members of Congress [including the Senate] immediately become 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.

Does your political representative have any value?

Proposed 

Congressional Reform Act of 2017

1. No Tenure / No Pension. A Congressional Respresentative or Senator will collect a 

    salary while in office and will receive no pay after leaving office; i.e., no retirement!

2. Congress (past, present, & future) must now participate in Social Security.

    a) All funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the Social Security system

       immediately. All future funds flow into the Social Security system, and 

    b) Congress participates with the American people. Social Security funds may not 

         be used for any other purpose.

3. Congressional Representatives can purchase their own retirement plan, 

     just as all Americans can do.

4. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay will rise 

     by the lower of CPI or 3%.

5. Congress loses their current health care system and participates in the same

    health care system as the American people - another incentive to end ObamaCare.

6. Congress must equally abide by all laws they have imposed on the American 

    people.

7. All contracts with past and present Congressional Representatives and Senators 

    become are void on the passage of this legislation and its signing into law by the 

    President.

    [There is no existing contract with Congress that such legislation would violate] 

    a)  Congress made all these contracts for themselves. 

    b)  Serving in Congress is an honor, not a lucrative career. 

    c)  The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, so ours should serve their 

          term(s) then go home and go back to work.

This amendment eliminates The Establishment and Crony Politics.  Empowering politicians with lifetime careers and constant fund-raising [bribes] by Defense Contractors, Pharmaceuticals, and foreign powers is not acceptable, and has never been. 

Forcing Congress to restrain themselves and to be held accountable eliminates such egregious creatures as Nancy Pelosi, Paul Ryan, Harry Reid, John McConnell, Al Franken, 

Drawing on the words of Andrew P Napolitano, writing for the Washington Times, we have to wonder if there is a difference between Republicans and Democrats; probably not.

The laws they have written are too arcane for the average citizen to understand, and, as with ObamaCare, the law was written into 2,500 pages into which egregious violations of the Constitution were written -- unchallenged in Obama's eight year tenure.  We have to ask why no one in Congress challenged these measures, but we need only look to the Patriot Act or the National Defense Authorization Act, both of which were jammed through in record time to strip the American citizens of their Constitutional rights 

-- to "protect us from Terrorism", which we have created in the Middle East compliments of our "allies" there who created, funded, manned, armed, and are wreaking havoc in formerly peaceful lands -- and now, the Media condemns Trump for taking action against them.

It is clear that our Congress has become a self-perpetuating Self-Licking Ice Cream Cone, it serves itself, and not the voters; it gives the voters limited options for candidates, and if the candidate doesn't suit their tastes -- or dictates, both Parties join together to defeat that candidate, no matter how popular they are.

Cases in point include former Governor McDonnell of Virginia who was scandalized by the Washington Post, tried and convicted of "corruption" in a small kangaroo court in Virginia, and forced out of politics based on a bogus "felony conviction".  In a unanimous decision, the US Supreme Court overturned the conviction referring to as the greatest example of legal manipulation they had ever witnessed.  

                      
Why did this happen?

Governor McDonnell

McDonnell was a Conservative, retired Military officer, dynamic, good looking, brilliant, with a charming, attractive wife, and would have been a shoo-in for the GOP Presidential candidate.  

The problem was, McDonnell couldn't be dictated to, and was thus unacceptable to the GOP.  The Chosen One was Jeb Bush, a limp-wristed intellectually impaired stalwart of the Party who could be depended upon to follow in the path of his brother George W Bush and do precisely as he was told.  Thus, the GOP and the Democrats joined together to destroy McConnell to keep him out of the 2016 election process.  

The American people were so disgusted with the GOP candidates they jumped on the Trump bandwagon because it was clear he would not take orders from the political parties and would march to his own tune.  Trump has not disappointed in that promise although the RepubliCrat Press constantly attacks him.

But, let's take another case which you might have missed in which a highly popular GOP candidate in Nevada was the hands-down favorite among Nevada voters.  She had easily beaten all her Primary candidates and would easily have defeated Harry Reid, the incumbent Democrat Senate Majority Leader.  

But, the GOP had already cut their deal with the Democrats and vowed their support for Reid, even though they officially "condemned" Reid for his corruption and opposition to all proposals made by the GOP.

The GOP candidate, Sharron Angle, as a member of the Nevada Assembly, had challenged GOP Governor Kenny Guinn and filed suit [Angle v. Guinn] against the Legislature to nullify the State's Constitution provision allowing a simple majority to pass the Governor's $836 Million tax increase.  

She carried the suit to the US Supreme Court which ruled against the Nevada Governor's gambit.  The State Legislature then reversed its position and formalized a 2/3 vote to pass tax legislation -- and the Governor was defeated, and highly embarrassed.

Angle further upset the Nevada Legislature by attempting to reform the Nevada Prison System. In 2006, she lost her race for a Congressional seat by roughly 325 votes, and challenged the election since poll workers mysteriously were absent in Washoe County, her strongest supporter.

In 2010, once it appeared Angle was positioned to beat Reid, the GOP joined forces with the Democrats funding TV and Newspaper opposition to her candidacy -- to include was cited by Senator Robert Menendez as "racist and despicable" propaganda against Angle.  Her lead until then was 50% to 39%, clearly a victory; but, instead the GOP had turned against her since she was clearly and independent thinker, and most clearly would not be dictated to in the US Senate by the GOP.  Obviously, a trouble-maker.

Bottom Line on all this is that the US Congress consists of a single Party with two official designations: The Republicans -- who bear no resemblance to the original Republican Party, and The Democrats, who are clearly Socialists/Communists.  

Together, they are the RepubliCrats -- representing only their own self-interests, 
and certainly not Mainstream America.

Trump's biggest challenge will be to 
Drain The Capitol Hill Swamp.

His greatest enemies are Speaker of the House Ryan and Senate Majority Leader McConnell, both of whom have made it clear they will undermine Trump at every opportunity.

  

Hillary - GOP's Choice?

We are of the opinion that the GOP threw both the 2008 AND the 2012 elections -- and that it is about to throw the 2016 election as well.  Mainstream America, however, may block that path, and elect a non-politician antithetical to the political corruption endemic on Capitol Hill.

In 2008, Sarah Palin was a logical pick for VP for the "War Hero" McCain -- a shoo-in against Obama, a junior, unaccomplished senator of questionable citizenship [sort of like Cruz];  Palin, an attractive, accomplished family woman with a superb record of responding to, and support of her constituents and the state of Alaska, would normally have been a Media Darling -- except she had acquired an extremely powerful enemy -- Exxon and the oil industry -- when she forced Big Oil to share its revenue/profits with the citizens of Alaska, from whose territory the oil companies were extracting huge profits, and who were polluting both the land and waters.

Palin kicked their butts in Alaska, and garnered enough payment from Big Oil to eliminate the income tax for her Alaskan constituents.  And, Big Oil continues its slander campaign against her recognizing she will likely be included in the Trump Administration.

And the GOP stood aside and let Big Oil propaganda machines destroy her candidacy, and completely ignored McCain as the GOP Presidential candidate.  They ran a highly effective Media campaign, highlighted by Saturday Night Live, portraying her as an ignorant peasant woman of no merit, and even bought a house next to Palin's so the Media could have 24/7 access to every movement in her house, and to monitor every word she uttered.  All this for a Vice President candidate?
A first in the history of US elections.

But, Big Oil knew that if Sarah were in the national limelight, she'd go after Big Oil -- to include Warren Buffett's highly polluting and dangerous oil trains -- and make them not only clean up after themselves, but pay a higher price to the American people.

Would McCain have made a better President?
At worst, he would not have been as bad as Obama [but we'll reserve our criticism of him for another time].

But, then, after two years of Obama, American voters rebelled against both Obama AND the GOP, electing Tea Party candidates to replace the worthless Obama acolytes from the GOP.

The Tea Party, a new political force, has many rough edges, but its independence and focus on supporting their constituents vs special interests was refreshing.  Nonetheless, the GOP managed to gather enough blackmail on them, and offer them special benefits, that they eventually fell into line with the GOP leadership.

The GOP was surprised when Scott Brown, a Tea Party Independent unexpectedly beat Martha Coakley in a landslide victory, the Establishment's Democrat candidate who ran for Ted Kennedy's seat.  Brown filled the remainder of Kennedy's term, but, when the GOP determined Brown voted independently, they joined forces with the Democrats  -- and supported Elizabeth Warren to defeat him.  Brown then shifted to New Hampshire to run against Jeanne Shaheen, who as governor, had reneged on her promise of "no new taxes", and as senator, endorsed ObamaCare, and supported gun control -- all opposed by her constituents.  Nonetheless, with GOP support, she defeated Brown.

And then, in 2010, we watched in horror as the GOP campaigned against its own candidates to defeat them, and elect their Democrat opponents.  And the GOP told us these GOP or Tea Party candidates were crazy, and wouldn't represent THE PARTY very well because they were an embarrassment.

But, when we dug into the history of those candidates, we learned that they each had independent streaks, couldn't be bought, and had declared they would represent their constituents rather than bow and scrape to THE PARTY.

Most notable was Sharron Angle in Nevada, running against Harry Reid -- the most despicable Democrat in the Senate, and the Senate Majority Leader who gave us ObamaCare.

Angle had whipped all the other GOP candidates in the Primaries by large percentages and was leading Reid in the election by 10 points when the GOP marshaled its forces and the Las Vegas Media to condemn Angle as a crazy woman who had expressed an interest in witchcraft when she was in high school. And, the GOP elected Harry Reid to return to the Senate.

We learned only later that the GOP opposed her because she had challenged the GOP governor's tax plan as unconstitutional, and fought that battle all the way to the Supreme Court, paying the costs out of her own pocket -- and she won!  The GOP never forgave her, and recognized she'd be an independent force to reckon with should she be elected to the US Senate where she would most likely be outspoken in her condemnation of GOP [and Democrat] corruption.

In 2011, we had Benghazi, which should have led to Obama's impeachment since all indicators pointed to a White House-State Department-Pentagon collusion.

The facts were there, yet the GOP did nothing in the face of blatant lies about our Military not having the capacity to respond for at least 16 hours -- a lie which was dispelled by evidence that we had at least one counter-terrorist ship parked off the coast of Benghazi loaded with SpecOps troops and aircraft, plus the Sixth Fleet, plus AfriCom forces, plus European Command forces -- all of whom had been ordered to stand down.

But, the GOP Congress pointedly refused to acknowledge the blatant lies and only raised lackluster complaints and investigations into that conspiracy -- alluding to all who questioned the official stories of Hillary and Rice and Jarrett as conspiracy theorists wearing tin-foil hats.

And, we gradually came to understand through Benghazi Committee testimony and Wikileaks releases of official documents, to include Hillary's classified emails, that all those accusations were accurate, and the evidence mounted that the GOP leadership had not only been aware of the White House - State Department - Pentagon collusion, they had been part of the conspiracy.

By 2012, even Obama doubted he could get reelected, and Romney had him on the ropes after demolishing Obama in the first debate.

In the second debate, all Romney had to do was respond with force against Candy Crowley and demonstrate he was a strong leader with the experience to fix the problems of the US economy.

Barack, I concede the election to you and Candy!

Instead, Crowley's blatant lie on Benghazi caught him like a deer in the headlights, and in that moment, Romney lost the confidence of Mainstream America.

Romney remained mute, and let Crowley cow him with her attack on national TV, and the American people figured this wimp, who clearly couldn't defend himself against a lying, conniving, obese, witch wasn't the leader they thought he was.




And, he still could have won the election had he paid attention to the famous Bill Clinton slogan being shouted from the rooftops:
'IT'S THE ECONOMY, STUPID!"

All he had to do was present to America his track record of creating tens of thousands of jobs.
But, mysteriously, he omitted those facts from his campaign.  At this point, it was clear he was throwing the election.

And, Obama was reelected.
And Congress, both  Democrats and  Republicans, were then free to continue their corruption unfettered.  And, Mainstream America was bewildered.

By 2014, the American Rebellion continued, and more Democrats were evicted, and more Tea Party candidates came to Capitol Hill, but more were corrupted by either promises of Party support for reelection, or perhaps coercion.

In 2015, Congress jumped on the money wagon to pass Obama's Fast Track package for the Trans-Pacific Partnership {TPP}Trade Proposals which would bar Congressional Members and Senators from
1) Submitting amendments to trade proposals
2) Limit how long proposals can be debated
3) Restrict dilatory tactics that create a 60-vote hurdle in the Senate

Essentially, Congress voted to opt out of the Trade Proposal process, and to remain ignorant of the content of those proposals -- not what we call due diligence in fiscal responsibility, and in direct contradiction to the Constitution -- passing its powers of legislation and Executive Oversight to the Oval Office.

How did this happen?  Were they coerced? or, were they bought.
You're Right!
It was door number 2, and the bill passed Congress by eight [count them] 8 votes!

Who paid what and to whom?
The money came from Wall Street, Big Pharma, Defense Contractors, and lobbyists for special interests.  Interestingly, the Republicans took most of the money, and many Democrats abstained.

Open Secrets and MapLight identified 346 companies [e.g., Monsanto, Google, Facebook, Lockheed Martin, Pfizer, and Walmart] and key organizations provided the bribes.

A sampling of the payouts and recipients:

HOUSE:  [partial list; note, Democrats can be bought for less]

 1)  John Boehner:        (R-OH)   $5.3  Million
 2)  Paul Ryan:               (R-WI)   $2.4  Million
 3)  Kevin McCarthy:    (R-CA)     $2.4  Million
 4)  Pat Tiberi                 (R-OH)    $1.6  Million
 5)  Jim Hines                 (D-CT)    $1.14 Million
 6)  Pete Sessions           (R-TX)    $1.06 Million [House Rules Committee Chair]
 7)  Bob Goodlatte         (R-VA)      $1     Million
 8)  Ron Kind                 (D-WI       $1    Million
 9)  Cathy Rogers          (R-WA)      $900,732
10)  Mike Pompeo         (R-KS)      $949,708
11)  Marsha Blackburn  (R-TN)      $700,687 [voted for uncontrolled immigration]
12)  Ami Bera                (D-CA)     $602,985
13)  Gerry Connolly       (D-VA)     $408,305
14)  Don Beyer               (D-VA)     $461,454
15)  Rick Larson             (D-WA)    $359,965
16)  Earl Blumenauer     (D-OR)     $352,711
17)  Debbie Wasserman Shultz  [ D-FL] $303,400 [Chair: DNC]
18)  Suzanne Bonamici   (D-OR)   $273,500


SENATE:

 1)  Mitch McConnell  (R-KY)  $9.01 Million
 2)  John Cornyn           (R-TX)    $5.30 Million
 3)  Mark Warner          (D-VA)    $5.04 Million

 4)  Claire McCaskell   (D-MO)   $4.4   Million

 5)  Mike Bennett         (D-CO)   $4.36 Million

 6)  Marco Rubio        (R-FL)    $4.17   Million
 7)  Ted Cruz               (R-TX)   $3.70 Million
 8)  Tim Kaine              (D-VA)   $3.66   Million
 9)  Ron Wyden            (D-OR)   $3.4   Million
10) Lindsey Graham    (R-SC)    $3.4 Million
11) Dianne Feinstein   (D-CA)   $2.86 Million
12) Jeanne Shaheen    (D-NH)   $2.02 Million

[Note: Figures are cumulative and reflect the varying stages of the Bill from introduction to name and content changes to enactment]

How did this Bill even get to the floor without public awareness?

On 12 May 2015, HR 2146 [Defending Public Safety], a routine bill for benefits for Law Enforcement Officers and Firefighter retirement funds passed the House 407-5.

My Bible Proves I'm Pure

On 4 June 2015, Ted Cruz added the magic amendment "with changes" to the House Bill, adding "TPA" [Trade Promotion Act] and "TAA" [Trade Adjustment Assistance (offset US worker job loss due to international trade agreements)] with "unanimous consent".

Me?  Corrupt?

Paul Ryan then picked up the ball and accepted the TPA change, but removed the TAA [a financial assistance package to train union workers].  Pelosi objected, but was coerced by Obama to go along with the package.  The House then passed the bill again, but with greater opposition this time [218 -  208] and sent it to the Senate where Ted Cruz maneuvered it through with a 60-38 vote.


The TAA element was the kicker here, since politicians of either Party who voted against this Bill would be accused of voting AGAINST benefits for Police and Firefighters -- the kiss of death in local elections back home.

On 29 June 2015, President Obama signed the Fast Track Trade Promotion Authority into law, giving the Executive Office unprecedented power and gutting Congressional oversight.

To further emasculate Congress, Senator Cruz defeated an amendment contained in HR 1314 that would have required Congress "to be consulted" if China [or other nations were to join after the fact.

Meanwhile, Trump was protesting the deal noting that TPP carried a "backdoor for China and Russia to join" this trade agreement -- which Cruz and Rubio had officially denied.

However, Secretary of State John Kerry, on 4 November 2015] invited China and Russia to join the TPP.  This followed declarations by Cruz and Ryan that neither China nor Russia would be allowed to participate in the TPP.



So, now that you are completely outraged and frustrated by this Byzantine corrupt political process, you might ask:
How do these sleazy SOBs get away with this!
Why don't the new politicians raise a stink?
Why not prosecute them!

Two words:
1) Bribes:  From the day Congresspersons are elected, they spend virtually all their time soliciting campaign donations and campaigning for reelection, selling their souls to get reelected.  Sometimes, they even have time to represent their constituents.  Some even do that well - specifically those who have made their fortunes before arriving on Capitol Hill, such as Darrell Issa [R-CA] and Thomas Massie [R-KY].

2) Blackmail:  This practice goes back to the LBJ Administration, which employed J Edgar Hoover to illegally wire offices in both the House and the Senate; LBJ then used recordings of the politicians to coerce them into supporting is initiatives; in some cases, he even used videos recorded in condominiums of his White House "hostesses" who invited newly elected Representatives and Senators [geographical bachelors] to their "homes".   Later, those wiretaps were reactivated by Clinton Administration and First Lady Hillary who purloined the "Background Investigation" files from the FBI [we're not sure how she managed that], and which the Secret Service found in her bedroom.

But, all that is such "Old School" technology.  Today, Obama has the NSA and an obsequious Director of National Intelligence to pander to the every need of Valerie Jarrett and David Axelrod to tap into every bit of communication of every politician and staffer on Capitol Hill, but that of their family members as well.  Essentially, no one on Capitol Hill is clean, except for the few who made their fortunes before being elected and have been smart enough to avoid NSA eavesdropping and DHS surveillance.

As you may have noticed, key bureaucrats and occasionally politicians who speak out against the crooks on Capitol Hill, or God forbid, against Obama, and find Men in Black at their doors at 3:00 am with "urgent safety updates" to discuss about very private family issues; in some cases with bureaucrats, arrests are made regarding specious allegations such as discovering child pornography on their home computers -- followed by quick trials in tiny courtrooms, and sentences of unique qualities.

So, the concept of truth and justice will win out is a stretch these days.
It is workable, however, if the incoming Trump Administration can rid the government of the Obama actives [and sleepers -- as we found following the Carter Administration] including a majority of the political appointees and replace them with professionals in the Department of Justice [we recall such days in the Reagan Administration].

An honest and professional DOJ would be capable of targeting the worst on Capitol Hill and certain agencies, and we firmly believe, with that lead, many on Capitol Hill would be more than willing to take plea bargains rather than have them and their families endure potential charges of corruption or treason to testify against the most corrupt on the Hill; the ultimate weapon is the potential loss of their lucrative federal pensions.

The end-product will be a strengthened Constitution, the same as we knew and understood throughout our history, through good times and bad.  It's really all up to Mainstream America in this Presidential Election.  We trust the American people can pull this off.

We do hope Mr Trump survives the campaign without being assassinated by Obama, the DNC, or the GOP [or all of the above] since it is certain that he will bring a new level of integrity to Washington.  We strongly suggest he surround himself with the very best and most trustworthy security personnel - and keep the Secret Service as his second tier [they weren't so effective with JFK and Ronald Reagan].

Congress rebels against Boehner

Would Christ take the whip to GOP Leadership?

In our series of guest posts, today, we feature Congressman Tom Massie's [R-KY] co-sponsorship of Representative Mark Meadow's resolution to replace the Speaker of the House, John Boehner [R-OH].

Massie is a Libertarian Republican, with a Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering from MIT, and an accomplished inventor with 24 patents, and is endorsed by FreedomWorks, Club for Growth, Gun Owners of America, and Young Americans for Liberty.


The dissatisfaction we Conservatives have experienced in recent times over Mr Boehner's obeisance to President 0bama has, of late, turned to outrage as we watch Boehner and Senate Majority Leader McConnell [R-KY] ram through legislation antithetical to all things Conservative, and Mr McConnell's latest demonstration of power in which he has threatened, coerced, and blackmailed every Conservative senator into supporting his condemnation of Senator Cruz's criticisms of the GOP leadership.

We're not sure today what the GOP stands for.  Pretty much, we're certain it has nothing to do with Conservative values.

We cite, for example, the 2010 election in Nevada in which Harry Reid [D-Nevada], [then Senate Majority Leader] struggled to keep his Senate seat in the face of overwhelming voter disgust with him.

GOP supported Harry Reid [D-NV]

 The Conservative candidate was Assemblywoman Sharron Angle, a fiery reformer who had defeated the Republican governor's unconstitutional legislation to raise personal taxes -- using her personal funds to win in a final Supreme Court decision.

Come the election, she garnered popular support through more than 20 Conservative organizations, to include the Tea Party Express, who endorsed her advocacy for the common citizen.  The GOP labeled her a crazy extremist -- perhaps because she successfully challenged the corruption of both political parties in Nevada.

In the Primary, she trounced the other Conservative candidates [one hand-picked by the RNC] with a 40% margin.

In the election, Harry Reid trailed by 11 points -- until the GOP stepped in to defeat her, using the Mayor of Reno, the widow of the GOP Governor, and both the Republican State and US Senators to ENDORSE Harry Reid and CONDEMN the winning Conservative candidate, Sharron Angle.

We'll repeat that in case you think it's a misprint:
In the election, Harry Reid trailed by 11 points -- until the GOP stepped in to defeat her, using the Mayor of Reno, the widow of the GOP Governor, and both the Republican State and US Senators to ENDORSE Harry Reid and CONDEMN the winning Conservative candidate, Sharron Angle.

Bottom Line:  The GOP defeated the Republican Senate candidate in order re-elect Harry Reid, the arch-enemy of the Conservatives, rather than allow an independent-minded Conservative into the Senate.  They REJECTED the potential of a GOP Senate Majority in order to defeat Angle and other Conservative candidates they worried they could not control!

[Interestingly, Nevada voters tossed out state senator Raggio [R] following his endorsement of Reid and condemnation of Angle.  Even they were disgusted!]

Feeling nauseous?
Watching Boehner and McConnell in action in recent weeks, passing legislation in secret, in which the content remains "secret" for five [5] years, removes the concept of the Balance of Power in which Congress supposedly challenges the Executive Branch through open debate and open voting on the House and Senate floor -- so citizens are properly represented.

Our independent thinking Members of Congress and a few senators have the guts to challenge Boehner and McConnell, and the GOP leadership with House Resolution 385, which declares the office of Speaker of the House "vacant"; we've quoted it below:

RESOLUTION:

Declaring the office of Speaker of the House of Representatives vacant.

Whereas the Speaker of the House of Representatives for the 114th Congress has endeavored to consolidate power and centralize decision-making, bypassing the majority of the 435 Members of Congress and the people they represent;

Whereas the Speaker has, through inaction, caused the power of Congress to atrophy, thereby making Congress subservient to the executive and judicial branches, diminishing the voice of the American people;

Whereas the Speaker uses the power of the office to punish Members who vote according to their conscience instead of the will of the Speaker;

Whereas the Speaker has intentionally provided for voice votes on consequential and controversial legislation to be taken without notice and with few Members present;

Whereas the Speaker uses the legislative calendar to create crises for the American people, in order to compel Members to vote for legislation;

Whereas the Speaker does not comply with the spirit of the rules of the House of Representatives, which provide that Members shall have three days to review legislation before voting;

Whereas the Speaker continues to direct the Rules Committee to limit meaningful amendments, to limit debate on the House floor, and to subvert a straightforward legislative process; and

Whereas the House of Representatives, to function effectively in the service of all citizens of this country, requires the service of a Speaker who will endeavor to follow an orderly and inclusive process without imposing his or her will upon any Member thereof: 

Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the office of Speaker of the House of Representatives is hereby declared to be vacant.

Introduced:  Jul 28, 2015

Status:  Referred to Committee on Jul 28, 2015

This resolution was assigned to a congressional committee on July 28, 2015, which will consider it before possibly sending it on to the House or Senate as a whole.

Sponsor:          MarkMeadows  [R], NC 11^th Congressional District

Co-Sponsors:  Thomas Massie [R], KY 4^th Congressional District

                        Walter Jones      [R], NC 3^rd Congressional District

                        Ted Yoho            [R], FL 3^rd Congressional District 

Prognosis:   24% chance of passing [and gaining traction].

What is a resolution?

This is a House Simple Resolution in the US Congress used for matters that affect only one chamber of Congress, often to change the rules of the chamber to set the manner of debate for a related bill. It must be agreed to in the chamber in which it was introduced. It is not voted on in the other chamber and does not have the force of law.

This Resolution may not be fulfilled, but if enough of our Representatives from both sides of the aisle vote for it, Boehner [and McConnell] will be put on notice that the US government is not for the power of power-hungry politicians, but rather

"OF THE PEOPLE, BY THE PEOPLE, FOR THE PEOPLE!"