Congress Behaving Badly

I try not to be extremely political as a rule, because along with religion, politics is one of those subjects that can cause folks to lose their religion; however, what is going on with the members of the United States Congress and the shutdown of the government calls for Americans to be outspoken in their opinions of this outrage. Gallup polls show that so many Americans are angry with this situation that they are signing petitions for reduced term limits and severe pay cuts for Congress. I am one of those people. While more than 58 percent of Americans live below poverty levels, members of Congress have an average salary of $174,000 per year, and if you count the $110,000 in taxpayer-funded fringe benefits Members receive (including plush retirement plans, paid time off, and contributions to Social Security and Medicare taxes), they’re earning close to $285,000 per year. I don't know about you, but I would certainly like to be able to live within those standards!

If you are an American voter who is also tired of Congress behaving badly, here are a couple of ways to express your opinion. There is a petition to impose stricter term limits on members of congress here: US Term Limits and one to impose a reduction of pay and benefits for them here: Pay Cuts for Congress. It's time to remind them that they work for us, and we have the right to censure them when they do not. I'm sure our forefathers would be very much disappointed in the fact that what they saw as a public service has become a way for some folks to get rich. Let's get Congress back to the way they intended it to be!