The purpose of this petition is to reform government so that our elected representatives have the same rights as all Americans, to help them remember that ours is a citizen democracy of equals and that they are us.

Amend the Constitution to ensure Congress persons must give-up their pensions and become part of Social Security, that Congress cannot vote itself a pay raise, no tenure - no pay, Congress must give-up their health care system and use what the rest of us Americans must use, serving in Congress is not a career, terms should be limited to two terms, maximum.

In 2010 we spent $164 Billion Dollars, in interest payments. Just imagine how that money could help the American people.

Ordinary people need help participating in democracy.

Being a Congressperson or Senator was never meant to be a career or lifetime position. No one should be supported by the citizens of the US for the rest of their lives for working as a congressperson for 5 years.

Congressional Reform Act of 2011

With the 2012 election fast approaching, we are gonna get stuck with two dismal choices: A potentially insane Republican candidate or a weak and timid Democratic incumbent who doesn't really work for progressives. A lot of us have come to the realization that Obama is not the progressive that he pretended to be in 2008. He is worse than a Republican because he uses his position as a Democratic President as cover to pass conservative legislation. Even if a progressive primary challenger lost to the President, it would at least force Obama to move closer to his base, the people that elected him in the first place. Howard Dean would be a great choice. Let's call him to action so that he can push the President in the right direction and maybe even replace him.

Congress members should receive only the same federal benefits available to the rest of the American people.

We need a constitutional amendment restricting benefits of all Congressional and government employees to those publicly available to all Americans (such as Social Security and Medicare). They should not be able to give themselves better benefits than they give the rest of us.

Congress has created a fail-proof system of rewards and benefits for themselves. Voters need to insist that our representatives operate under an equitable system. Please read and sign the petition.

Congress and the Executive Branch are part of the problem and need to contribute and share the sacrifices we are being asked to do, join us with the following petition: CUT back their salaries, perks, healthcare, PTO and pensions; CAP future increases to the same COLA as Social Security; BALANCE the needs of the citizens with their party agenda

As long as we continue our system of allowing the very rich and corporations to rule by donating to our representatives, obviously, it will be they who rule our country. That is, in my opinion, the reason for the mess we are having now! If we have serious campaign finance reform, allowing anyone running for political office to have equal chances with public financing, we will have a very different political outlook!