Uproot and Overhaul Washington
Posted on 11/17/2011 2:30:55 AM PST by Cincinatus' Wife
....Cornyn neither condemned nor endorsed the proposal by a fellow Texan that would cut the salary of House members and senators in half, cut their staff budgets in half and cut their time in Washington in half.
“You know the old saying in Texas?” Cornyn wondered. “We have a legislature that meets for 140 days every two years, but many Texans believe it ought to be two days ever 140 years.”
Texans believe in limited government “and see Washington as the antithesis to limited government” by expanding government responsibilities, consuming more taxpayer dollars and “intruding even more on our individual liberties and our rights,” Cornyn said, echoing some of Perry’s anti-Washington themes.
But the idea of becoming a part-time senator after eight years in office didn’t sit well with Cornyn.
“I believe representing 25 million people (in Texas) is a pretty big job,” Cornyn told reporters in a weekly telephone call.
And Congress has wider responsibilities than part-time state legislatures such as the legislative branch in Texas.
“The world doesn’t stop when Congress is out of session,” Cornyn said. “We need to have a Congress that fits our needs as the world’s premier power.”
Cornyn conceded that lawmakers could “make much more efficient use” of their time (in Washington)” and that “the more Congress is in session, the more likely it is to spend more money and pass a bunch of laws that we frankly don’t need.”
But Cornyn diplomatically broke ranks with Perry. As Cornyn put it: “I’m not advocating a state legislature-type schedule.”
(Excerpt) Read more at blog.chron.com ...
In a letter to Pelosi (D-Calif.) obtained by The Hill, the Texas governor wrote: "I am in Washington Monday and would love to engage you in a public debate about my Overhaul Washington plan versus the congressional status quo.
"I think it would be a tremendous service to the American people to see a public airing of these differences," he continued. "Let the people decide. If Monday doesn't work, perhaps we could find a time in Iowa over the course of the next month to discuss these issues in front of the people of America's heartland."....
Pelosi's office did not answer The Hill's question about whether she would meet with the Texas governor.
"Should you choose not to respond or engage in such a healthy discussion, I will take it to mean you will continue your obstructionist ways in the face of much needed Washington reform," Perry wrote.... The Hill
The President says Americans are Lazy [:31]
I wouldn’t say Cornyn “balked”
Sen Steny Hoyer fer sure didn't like it.
Perry fires back at Hoyer over Tea Party remark
[snip] .....“Rick Perry? I have heard that name, yes. Oh, he is the one that has three -- yes, I can't remember what they are.”
Hoyer then dismissed Perry’s government-reduction idea.
“This is a serious proposal he is making for a country that has very high unemployment, whose budget deficit is larger than it's ever been in history, would have two wars that we're confronting and trying to bring to conclusion,” Hoyer said.
“If this is what he thinks is pandering to the Tea Party, it is not, in my opinion, speaking to the issues that the American public feels are very, very critical to them, jobs being the number one issue. So I don't think it's a very serious effort on his part.” [end]
I’m glad to see him go on the offensive.
I think if you just told the Senate that they could be in session for a maximum of 100 days a year...it’d start to really change things in DC. The guys in the Senate have become like some Hollywood crowd, and it’s become comical how more people can name more Senators today instead of NFL quarterbacks. Years ago, most folks were lucky if they knew their own state’s senators.
LLS
Time to shake things up.
Rick is wrong about some things, BUT this is an issue that he is RIGHT about.
IT IS TIME, to DownSize DC!
Close entire Departments.
Force Congress & Senate to telecommute most of the year from their home district. Away from the Lobbyists and under the thumb of the electorate.
Washington IS the problem.
The idea of a part-time Congress could be as big as the Tea Party.
This issue alone, could win many elections.
Everybody gets this.
Pretty gutsy move!
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This kind of thinking is emblematic of the problem! We don't need a response from a bunch of posturing, preening, media whores to every event in the world. Congress meets full time now and DOESN'T DO IT'S JOB! It intrudes on our lives. It tells us whaat kind of light bulbs we can buy, what kind of TV we need and what speed we should drive at but it hasn't passed a damned budget in three years!!!!
Perry is absolutely correct. Half time Congress. Half pay. Half staff.
Oh...and I don’tr know if Perry has said so or not but no more Congressional pensions! That’ll get rid of carreer politicans in Congress!
Washington has now so interjected itself into every element of American life that they now believe that America can’t run unless they’re constantly meddling. Hoyer is clearly clueless and Cornyn is also a big part of the problem.
Perry was absolutley right when he said Washington needs to become inconsequential and he’s now laid out some specific proposals to do just that. The only problem is that the entire power structure has at this point has become so entrenched that nothing short of a nuclear detonation in DC will get the job done.
So is being a volunteer EMT on call at 2 a.m.
Anyway, the smaller government is the less we would need representin' to protect us from it.
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