Interesting proposal. But their “pensions” would then come entirely from serving well heeled special interests who can provided the best sinecures after they leave office (i.e., sitting on boards, being paid advisors, receiving contracts as paybacks, etc).
Yeah, but I think they get those things anyway. But if they got very little beyond prestige and maybe some influence they’d only stay in office a few years. There’d be no incentive to stay on for 20, etc. years. Just putting in term limits du jure wouldn’t prevent any of the things you mention either.
The federal government really needs to be dismantled back to its essential functions.