28th Amendment - what IS this code for

[la_chupa]

I just got this e-mail from a family member who is not a friendly. I can't figure out what has "them" so riled up.

"This will take less than thirty seconds to read. If you agree, please pass it on.

An idea whose time has come
For too long we have been too complacent about the workings of Congress. Many citizens had no idea that members of Congress could retire with the same pay after only one term, that they didn't pay into Social Security, that they specifically exempted themselves from many of the laws they have passed (such as being exempt from any fear of prosecution for sexual harassment) while ordinary citizens must live under those laws. The latest is to exempt themselves from the Healthcare Reform that is being considered...in all of its forms. Somehow, that doesn't seem logical. We do not have an elite that is above the law. I truly don't care if they are Democrat, Republican, Independent or whatever. The self-serving must stop. This is a good way to do that. It is an idea whose time has come.


Have each person contact a minimum of Twenty people on their Address list, in turn ask each of those to do likewise.

In three days, most people in The United States of America will have the message. This is one proposal that really should be passed around.

Proposed 28th Amendment to the United States Constitution

"Congress shall make no law that applies to the citizens of the United States that does not apply equally to the Senators and/or Representatives; and, Congress shall make no law that applies to the Senators and/or Representatives that does not apply equally to the citizens of the United States ."




You are one of my 20."

[boppers]

1. Well, Congress isn't exempt from HCR, so that premise is flawed.

I'm not sure ethics panels for citizens are a good idea, either.

[treestar]

2. I got that one

The proposed amendment is redundant, as there are not different rules for Congress as an employer.

If one private company offers better benefits than another, it would be the same difference.

Congress would not need to exempt themselves from the system; they would just be people who keep the coverage that they had because they are happy with it, like any other person who wanted to keep their coverage.

[harkadog]

4. There are different rules

When I was working for the Occupational Safety and Health administration we were told that Congress was exempt from the workplace safety rules. Also they were exempt from other employer regulations like EEOC, etc.

[tritsofme]

7. It likely has to do with the seperation of powers.

OSHA is a executive level agency which presumably lacks the constitutional power to compel the internal affairs of Congress.

[harkadog]

8. That is true but OSHA is simply enforcing a law created by Congress.

[tritsofme]

9. This seems like the most likely answer to me.

Even though it was created by an act of Congress, is still an agency of the Department of Labor, part of the executive branch.

I think you run into significant separation of powers issues when an executive agency would try to assert authority over Congress.

[ET Awful]

3. As a general rule - if an e-mail tells you to forward it to a bunch of people, it's a bunch of hooie

http://www.snopes.com/politics/medical/28thamendment.asp

[Bitwit1234]

5. Congress members are not the only ones who do not pay into social security

Anyone who is a permanent member of the federal government pays into a retirement fund. they can not pay social security because of a law that was passed called "double dipping". It was done so federal employees, congress included could not receive two federal retirement checks.

[ET Awful]

6. Congress members DO pay into Social Security and have since 1984

http://www.snopes.com/politics/socialsecurity/pensions.asp

Some outdated rumors just never die.

[la_chupa]

10. I probably should have let this go

But I culled the responses here to go with the handy reply all feature and dispute all of it.

Then I went into a side rant about how you can only refinance student loans once and how that was clearly something passed intentionally to soak students and/or a personal assault on me.