An Idea for Student Loan Reform

$8 BILLION!
In the recent tax bill signed by President Obama, there were $8 billion in earmarks.

REFORM
My suggestion is for members of Congress to forgo the earmarks and use the money to buyout all existing loans and through the U.S. Department of Education restructure the loans to the original amount of the loan minus payments made to the principal and adding predetermined accrued simple interest since the time the loan was granted and set the loan at simple interest high enough to make the program self supporting and low enough to make higher payments on the principal.

This will result in a much better approval rate for Congress, be beneficial to constituents and improve the economy by having the loans repaid much earlier and making it possible for the purchase of luxury items.

A CALL TO ACTION
I ask all my blogging friends to send messages to their Senators and Representatives. Click here for a list of addresses for your Congressperson.

I am writing a letter to Governor Charlie Crist. Here is a short excerpt.

Congress has no conscience. For ten years it refused to increase the minimum wage for government migratory farm workers and gave as a reason it was bad for business. Now it has stolen from the Social Security fund to the extent that beneficiaries who have paid into the fund all of their working years have not been able to receive a COLA for 2010 and perhaps 2011. Also there appears to be efforts to reduce benefits .What happened to Lincoln’s concept of a nation of the people, by the people and for the people?

The solution is to inundate the White House, the president, with letters, telephone calls, telegrams, E-Mails, Facebook, blogs and any other communicable methods to urge President Obama to take Social Security off budget where it was before Lyndon Johnson put it on budget. Thus Bernanke and his thieving friends in Congress cannot use Social Security funds for budgetary purposes.

This and more in my book For a Better America: Observations, Insights and a Plan for Action by a 95 Year Old American.

Congress and A Questionnaire

I'm glad to be back blogging. My absence was due to tying up loose ends with my publisher. Now that things are resolved, I'll be more attentive to my blog and you, my followers. Also, I added an option to subscribe. To get notice of when I write a new post, make sure you sign up!

I'm looking for two things in regard to this post. The first is feedback on this idea and the second, is information on how to get this questionnaire on a national election ballot. I welcome your reactions, thoughts and ideas. Please feel free to share on your own blogs, Twitter or Facebook pages.

This questionnaire is from my book, now available, "For A Better America: Observations, Insights, and a Plan for Action by a 95 Year Old American."

In view of the numerous issues that are dividing our country, it was felt expedient to compile the following questionnaire regarding these issues to be added to the ballot of the 2012 presidential election to ascertain the will of the people. The results will be sent to Congress to make amendments to the constitution and enact new laws in accordance with the will of the people. When the will of the people is ascertained, Congress can then make the necessary changes.

There will be three choices in the voting, Yes, No and Undecided.

Should English be declared the official language of the United States?

Should a Citizens Commission with full powers of a grand jury be established to oversee the affairs of government?

Should there be term limits for members of Congress ?

Should there be a retirement age for U.S. Supreme Court Justices?

Should Riders to bills of legislation be banned by Congress?

Should marriage be the union of one man and one woman?

Should Partial Birth Abortion be banned?

Should the words “ under God “ remain in the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag of the United States of America?

Should the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag of the United States of America be permitted at public gatherings and events?

Should nativity scenes be permitted in public places at Christmastime?

Should prayer be permitted in schools under specified conditions?

Should the Ten Commandments be permitted to be displayed in public places?

Should the policy of Separation of Church and State be more specifically defined?

Should the policy of Religious Liberty be more clearly defined?

Should the constitutional privilege of Freedom of Speech be more clearly defined?

Should efforts be made to reduce the amount of sexual content in television programs,

movies, print and video media?

Should an application for naturalization require that an applicant be literate in English?

Should an applicant for a driver’s license be able to read and understand all road signs?

Should the word “ God “ remain on the currency of the United States of America?

Should the words “ So help me God “ remain in the inauguration oath of a new president and swearing in of government officials?

Should the words “ So help me God “ remain in the oath a person takes when testifying?

Should members of Congress and all officials of government be placed under the jurisdiction of the Office of Personnel Management the same as all other government employees for such matters as pensions, social security, health benefits annual cost of living increases and any other so called fiscal matters?

Should the power of Executive Pardon be amended to require the consent of a majority vote of the United States Senate?

Should there be a National Day of Prayer?

So what do you think?

Congress and Health Care

In my last blog, I stated we have a Congress with no conscience and no shame. Another example is the way Health Care Reform is being handled. Several Republican members of Congress voted for the plan offered by the Democrats and were severely criticized by the heads of the Republican party not for voting according to their conscience but because they voted " with the democrats". In other words members of Congress are expected to vote according to the wishes of the party they represent and not according to their own conscience. Also, according to a poll, more than 60 per cent of the people favored a public option, but it is not being considered by Congress. It is obvious that a Plan Health accepted will favor special interests so that at election time they will be a source of contributors to campaign funds.
We should all write letters, send E-Mails, make telephone calls to our members of Congress telling them that we do not want cuts to Medicare or tampering with Social Security and fund that we support a Health Care Plan that covers all of our people by reducing the billions of dollars the United States gives to foreign countries.
Citizens Against Government Waste, an advocacy group has an eight page report regarding
savings against wasteful spending.
With the reduction of moneys given to foreign countries and savings according to Citizens Against Government Waste we can afford Health Care for every American citizen.

A Design Flaw in the Constitution

The framers of our Constitution unknowingly made a serious mistake in granting excessive powers to Congress with the expectation that it would do what is best for the country and its people. In reviewing its actions we have a Congress with no conscience and no shame. For ten years it refused to raise the minimum raise for government employees that were migrant farm workers living at or below the poverty level who traveled and lived in various parts of the country. Shockingly, the reason Congress gave was that it was bad for business. What happened to the nation of the people, by the people and for the people? Finally Congress granted these employees an increase in the minimum wage.
In 1951 Congress limited the number of terms a President may serve but did not limit the number of terms a member of Congress may serve. It made it possible for them to have lifetime careers by the despicable practice of adding Riders to bills of legislation in which were added pork barrel projects that were unnecessary and a waste of taxpayers money amounting to billions of dollars. This ingratiated themselves with constituents back home assuring them of lifetime careers. The reprehensible aspect of this is that term limits can only be made by Congress. It is like Congress saying to its members, " Stop the gravy train and everybody get off."

I have some ideas on how this can be changed. In coming posts I will share those with you. In the meantime, what do you think?