Feinstein returns to the Senate. Sort of.
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@Axtremus said in Feinstein returns to the Senate. Sort of.:
It's voluntary. The senior politicians (and justices) can say no and resign at anytime.
Not all elected turn into gomers with age. Why are we so particular about age when we elect the likes of Santos and MT Greene?
wrote on 15 May 2023, 15:15 last edited by@Catseye3 said in Feinstein returns to the Senate. Sort of.:
Why are we so particular about age when we elect the likes of Santos and MT Greene?
Because at some time, people become incompetent.
MTG might be, in your opinion, dangerous. Santos is a thieving liar (though probably not dangerous). We really don't know what, if anything, the senior senator from California is thinking. Who's pulling the strings?
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@Axtremus said in Feinstein returns to the Senate. Sort of.:
It's voluntary. The senior politicians (and justices) can say no and resign at anytime.
Not all elected turn into gomers with age. Why are we so particular about age when we elect the likes of Santos and MT Greene?
wrote on 15 May 2023, 15:17 last edited by@Catseye3 said in Feinstein returns to the Senate. Sort of.:
Not all elected turn into gomers with age. Why are we so particular about age when we elect the likes of Santos and MT Greene?
Not all people under 30 are incapable of managing their own meals, but we don't let them run, either.
It makes sense that if there's a lower age limit that there should be an upper one, too.
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@Catseye3 said in Feinstein returns to the Senate. Sort of.:
Not all elected turn into gomers with age. Why are we so particular about age when we elect the likes of Santos and MT Greene?
Not all people under 30 are incapable of managing their own meals, but we don't let them run, either.
It makes sense that if there's a lower age limit that there should be an upper one, too.
wrote on 15 May 2023, 15:20 last edited by@Doctor-Phibes said in Feinstein returns to the Senate. Sort of.:
It makes sense that if there's a lower age limit that there should be an upper one, too.
Agreed. The problem is that there's a great deal of individual variability as one gets older. However, this is not a matter of policy or legislation. You'd have to amend the constitution and that's a very heavy lift.
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@Catseye3 said in Feinstein returns to the Senate. Sort of.:
Not all elected turn into gomers with age. Why are we so particular about age when we elect the likes of Santos and MT Greene?
Not all people under 30 are incapable of managing their own meals, but we don't let them run, either.
It makes sense that if there's a lower age limit that there should be an upper one, too.
wrote on 15 May 2023, 15:23 last edited by@Doctor-Phibes said in Feinstein returns to the Senate. Sort of.:
Not all people under 30 are incapable of managing their own meals, but we don't let them run, either.
I agree the less-than-compos-mentis should not be elected or re-elected. I just don't see the need for a law about it -- in keeping with my conviction that there doesn't need to be a bloody law about every damn thing.
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wrote on 15 May 2023, 16:43 last edited by George K
More on DiFi.
Multiple sources tell Rolling Stone that in recent years Feinstein’s office had an on-call system — unbeknownst to Feinstein herself — to prevent the senator from ever walking around the Capitol on her own. At any given moment there was a staff member ready to jump up and stroll alongside the senator if she left her office, worried about what she’d say to reporters if left unsupervised. The system has been in place for years.
“They will not let her leave by herself, but she doesn’t even know it,” says Jamarcus Purley, a former staffer.
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More on DiFi.
Multiple sources tell Rolling Stone that in recent years Feinstein’s office had an on-call system — unbeknownst to Feinstein herself — to prevent the senator from ever walking around the Capitol on her own. At any given moment there was a staff member ready to jump up and stroll alongside the senator if she left her office, worried about what she’d say to reporters if left unsupervised. The system has been in place for years.
“They will not let her leave by herself, but she doesn’t even know it,” says Jamarcus Purley, a former staffer.
wrote on 15 May 2023, 16:46 last edited by@George-K said in Feinstein returns to the Senate. Sort of.:
More on DiFi.
———
Multiple sources tell Rolling Stone that in recent years Feinstein’s office had an on-call system — unbeknownst to Feinstein herself — to prevent the senator from ever walking around the Capitol on her own. At any given moment there was a staff member ready to jump up and stroll alongside the senator if she left her office, worried about what she’d say to reporters if left unsupervised. The system has been in place for years.“They will not let her leave by herself, but she doesn’t even know it,” says Jamarcus Purley, a former staffer.
As I was saying about handlers and their effect on "voluntary actions".
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wrote on 15 May 2023, 17:44 last edited by
@Catseye3 said in Feinstein returns to the Senate. Sort of.:
. . .there doesn't need to be a bloody law about every damn thing.
That's my Cats that said that!
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wrote on 15 May 2023, 20:56 last edited by
Her election history is a perfect illustration of the insanity that is California. In 1994 she barely beat out Log Cabin Republican Michael Huffington (hey, you’d probably go gay after being married to Ariana, too…) By 2008 she was doubling up the Republican, and in 2018 she was only competing against other liberal Democrats…
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@Doctor-Phibes said in Feinstein returns to the Senate. Sort of.:
Not all people under 30 are incapable of managing their own meals, but we don't let them run, either.
I agree the less-than-compos-mentis should not be elected or re-elected. I just don't see the need for a law about it -- in keeping with my conviction that there doesn't need to be a bloody law about every damn thing.
wrote on 16 May 2023, 00:42 last edited by@Catseye3 said in Feinstein returns to the Senate. Sort of.:
I agree the less-than-compos-mentis should not be elected or re-elected. I just don't see the need for a law about it -- in keeping with my conviction that there doesn't need to be a bloody law about every damn thing.
If you don't have rules, then you're left to rely on the common sense of the general public. The Californian general public in the case of Feinstein, or in the interests of balance, Iowa (who has the 2nd oldest Senator, who I believe is named Noah)
Far be it from me to cast nasturtiums at these fine states, but let's be honest we all know where I'm going here.
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wrote on 17 May 2023, 11:50 last edited by
"Feinstein returns to the Senate."
Bushwa....
She was never gone. Just ask her.
Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California insisted that she had not been absent from the Senate when asked about it by reporters on Tuesday, according to Slate and the Los Angeles Times.
"No, I haven't been gone," she told the Times' Ben Oreskes on Tuesday when asked how her Senate colleagues have responded to her return. "You should follow the — I haven't been gone, I've been working."
Oreskes then asked her whether she had been working from home.
"No, I've been here. I've been voting," she said. "Please, you either know or don't know."
Feinstein then reportedly deflected a question about lawmakers calling for her to resign before an aide wheeled her away.
Feinstein's office did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
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wrote on 17 May 2023, 12:05 last edited by
Based on how much people hate giving it up, being in power must either be seriously addictive or extremely lucrative, or possibly both.
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Based on how much people hate giving it up, being in power must either be seriously addictive or extremely lucrative, or possibly both.
wrote on 17 May 2023, 12:07 last edited by@Doctor-Phibes said in Feinstein returns to the Senate. Sort of.:
extremely lucrative
"At some point, you've made enough money."
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@Doctor-Phibes said in Feinstein returns to the Senate. Sort of.:
extremely lucrative
"At some point, you've made enough money."
wrote on 17 May 2023, 12:27 last edited by@George-K said in Feinstein returns to the Senate. Sort of.:
@Doctor-Phibes said in Feinstein returns to the Senate. Sort of.:
extremely lucrative
"At some point, you've made enough money."
Yeah, but he made his money by being an ex-President and world-renowned author.
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wrote on 17 May 2023, 12:39 last edited by
Might have to have an amendment, but I have no problem with reasonable term limits. 24 years total, for both House and Senate. That's a 12-term congressman, a 4-term Senator or a combination, such as 3 terms in Congress and 3 terms in the Senate.
I also have a very big problem with getting rich while serving. If a person is elected to Congress, ALL investments go into a blind trust for the duration of their service. All of their spouse's investments go into a blind trust. ANY communication between the elected official and the trust, besides normal quarterly statements and tax documents will result in immediate malfeasance charges and if proven guilty, immediate impeachment.
And...All elected officials and any civil servant above the grade of GS-14, shall be barred from any lobbying job for a period of 12 years past their last date of service.
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Might have to have an amendment, but I have no problem with reasonable term limits. 24 years total, for both House and Senate. That's a 12-term congressman, a 4-term Senator or a combination, such as 3 terms in Congress and 3 terms in the Senate.
I also have a very big problem with getting rich while serving. If a person is elected to Congress, ALL investments go into a blind trust for the duration of their service. All of their spouse's investments go into a blind trust. ANY communication between the elected official and the trust, besides normal quarterly statements and tax documents will result in immediate malfeasance charges and if proven guilty, immediate impeachment.
And...All elected officials and any civil servant above the grade of GS-14, shall be barred from any lobbying job for a period of 12 years past their last date of service.
wrote on 17 May 2023, 12:44 last edited by@Jolly said in Feinstein returns to the Senate. Sort of.:
Might have to have an amendment, but I have no problem with reasonable term limits. 24 years total, for both House and Senate. That's a 12-term congressman, a 4-term Senator or a combination, such as 3 terms in Congress and 3 terms in the Senate.
I also have a very big problem with getting rich while serving. If a person is elected to Congress, ALL investments go into a blind trust for the duration of their service. All of their spouse's investments go into a blind trust. ANY communication between the elected official and the trust, besides normal quarterly statements and tax documents will result in immediate malfeasance charges and if proven guilty, immediate impeachment.
And...All elected officials and any civil servant above the grade of GS-14, shall be barred from any lobbying job for a period of 12 years past their last date of service.
Also, insider trading rules should apply to congress people, the same as they do to everybody else.
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@George-K said in Feinstein returns to the Senate. Sort of.:
@Doctor-Phibes said in Feinstein returns to the Senate. Sort of.:
extremely lucrative
"At some point, you've made enough money."
Yeah, but he made his money by being an ex-President and world-renowned author.
wrote on 17 May 2023, 13:03 last edited by@Doctor-Phibes said in Feinstein returns to the Senate. Sort of.:
Yeah, but he made his money by being an ex-President and world-renowned author.
Yeah, at which point was it enough?
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Might have to have an amendment, but I have no problem with reasonable term limits. 24 years total, for both House and Senate. That's a 12-term congressman, a 4-term Senator or a combination, such as 3 terms in Congress and 3 terms in the Senate.
I also have a very big problem with getting rich while serving. If a person is elected to Congress, ALL investments go into a blind trust for the duration of their service. All of their spouse's investments go into a blind trust. ANY communication between the elected official and the trust, besides normal quarterly statements and tax documents will result in immediate malfeasance charges and if proven guilty, immediate impeachment.
And...All elected officials and any civil servant above the grade of GS-14, shall be barred from any lobbying job for a period of 12 years past their last date of service.
wrote on 17 May 2023, 20:33 last edited by@Jolly said in Feinstein returns to the Senate. Sort of.:
I also have a very big problem with getting rich while serving. If a person is elected to Congress, ALL investments go into a blind trust for the duration of their service. All of their spouse's investments go into a blind trust. ANY communication between the elected official and the trust, besides normal quarterly statements and tax documents will result in immediate malfeasance charges and if proven guilty, immediate impeachment.
And...All elected officials and any civil servant above the grade of GS-14, shall be barred from any lobbying job for a period of 12 years past their last date of service.
Say, you only formed these opinions after Trump left office? Think you will insist that Trump puts all his businesses into a blind trust if Trump is elected again?
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@Jolly said in Feinstein returns to the Senate. Sort of.:
I also have a very big problem with getting rich while serving. If a person is elected to Congress, ALL investments go into a blind trust for the duration of their service. All of their spouse's investments go into a blind trust. ANY communication between the elected official and the trust, besides normal quarterly statements and tax documents will result in immediate malfeasance charges and if proven guilty, immediate impeachment.
And...All elected officials and any civil servant above the grade of GS-14, shall be barred from any lobbying job for a period of 12 years past their last date of service.
Say, you only formed these opinions after Trump left office? Think you will insist that Trump puts all his businesses into a blind trust if Trump is elected again?
wrote on 17 May 2023, 21:29 last edited by@Axtremus said in Feinstein returns to the Senate. Sort of.:
@Jolly said in Feinstein returns to the Senate. Sort of.:
I also have a very big problem with getting rich while serving. If a person is elected to Congress, ALL investments go into a blind trust for the duration of their service. All of their spouse's investments go into a blind trust. ANY communication between the elected official and the trust, besides normal quarterly statements and tax documents will result in immediate malfeasance charges and if proven guilty, immediate impeachment.
And...All elected officials and any civil servant above the grade of GS-14, shall be barred from any lobbying job for a period of 12 years past their last date of service.
Say, you only formed these opinions after Trump left office? Think you will insist that Trump puts all his businesses into a blind trust if Trump is elected again?
There are days when you give your fellow idiots a bad name.
This is one of them.
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Might have to have an amendment, but I have no problem with reasonable term limits. 24 years total, for both House and Senate. That's a 12-term congressman, a 4-term Senator or a combination, such as 3 terms in Congress and 3 terms in the Senate.
I also have a very big problem with getting rich while serving. If a person is elected to Congress, ALL investments go into a blind trust for the duration of their service. All of their spouse's investments go into a blind trust. ANY communication between the elected official and the trust, besides normal quarterly statements and tax documents will result in immediate malfeasance charges and if proven guilty, immediate impeachment.
And...All elected officials and any civil servant above the grade of GS-14, shall be barred from any lobbying job for a period of 12 years past their last date of service.
wrote on 18 May 2023, 04:31 last edited by@Jolly said in Feinstein returns to the Senate. Sort of.:
Might have to have an amendment, but I have no problem with reasonable term limits. 24 years total, for both House and Senate. That's a 12-term congressman, a 4-term Senator or a combination, such as 3 terms in Congress and 3 terms in the Senate.
I also have a very big problem with getting rich while serving. If a person is elected to Congress, ALL investments go into a blind trust for the duration of their service. All of their spouse's investments go into a blind trust. ANY communication between the elected official and the trust, besides normal quarterly statements and tax documents will result in immediate malfeasance charges and if proven guilty, immediate impeachment.
And...All elected officials and any civil servant above the grade of GS-14, shall be barred from any lobbying job for a period of 12 years past their last date of service.
Good ideas.
I am also wondering if increased pay would help. That may be an unpopular idea, but the private sector can pay so much more, that many smart people would not want to become involved in politics because it would be a significant pay cut.
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wrote on 18 May 2023, 11:59 last edited by
Even with the pay they have now, there are a lot of perks that come with the job.
I'd add a couple more...
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Washington is not a cheap area to live in. I've proposed free housing for Congress before. Two and three bedroom apartments located in two or three buildings or complexes. Give them commissary and BX privileges.
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I'd cut down the number of days they could be in session by a third, except in cases of national emergency or a special session to address a specific problem as agreed to by the Senate Leader and the Speaker.
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