I was shooting the breeze yesterday on how the legislative branch be held more accountable and productive, so this is what we spitballed.
More below the fold
How do we make the legislative branch more productive?
1: limit the size of DC staffs
In order to best serve their constituents, the bulk of staffs should be in their districts/states, leaving a minimal staff in DC. Most work in DC nowadays can be done by telecommuting from local offices. This also forces lobbyists to get out in the field if the want face time with the people who really make the decisions.
2: 3 day weeks in DC, 50 weeks a year
Now that we have air conditioning, summer reccess needs to go away. They get paid enough, so they need to be in DC Tues-Thursday; Friday through Monday they can be seeing their constituents in the home turf. Most people in this country have to work 50 weeks a year, let's see how much these folks like it.
3: Bar the revolving lobby doors.
Politics is supposed to be a calling, a service to your country, not a career path. I don't know the length of their version of a non-compete clause, you need some sort of limit on people jumping from the private to public sector: You only get one bite of the apple moving from the private sector to public service unless you get voted in.
4: Public financing of house races in tossup districts
I was thinking of adding Senate races to this, but I felt that since the house needs to be more fliud. Gerrymandering would be gone, replaced by independent boards. Districts shouldbe geographically based, with D/R/I ratios approaching a natural state. that way canidate once again have to win a battle of ideas and ideals to win their elections, not throwing their feet up and knowing the fix is already in because of being able to outraise your opponent.
Of course the devil is in the details, but anybody got anymore ideas?