I would like to propose a 28th Amendment to U.S. Constitution ......

[MrFun]

that would require all congresspersons to obey all laws that all other citizens have to obey.

[MichaeltheGreat]

Anything that restrains congress is a non-starter.

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

Or requires congress to take responsibility.

[MrFun]

Anything that restrains congress is a non-starter.

Article Five allows another method to get an amendment passed.

[MichaeltheGreat]

Article Five allows another method to get an amendment passed.

Sure. And do you think the party machines which operate the big money troughs that keep all the bad piggies fat and happy are going to just sit and let state legislatures do such a thing? It takes majority approval of both houses of 34 state legislatures. Nobody has ever seriously tried it because it would be so easy to block.

[MrFun]

Sure. And do you think the party machines which operate the big money troughs that keep all the bad piggies fat and happy are going to just sit and let state legislatures do such a thing? It takes majority approval of both houses of 34 state legislatures. Nobody has ever seriously tried it because it would be so easy to block.

[Ben Kenobi]

Immigration would be a good start.

[regexcellent]

that would require all congresspersons to obey all laws that all other citizens have to obey.

That's redundant because they are already required to follow all laws that the rest of us do. Voted 1, delete thread.

e: well I guess they're not required to pay minimum wage to their staffers (I think), of course the problem there is that the minimum wage shouldn't exist for anyone

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

They reasonably can't be arrested/detained for minor misdemeanor kerfuffles (DUI etc) when attempting to attend session.

Members of Congress may be arrested while attending Congressional sessions only for treason, felony or breach of peace pursuant to Article I, Section 6 of the Constitution.

The Patrick Kennedy clause of the constitution IIRC.

[kentonio]

How about insider trading?

[MichaeltheGreat]

That's redundant because they are already required to follow all laws that the rest of us do. Voted 1, delete thread.

Actually, Congress has the right to exempt itself from the provisions of specific bills (it has been done in the past), but the exemption must be expressly stated in the statute to be effective. Voting for such a bill is political suicide nowadays.

e: well I guess they're not required to pay minimum wage to their staffers (I think), of course the problem there is that the minimum wage shouldn't exist for anyone

Yes, because the US was such the economic powerhouse back in the days when we had no labor laws.

[regexcellent]

Yes, because the US was such the economic powerhouse back in the days when we had no labor laws.

We've been the top economic power since the 1870s

[MichaeltheGreat]

We've been the top economic power since the 1870s

In the 1870s, etc., the economic advantage was land and resources (silver and gold booms didn't hurt either), plus war and political instability in Europe. Once you factor out one-time benefits such as the Comstock lode, gold rushes in Alaska and the Black Hills, and free land to be taken as fast as you could kill the Indians on it, then the US economic performance vis-a-vis the rest of the more or less stable world wasn't a big deal. The US did not derive any benefit from labor exploitation.

[Berzerker]

what the hell is breach of peace?

sounds like drunk in public but there's no way that'd be grouped in with treason

[giblets]

that would require all congresspersons to obey all laws that all other citizens have to obey.

How would this improve your life in any way?