Perry's Part-Time Congress

Texas Gov. Rick Perry wants to rip that dad gum rattlesnake of a federal government out by its roots, if he ever becomes president of these here United States. He said as much today in Bettendorf, Ioway.

A big part of his three-part plan is a part-time Congress. From his speecifyin' today:

 to create a part-time Congress where their pay is cut in half, their office budgets are cut in half, and their time in Washington is cut in half.

And if they do not submit a budget that balances by 2020, as my plan calls for, we should cut their pay in half again.

And when I take office, we will work to freeze congressional and agency salaries until the budget is balanced.

We have a lot of well-intentioned members of Congress. But they have become creatures of Washington. They get paid more than three times the average American Family, and they have doubled their own budgets in the last decade.

They are completely detached from the people, who are struggling to get by, and can't vote to raise their own pay.

Some have even abused the public's trust, trading on inside information to pad their stock portfolios. Congress has proved it can't be trusted to watch our money, and now its clear they can't be trusted with theirs'.

Any Congressman or Senator that uses their insider knowledge to profit in the stock market ought to be sent to jail - period.

And my plan makes that clear. But in reality, they shouldn't wait until we have a new president, they ought to pass a law right now that criminalizes Insider Trading in Congress, no ifs, ands or buts.

We send members of Congress to look out for America, not enrich themselves. But too often, they are taken captive by the Washington culture.

That's why we need a part-time Congress. I say send them home to live under the laws they pass among the people they represent.

You can't really argue with running against Congress, which has an approval rating in the tweens. And the insider trading stuff is a slam dunk. Ain't no hombre gonna look at that slick sidewinding and tell you its right as rain. No sirree. Although why only jail? Do what you were gonna do to Ben Bernanke, governor.

But, honestly, would a part-time, half-pay Congress be any better than the one we have? Would better people run? Perhaps, but would we elect those better people? Can a nation this big and complex be governed with one of its major branches staffed seasonally like a Dairy Queen? Awww, Boehner says I gotta clean the ice cream machine...again.

For one thing, I doubt pay is as big a deal as Perry's plan suggests. The Center for Responsive Politics says 47 percent of members of Congress are millionaires. Many of those folks won't exactly be knocked into hock by a pay cut. Might have to let the deputy pastry chef's frosting apprentice go.

It's also possible that less pay would actually increase the influence of interests sitting on massive mountains of now almost unregulated scratch. If there were any poor, malnourished lawmakers in alleys, searching for fish bones, I'm sure some kindly lobbyist would be more than happy to throw them a scrap, or, what the heck, hold a banquet in his or her honor. Low pay might also make the already well-greased revolving door between Congress and K Street even slicker.

Basically, I don't think a smaller government paycheck will shrink the amount of money flowing into politics, or that the "Washington Culture" would change much.

Perry's plan also calls for reviewing and sunsetting all federal regulations, with hopes of taming the vast bucking wild bureaucracy. But that's not exactly the description of a part-time job. And even though it seems like Congress is never working when we flip past C-SPAN looking for "Ice Road Truckers," committee and constituent work is a pretty hefty load, not to mention commitments back in the district. That's where the congressional staff cuts Perry proposes would hit. If people call their reps' office and never reach a human or get an answer to their letter or never have their concern addressed, that's not more in touch.

I'd love to believe Perry's smack-around-Congress plan would make members more in touch with their districts and less immersed in beltway shenanigans. It feels good, but it seems too good to be true.

It also lets us off the hook. We elected these (beeps). Tinkering with paychecks and staff numbers doesn't excuse us for making poor choices or no choices. What will voters be required to do under Perry's plan?

So what do you think? Maybe you think this is a great idea, or that I'm missing something. I know Perry's not exactly surging in the polls, but this is an intriguing proposal. Weigh in, pardners.