The very fact there is a pension plan for members of Congress demonstrates how far we have strayed from our founding principles.
Congress should not be a career.
Politics
We can’t control what others do and we can’t stop misfortune from striking. But we can control our own actions. Those who are financially prudent will most likely enjoy success, even if events don’t always go their way.
QUINNSCOMMENTARY 
The trouble with blaming the voters is that a majority of people in a district think their rep is ok and that it’s other reps in other states that are problematic. Go around the country with that attitude and you get the assemblage we have now
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That is correct, both voters and politicians are making rational choices under the current system. You have to look at incentives. Term limits won’t fix this because it doesn’t fix the incentive. The issue is that very few members of Congress are in competitive districts, so their job is safe as long as they win their primary. This means they cater to the extreme elements of each party. There are ways to stop this, such as reforms like ending gerrymandering, open primaries, proportional representation, etc. But a radical wholesale reform is unlikely without some sort of overriding crisis,so at best it will be piecemeal reforms over generations as demographics and attitudes change.
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As soon as they get elected they start running for re-election the next day! Term limits.
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Sadly I agree although if we voters did our job that wouldn’t be necessary.
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Amen! And as Jackie Mason used to say about members of Congress: “Let ’em work on commission!”
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