Rick Perry: Uproot and Overhaul Washington

This plan by Governor Perry is just what is needed in the Federal Government.  Was extremely happy to see that Governor Sam Brownback from Kansas sent out the email for Governor Perry's plan.  Have admired Governor Brownback for years and was very happy to see him announce that he was running for Kansas Governor and won.  He has been missed in the Senate as he was someone I considered who had a lot of common sense, is conservative and doesn't go over the edge if he doesn't get his way.  He has his core values which are not going to change but he is a gentleman to the core and someone I would have complete faith in to do the right thing.  People of Kansas are very fortunate to have him as their Governor.

Today was Part III of Governor Perry's plan for America which he unveiled in Bettendorf, Iowa, today:

Gov. Perry Unveils “Uproot and Overhaul Washington” Plan
Posted on November 15th, 2011
Calls for part-time Congress, ending lifetime appointments for federal judges, elimination of agencies and privatizing TSA, Fannie and Freddie 

BETTENDORF, Iowa – Gov. Rick Perry today unveiled his Uproot and Overhaul Washington plan to fundamentally reform the three branches of government and review all federal departments, agencies, and spending programs from the top down. 

The governor’s Uproot and Overhaul Washington plan includes establishing a part-time, citizen Congress, cutting congressional salaries, ending lifetime appointments of federal judges, issuing an immediate moratorium on new and pending federal regulations, and dismantling wasteful, redundant federal agencies, Gov. Perry announced his plan at the Schebler Manufacturing Facility in Bettendorf, Iowa. 

Gov. Perry’s full plan can be viewed at http://www.rickperry.org/uproot-and-overhaul-washington-html/ 

“Washington is too broken to be fixed by tinkering on the margins,” said Gov. Perry. “I do not believe Washington needs a new coat of paint, it needs a complete overhaul. We need to uproot, tear down and rebuild Washington, D.C. and our federal institutions. 

“Washington is so broken, Americans will accept nothing less than a complete overhaul of the way business is done in America. We need new leadership. We need a new builder. We need a Washington Outsider. Unique to the Republican field, I have never been an establishment figure. My career has been that of a Washington outsider.” 

Gov. Perry’s plan will reform the federal judiciary by ending lifetime appointments of all unelected federal judges. He will champion a constitutional amendment to prospectively institute 18-year terms for the Supreme Court, staggered every two years, so that justices are replaced in order of seniority every other year. This will instill regularity to the nominations process, discourage justices from choosing a retirement date based on politics and put an end to the ever-increasing tenure of justices. 

Second, the governor’s plan calls for fundamental reform of the legislative branch by establishing a part-time, citizen Congress that cuts in half their salaries, office budgets and time in Washington. Additionally, if Congress cannot balance the budget by 2020, as the governor has previously called for, their salaries should be cut in half again. Gov. Perry will also work to freeze Congressional and federal civilian salaries until the budget is balanced, holding Congress accountable to the American people. 

“Congress is out of touch because Congressmen are overpaid, over-staffed and away from home too much,” said Gov. Perry. “It’s time 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.” 

Read More at RickPerry website

Below are some of the highlights which we will cover in the days ahead from Perry's plan to Uproot and Overhaul Washington.  From what I have read so far, I love it!  We are betting that Congressman like Steve Lankford of OK will fall in the love with this plan to be part-time citizen legislators as he is the perfect example of a citizen legislator already.  We need more like him.  The fact that Dr. Coburn had to give up his medical practice when the Democrats took over the Senate should have been a warning.  Time for members of Congress quit making it a full time job and go back to holding jobs in the community when they are not in session and stop this entitlement mentality.  The growth of Government has been disgusting.

This must have hit the chattering pundits with a huge bang.  Personally I think it is what is needed -- major overhaul to a system that has gotten totally out of control.  Can see the Democrat heads exploding as I type not to mention their pundits.  Brings a smile to my face!

Uproot and Overhaul Washington
November 15, 2011


Fundamental Reform of the Legislative Branch

• Establish a part-time, Citizen Congress, cutting congressional pay in half and allowing them to hold jobs in their states and communities.
• Slash congressional staff budgets and force lawmakers to do more of their own work.
• Criminalize insider trading by members of Congress.
• Amend the Freedom of Information Act to make it apply to Congress and the White House.

Fundamental Reform of the Judiciary

• Nominate judges who respect the Constitution and who will not make law from the bench.
• End life-time appointments to the Supreme Court and the federal judiciary through Constitutional Amendment.

Fundamental Reform of the Executive Branch
Regulatory Reform and Reining in the Federal Bureaucracy
Regulatory Reform

• Halt all pending federal regulations, order an audit of every regulation passed since 2008 and repeal those not affordable, effective and appropriate.
• Pass legislation to automatically end federal regulations unless Congress renews them.
• Require federal agencies to justify every dime every year – including a specified regulatory budget for each agency.
• Develop an online, searchable database of all current federal regulations.

Federal Bureaucracy

• Eliminate the Department of Commerce, Department of Education and the Department of Energy, consolidating key programs into other agencies.
• Restructure and reform the Department of Homeland Security (including transitioning the Transportation Security Administration to a public-private partnership) and the EPA.
• Review all federal departments from the top-down.
• Privatize Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
• Order a Full Audit of all federal agencies to identify waste, fraud, and abuse within the executive branch.
• Work with Congress to require that duplicative programs actually get cut.