Dear Editor,

As we prepare for the onslaught of news media demanding which candidate should represent us in the White House, they fail to recognize the citizens as a whole who are fed up with a governing body that is able to set themselves above the governed with impunity. It is unethical that this congressional structure should set themselves and their families above those of us who elected them and to provide perks not pertinent to their work.The 26th Amendment (granting the right to vote to 18-year-olds) in 1971 took only 3 months and 8 days to be ratified. Why? That's because the people demanded it. That was also an era before emails, cell phones, etc.Of the 27 Amendments to the Constitution, seven took one year or less to become the law of the land due to public pressure.I would like to think of a new and revised congressional reform act of 2011:-No tenure, no pension. A congressman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when he is out of office. Term limits are a must.-Congress participates in social security. Listen, all congressional retirement funds will move to the social security system. All future funds flow into social security and congress participates with the rest of the American people.-Congress can purchase their own retirement plan just like the rest of us do.-Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Their pay raise will be tied to CPI.-Congress loses their current health care system and they will participate in the system we use.-Congress must equally abide by all the laws they impose upon the American people. Just look at wriggle wrangle, he's still in office.-All contracts with past and present congressmen are void effective January 1, 2012.Serving Congress should be an honor, not a career. The founding fathers envisioned citizen legislators, so ours should serve the term, go home and back to work. Remember this during the campaign promises made this election season.From the pen of,Ken TregerLehighton