Rangel shrugged off his ethics problems as racially motivated. Would-be reformer Pelosi -- who, along with other Democrats, has railed about corporate CEOs and their perks -- asked that her private plane be upgraded to a huge government jet so she would not have to refuel on her way home to California. Former Rep. Cynthia McKinney of Georgia struck a Capitol Hill police officer who asked her to show identification upon entering a House office building. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) called an airline attendant a "bitch" last year after she repeatedly asked him to turn off his cell phone in accordance with federal law.
It is understandable, but not healthy, for a democracy to have little respect for legislators such as these. So, how could these self-absorbed grandees show voters a little contrition?
A good start would be to ban the egomaniac naming of monuments, parks, buildings and roads after living senators and representatives. The rest of us don't expect to have things named after us at work or school for simply doing our jobs. Congress should not either.
Members of Congress should adopt pay-as-you-go lawmaking. It is easy to win friends by handing out someone else's money, but harder to ask voters to pay the ensuing bill. Appropriate the money first; spend it second.
Can't legislators go back home and get a life after their terms? Why don't they quit lobbying their former colleagues for profit, and stop finagling for lifelong sinecures at some federal or state agency?
And why can't members of Congress abide by the very laws they pass? If members wish to change health care, they should enroll in the same plans they mandate for others. Congressional offices should be subject to the same labor rules that private businesses work under -- from sexual harassment statutes to overtime compensation.
Our self-absorbed Congress should start to reform, fast. Right now, the American people seem to think that the main purpose of holding congressional office is to boost egos and get rich later on -- and in the process make the rest of us poorer.