I am sick and tired of Congress giving themselves raises and adding benefits to their benefits package with little or no oversight. The only oversight is that their benefits and salaries are not raised until after the next election cycle which is supposed to mean that if the people don't like what they did they can vote them out of office, but because of gerrymandering most politicians are not in danger of leaving office. 90% of elections in the house are rigged. Therefore I think it's time to place all over side on salaries and benefits for congress into the hands of the states. They should have to approve by 3/5 vote any raise in salary or benefits for Congress.
Congress has had no pay raise since January, 2009. There is currently no bill in either the House or Senate to raise pay. Congress does get a cost of living adjustment just as social security members do Section 60 (a) (2) of the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946.
Members of Congress make their money from under the table lobbyists and insider trading. They do not care about their salary and benefits. Just look at some who have been in congress for years and are millionaires.....
I like this sentiment, too, but the idea is wrought with problems. Mainly you cannot take away the authority of the federal Congress and give it to something else, all of the potential problems that the Constitution instilled in Congress not withstanding. I would, however, be strongly in favor to the state legislatures appointing senators.
The issue with appointing senators is that is this that the same gerrymandering that rigs Congressional elections rigged State elections to. An entrenched party basically has no danger of ever losing out in the state election. I would support appointing senators provided that there was a type of vote of no confidence mechanism which allowed the people to remove any senator appointed true they didn't want. With a straight popular vote to remove the senator. this would do away with the issues of gerrymandering by allowing the people to bypass whatever appointments the state legislature made. I know a few states have a vote of no-confidence mechanism as long as you get 10% of registered voters to sign a petition to vote is held