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StoneTemplePilates t1_j3ryepe wrote

Reply to comment by AnchorKlanker in TIL that in 1947, U.S. House Minority Leader Sam Rayburn was gifted a 1947 Cadillac Fleetwood Series 62 from 142 Democratic congressmembers and 50 Republican congressmembers. Each congressmen donated $25 to circumvent Rayburns personal rule of not accepting gifts more than $25. by FranklinDRoosevelt32

You think it would be a good idea for the entirety of congress to turnover every 4 years? Do you realize how much of a shit show that would be, even compared to our current system? I realize that there's this push going on to get rid of career politicians, and replace them with "regular people" but we do actually need some people in Washington that know how the system works.

Also, I don't even agree that the "workaround" is abhorrent, as you say. The purpose of limiting the size of a gift is so that an elected official does not feel obliged to act in the interest of the gift giver rather than their own constituents. If the cost of the gift is spread over a couple hundred people who all have different priorities, then the issue of being beholden to any one of them is mostly nullified. It's not remotely the same as the shit that goes on today with lobbyists in Washington. Your take on this makes no sense at all.

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AnchorKlanker t1_j3tr9di wrote

I did not say turnover all of the House every four year. I said rotate, as the Senate does now. You may be failing to see the important point; politicians should be receiving no gifts of any size from anybody. Period. Thin edge of the wedge. Moreover, it was a workaround. It's what government operatives do. I'm sure you have noticed.

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StoneTemplePilates t1_j3tux2s wrote

You said they should be limited to a single 4 year term. This in practice means that nobody in Congress will have more Ethan 4 years of experience being a member of the house. That's absurd and is not how the Senate works so I don't know where you got that from.

Additionally, it wasn't even a law that they were circumventing it was a personal decision for Rayburn not to accept gifts. Your comparison to modern Congress just doesn't make any sense at all.

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