The Independent View: No Label's 12 Ways to Make Congress Work

From No Labels: When people think about Congress, they throw up their hands in frustration. But frustration doesn’t get us anywhere. Washington has problems. Now we have solutions. We’ve listed our 12 simple reforms from our Make Congress Work! action plan to change the rules and fix what's broken in Washington.

1. No Budget, No Pay -- If Congress can’t pass a budget and all annual spending bills on time, members of Congress should not get paid.

2. Up or Down Vote on Presidential Appointments -- All presidential nominations should be confirmed or rejected within 90 days of the nomination.

3. Fix the Filibuster -- Require real (not virtual) filibusters and end filibusters on motions to proceed.

4. Empower the Sensible Majority -- Allow a bipartisan majority of members to override a leader or committee chair’s refusal to bring a bill to the floor.

5. Make Members Come to Work -- Make Congress work on coordinated schedules with three five-day work weeks a month in DC and one week in members’ home districts.

6. Question Time for the President -- Provide a monthly forum for members of Congress to ask the president questions to force leaders to debate one another and defend their ideas.

7. Fiscal Report to Congress: Hear it. Read it. Sign it. -- A nonpartisan leader should deliver an annual, televised fiscal update in-person to a joint session of Congress to ensure everyone is working off the same facts.

8. No Pledge but the Oath of Office -- Members should make no pledge but the pledge of allegiance and their formal oath of office.

9. Monthly Bipartisan Gatherings -- The House and Senate should institute monthly, off-the-record and bipartisan gatherings to get members talking across party lines.

10. Bipartisan Seating -- At all joint meetings or sessions of Congress, each member should be seated next to at least one member of the other party.

11. Bipartisan Leadership Committee -- Congressional party leaders should form a bipartisan congressional leadership committee to discuss legislative agendas and substantive solutions.

12. No Negative Campaigns Against Incumbents -- Incumbents from one party should not conduct negative campaigns against sitting members of the opposing party.

I think the 1st step would be to vote for a number of independents to remove the majority possibility's in Congress of the two major parties.