To the editor:

Our elected officials in Washington are responsible for the poor economy. They don’t talk about what they are getting accomplished. They make excuses for things not getting done and blame the other party for their failures. They take no ownership. A committee is delegated to study the issue.

They talk about cutting Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid but never talk about cutting their staff or office budget or announce that they will take a pay cut. There is no leadership.

What needs to be done is set some new rules for Congress. Term limits are needed to keep our officials in touch with reality. Members of Congress should not be able to exclude themselves from legislation passed that affects us.

Congressional salaries and pay increases should be set by voters of their represented state. Eliminate the special retirement program for members of Congress and fold it into the Social Security program. They should receive what the average middle-class American gets from Social Security.

And presidential trips need to be reduced. Look up “cost of presidential trips” on the Internet. It will open you eyes. Members of Congress talk about how hard they work. Congress has had three vacations since the first of the year. How many vacations have you had? Success is measured by results, not effort. We should expect more from members of Congress — and pay less. All Congress is successful at is fighting along party lines. That is why we are at where we are today.