Better People. Better Rules. Better Government.

The federal government employs roughly 2.9 million civilians across hundreds of agencies. The annual federal budget exceeds $6.5 trillion. And the system that manages all of this — the people, the rules, the incentives — hasn't been meaningfully reformed in decades.

Members of Congress earn $174,000 while managing a $6.5 trillion enterprise. They're allowed to trade individual stocks while writing the laws that affect those stocks. There are no term limits. There are no professional qualifications. Lobbyists spend over $4 billion per year influencing legislation, and the revolving door between government and industry spins freely.

The incentive structure is broken. The people who run the country are underpaid, unaccountable, and operating in a system designed for a different era.

Republicans are right that the federal government is too large, too slow, and too expensive. Agencies duplicate functions. Regulations pile up. Bureaucracy expands while efficiency contracts.

Democrats are right that government serves essential functions and that the answer isn't to destroy institutions but to make them work better. Gutting agencies without a plan doesn't make government smaller — it makes it worse.

We agree with both. And we have a plan.

The Mesocratic Party supports a comprehensive overhaul of how the federal government operates — starting with the people who run it, the rules they operate under, and the incentives that drive their behavior.

1. Federal Government Efficiencies

Every federal agency should undergo a zero-based review: justify every dollar, every function, every position from scratch. Not to destroy government, but to rebuild it around what actually works.

• Consolidate overlapping agencies and functions. There is no reason for countless redundant agencies and overlapping regulatory bodies.
• Push administrative functions to the states wherever possible. The federal government should set standards, distribute funding, and audit results. The states should execute.
• Invest in digital modernization. The federal government still runs critical systems on technology from the 1970s. Upgrade the infrastructure and reduce the headcount needed to maintain legacy systems.

2. Term Limits

House: 6 terms (12 years). Senate: 2 terms (12 years). Applied prospectively. See the dedicated Term Limits page for the full position.

3. Congressional Pay Reform

Members of Congress currently earn $174,000 per year — a salary that has been frozen since 2009.

The Mesocratic Party supports raising congressional pay to $500,000 per year for all members of Congress — House and Senate alike.

Here's why:

• It eliminates the financial incentive to trade stocks, take lobbyist favors, or leverage public service for private gain.
• It makes public service accessible to people who aren't already wealthy. Right now, Congress is a millionaire's club — because only millionaires can afford to take the job.
• It attracts better talent. You want the best people running the country? Pay them like it.
• It removes the excuse. At $500,000 per year, no member of Congress can claim they need outside income, stock trades, or lobbyist relationships to make ends meet.
• Proposed cost: 535 members × $500,000 = $267.5 million per year
• Additional cost: $174.4 million per year
• Cost per American taxpayer: approximately $1.13 per year

For about a dollar a year per taxpayer, you get a Congress that doesn't need to trade stocks, take bribes, or serve for 40 years to build personal wealth. That's the best deal in government.

4. Congressional Stock Market Ban

Members of Congress, their spouses, and their dependent children should be banned from trading individual stocks, options, or futures while in office and for two years after leaving.

• Investments must be placed in blind trusts, broad-market index funds, or Treasury securities.
• Violations are subject to fines equal to the full value of the prohibited transaction, plus referral for insider trading investigation.
• Full financial disclosure, updated quarterly and publicly available online in real time.

5. The Polis Doctorate (PD)

A professional credential for federal office. See the dedicated Polis Doctorate page for the full position.

6. Lobbying Transparency

Lobbying is protected by the First Amendment. But secrecy is not. The Mesocratic Party supports full transparency in how lobbyists interact with government:

• Real-time public disclosure of all lobbying contacts with federal officials. Every meeting, every call, every dollar — visible to the public within 48 hours.
• A five-year cooling-off period before former members of Congress or senior executive branch officials can register as lobbyists.
• A searchable, public database of all lobbying activity, linked to campaign contributions and legislative outcomes. Americans should be able to trace the line from a lobbying dollar to a legislative vote.

All seven reforms share a single principle:

• Pay them well — so they don't need outside income.
• Ban their conflicts — so they can't profit from their position.
• Require credentials — so they're qualified to serve.
• Impose term limits — so they don't stay forever.
• Demand efficiency — so government works for you, not for itself.
• Show everything — so you can see who's working and who's not.

We're not just changing policies. We're changing the people and the systems that make the policies.

For just over a dollar a year per taxpayer, you get a Congress that doesn't need to trade stocks, take bribes, or serve for 40 years to build personal wealth. That's less than the cost of a 20oz soda per American for us to have the best political engine in human history. You get term limits that bring new voices. You get a stock market ban that ends insider trading. You get lobbying transparency that lets you follow the money. And you get qualified representatives who actually understand what they're voting on.

We're not just changing policies. We're changing the people and the system that make the policies.