Mark Greenberg, Republican candidate for Congress in the 5th Congressional District, today announced that he has sent letters to all Democratic candidates in the 5th District urging them to sign his common-sense pledge on term limits, congressional pensions and laws enacted by Congress. In addition to the letters, Greenberg also placed telephone calls to each of the candidate’s campaign headquarters.

“With a Congressional disapproval rating of 89 percent, this pledge represents a non-partisan effort to restore voterconfidence in our political process and in the people we send to Washington,” Greenberg said. “This simple pledge is a small but important way to start rebuilding faith and trust in our elected leaders.”

“By signing the pledge, candidates can demonstrate that they really are listening to what voters want,” Greenberg said, citing a 2010 Fox poll showing that 80 percent of Americans support term limits.

In November 2011, Greenberg pledged to the voters of the 5th District that he will refuse any kind of Congressional pension, that he will support and abide by term limits and that, as a member of Congress, he will not exempt himself from any law enacted by Congress.

“This pledge is resonating with people across the district who understand that serving in Congress is an honor and a privilege that should not result in a lifetime of taxpayer-funded entitlement,” Greenberg said.

Greenberg said the pledge is a way for voters to know which candidates for office will support and abide by self-imposed term limits. “Term limits are consistent with what the framers of our government originally envisioned – a citizen government, not a legislature comprised of career politicians,” Greenberg said.

“It also makes no sense for members of Congress to exempt themselves from the laws they pass that apply to ordinary citizens,” Greenberg concluded. “How can members of Congress place themselves above the people they represent? A citizen government comprised of ordinary citizens cannot be a two-tiered system where the elected have greater privilege than those who elect them.”

So far, Republican candidates Mark Greenberg and Mike Clark have signed the pledges.

The pledges are below:

CONGRESSIONAL PLEDGES TO THE VOTERS OF THE 5th DISTRICT

As a member of the United States Congress, I pledge that:

· I will not accept a pension of any kind for my service in Congress. The honor of serving in Congress is a privilege that should not result in a lifetime of taxpayer-funded entitlement.

· I will support and abide by term limits of no more than 4 terms for a total of eight years. The Founding Fathers intended acitizens’ government, not a legislature comprised of career politicians. Members of Congress should do more of the Wethe People’s work and less work on their own re-election campaigns.

· I will not, as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, exempt myself from any law enacted by Congress. Congress refuses to obey many of the laws it imposes on ordinary Americans. Nearly 20 federal laws — including ObamaCare, the Civil Rights Act, Americans With Disabilities Act, and the Family and Medical Leave Act — either do not cover Congress at all or apply to Congress differently than to the rest of the country.

Below are the 3 letters sent to the Democratic candidates in CT-05:

The Pledge – Letter to Democratic Candidates