President Obama is currently catching lots of criticism for some of his national health care proposals.

He shouldn't be. He's a convenient target for finger-pointers, but no matter how popular, charismatic or stylish they are, presidents have very little control over the laws that are passed that make our lives miserable.

The U.S. Congress is to blame for these legislative abominations. And each day, it becomes more clear that all 535 representatives and senators need to be replaced.

That is, unless they're willing to come back to Earth and live like the rest of us.

Before we pass new laws governing health care — or anything else — we should pass another law requiring Congress to be subject to the same laws it inflicts on us.

Call it the "What's Good for the Public Goose is Good for the Congressional Gander" law.

To begin with, Goose and Gander would require Congress to be covered by the same health care plan it creates for the rest of us. No exceptions. You can bet Goose and Gander would make any new health care plan a lot better.

Members of Congress insist their swell new health plan will save money. Great. That will come in handy for them once Goose and Gander requires congressional salaries be dropped to the median America income.

Right now, members of Congress earn $174,000 per year. The median national income is a shade over $51,000. If a majority of Americans can live on it, Congress can, too. Goose and Gander makes it law.

Goose and Gander would also require members of Congress to live in free public housing, the same kind of housing they spend billions on each year.

If there is a shortage of public housing "opportunities" in D.C., members of Congress would be forced to live in vacant housing units on nearby military bases that have been shut down or down-sized.

Plenty of spare rooms there. And members of Congress should be proud and happy to live in the same housing they insist is fine for our men and women in uniform.

As for getting to "work," Goose and Gander requires congresspersons to ride taxpayer-funded public transportation to and from Capitol Hill. This would not only save money, but give our elected officials a chance to mix and mingle with the "little people."

By the way, if congresspersons can afford to keep a car back home, they can only have vehicles made by the taxpayerowned and Congress-controlled Government Motors, formerly known as General Motors.

Many congresspersons have young kids. Goose and Gander requires those kids to experience the swell public education system mom and dad have cooked up by forcing congresskids to attend public schools in Washington, D.C.

Want real education reform? That'll do it.

After a few years of the Goose and Gander law, we might actually wind up with some elected officials who go to Washington for the right reasons.

Right now, it doesn't take long to turn well-intentioned freshmen legislators to the Dark Side. After a few weeks of being wined and dined by lobbyists or taking taxfunded round-the-globe, "fact-finding trips" to exotic places with swell golf courses, our elected officials are hooked on the congressional high life.

The Goose and Gander law would make that kind of wasteful, self-indulgent behavior a bad memory.

It would also remind members of Congress that they are not our bosses, they are public servants. It's time they started acting like the hired help again.

(Send your e-mail comments to: alex@ newnan.com)