You might have a hard time reading past the first sentence of Joe Klein‘s latest TIME column, in which the erstwhile lefty describes himself as a political moderate. Still, soldier through your skepticism, and you might find that a couple dozen members of Congress linked to the dubiously named “No Labels” group actually have some decent ideas.

They do support two rather snappy procedural proposals. The first is called No Budget, No Pay. Congress hasn’t actually adopted a budget resolution since 2009. Representative Jim Cooper, a Tennessee Democrat, figured that if his colleagues couldn’t perform the most basic function of their job by the beginning of a fiscal year, they shouldn’t be paid. The second idea, also snappy, is the Five-Day Workweek. Most members show up on Monday nights, leave on Thursday nights and spend the rest of their time in their districts, raising money and raising money.