Hi everyone,
If we are all going to survive the current political mess we are in, the long term solution appears to me to be term limits. Let me explain why.
When you think about it, most feared that if a president was in power too long they would want to become king, like Chavez in Venezuela etc. By having presidential term limits by law we have made that almost impossible (hopefully, never know BO may try to get it changed).
Who would have ever thought that congress would need to be reigned in. I recall during the election that Limbaugh remarked about several democrat candidates campaigning as conservatives and what a joke that was. When they get to the house Madam Chairwoman Pelosi would sit them down and say here is MY agenda, you do what you are told or you won't get re-elected, and when you have been here 20 years maybe you can implement YOUR ideas. Boy how right he was in that remark.
That pisses me off. Just how unfair is that to voters in a district who voted for a candidate who campaigned on issues they believed in, only to have that candidate neutered as soon as they get to Washington. BIG BROTHER all over again. Remember the sign, "All animals are equal, some are more equal than others." Well shit, all members of the House of Representatives are equal, they all get one vote, some are more equal than others seems the be the fact.
It is our current congress that is feeling the power, that feeling of self-importance, all knowing, smarter than those who hired them, that which comes from being there too long and now they feel they are invincible. That is republicans too. As Michael Steele said, "We have lost our way, we became the people we sought to replace."
We are now in an all out war, with our government. I can site a dozen issues where polling data indicates 75%+ of Americans are either for or against an issue yet because of the power of two members of congress, Reid and Pelosi, those items never get out of committee and voted upon. Despite an overwhelming majority of Americans being against the stinkulus package, it still became law.....our elected officials are not listening.
All of a sudden it really hit me, we are all fool enough to believe that power should rest with the people; whereas members of congress who have been there for years no longer feel that way, it belongs to them and they can do whatever they want.
In a different thread I posted a copy of a letter I wrote to Senator Nelson, and when I wrote the following paragraph it all made sense. The issues is much bigger than the current bill.
"Let me make this perfectly clear. WE DON'T GIVE A DAMN WHAT YOU THINK OF THE STUPID BILL, IF YOUR CONSTITUENTS ARE 90% AGAINST ANY ISSUE, OR FOR ANY ISSUE WE EXPECT YOU SHOULD DO YOUR JOB AND REPRESENT US. WHEN DEMOCRAT PARTY UNITY BECOMES MORE IMPORTANT THAN REPRESENTING THOSE WHO HIRED YOU, OUR COUNTRY IS IN TROUBLE AND SO ARE YOU."
Think about it. You are the boss, you hire someone and a controversial issue comes up. You listen to the person you hired and do not agree. Eventually you tell that person, I hired you, I can fire you, do it my way. Works in most places except our current government. Just how stupid are we for putting up with that crap!
Now here comes the rub. How the hell do we start a grass roots movement to DEMAND congressional term limits? These folks are so damn arrogant they would even campaign and say they support the issue knowing full well that it would never get out of a senate committee, might pass the House but the senate would stop it.
Somehow, someway, this should be on the top of the list to get done or our never ending struggle will indeed be just that. The power drunk fat cats just lose their way.
regards,
5412