PEANUT GALLERY TIDBITS

When politics triumphs over common sense, chaos reigns.

CONGRESS

For each session of Congress, each political party selects a “leader” who then appoints each member of the party to various committees. These party members are then supposed to follow the “leader’s” orders on what legislation to support and what legislation to oppose. Who benefits? The political party benefits by gaining more power and influence as their numbers grow, but not necessarily the people who elected each member to Congress. Too often the party “leader” dictates the party agenda because of the “leader’s” power to control party campaign support and financing. Do the members of Congress ever meet to discuss legislation? Aren’t new members of Congress supposed to be seen but not heard much like young children? Do we have a representative Congress or a Congressional dictatorship?

Now if the American public financed elections with a fixed amount of money and strict rules, all extra monies to any politician would be a bribe with criminal consequences. In addition, with no financing worries, Congress must work a 40 hour week with a two week vacation like the rest of America. Since lobbying is a way for rich donors to influence members of Congress, doesn’t this become a kind of bribery if there is public campaign financing?

To get elected, each candidate should get out and meet the people who they want to represent. On the candidate side, until an accountability amendment can be added to our Constitution, every candidate should sign a legal accountability contract agreeing to constituent recall elections at any time and mandatory resignation if recalled. Why would you want to ever vote for someone who does not want to be held accountable? In addition, candidate priorities must be adherence to our Constitution and passing laws that benefit the entire country before addressing local needs. If the whole country is in trouble, does it make sense to have small pockets of prosperity? Aren’t most major issues national?

Congressional term limits with tax revenue exceeding spending every year should be mandatory. Why saddle the young with debts that must be repaid in the future so that today some dumb cluck can get elected?

If you read this post and think that a program like this would be impossible, are you really a can do American interested in good government or maybe just a fake American?

Ernie Kanak

No thank you