Term Limits the Easy Way How to clean up the mess in Washington - next year!
We don't need a constitutional amendment to limit congressional terms. We only need the will for change -- something that seems attractive to voters this year -- and the willingness to do our part regardless of party loyalties and old habits.
I've been giving some thought to starting a movement, "Dump Them All," to rid ourselves of the stench of political incompetence and corruption that permeates Washington, D.C. I almost purchased a domain name, dumpthemall.org to promote the idea online. Then it occurred to me that that domain name might be confused with a drive to oppose the construction of a mall ("Dump The Mall"). Nevertheless, the idea of campaigning to rid our nation of ALL incumbents nags at me and I'm still giving thought to an online campaign.
There has been much debate and discussion about the notion of term limits. Some claim we need people with experience to govern in Washington. Experience has taught us that such claims are laughable on their face. We need good people with the intelligence to approach governing from a constitutional basis and, in each case, do the right thing for our nation. The claim has been made that such limitations would prevent good people from staying in office. That's nonsense. As if there weren't enough good people to go around. Such claims feed into the mindset of personal eminence that has created the morass in which our nation drowns. It's time we sent people to Washington whose only interest is to serve their country. For too long we've elected and re-elected people whose primary objective is to serve their own interests. If this were not true, lobbyists would have no power to "persuade" today's politicians.
However, the point to be made is that we do not need a constitutional amendment to put good people in office who are not devoted to serving their own interests (primarily, getting re-elected). We need to start the revolution with our own change in action by voting against all incumbents, regardless of party affiliation. What better way to get partisan politics out of the way of good government than by ignoring party when voting if that is what is necessary to replace an incumbent?
Perhaps nobody has made the case for voting out ALL incumbents as clearly as has Charley Reese. Here is how Mr. Reese puts clarity to this issue:
The 545 People Responsible for America 's Woes By Charley Reese
Note: Charley Reese (born January 29, 1937) is a syndicated columnist known for his plainspoken manner and paleoconservative views. He was associated with the Orlando Sentinel from 1971-2001, both as a writer and in various editorial capacities. King Feature’s syndicate distributes his column, which comes out three times each week.
Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them.
Have you ever wondered why, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, we have deficits? Have you ever wondered why, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes we have inflation and high taxes?
ou and I don't propose a federal budget. The president does. You and I don't have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of Representatives does. You and I don't write the tax code. Congress does. You and I don't set fiscal policy. Congress does. You and I don't control monetary policy. The Federal Reserve Bank does.
One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one president and nine Supreme Court justices - 545 human beings out of the 300 million - are directly, legally, morally and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country.
I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered but private central bank.
I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason. They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman or a president to do one cotton-picking thing. I don't care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash. The politician has the power to accept or reject it.
No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator's responsibility to determine how he votes.
A CONFIDENCE CONSPIRACY: Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party.
What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of a SPEAKER who stood up and criticized G.W. Bush ALONE for creating deficits.
The president can only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept it. The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and approving appropriations and taxes.
Who is the speaker of the House? She is the leader of the majority party. She and fellow Democrats, not the president, can approve any budget they want. If the president vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto.
REPLACE THE SCOUNDRELS
It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million cannot replace 545 people who stand convicted -- by present facts - of incompetence and irresponsibility.
I can't think of a single domestic problem, from an unfair tax code to defense overruns that is not traceable directly to those 545 people.
When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise power of the federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist.
If the tax code is unfair it's because they want it unfair. If the budget is in the red it's because they want it in the red. If the Marines are in IRAQ , it's because they want them in IRAQ.
There are no insoluble government problems. Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they can take this power.
Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exist disembodied mystical forces like "the economy," "inflation" or "politics" that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do.
Those 545 people, and they alone, are responsible. They, and they alone, have the power . They, and they alone, should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses - provided the voters have the gumption to manage their own employees. We should vote all of them out of office and clean up their mess.
Well said!
Now, are you going to do your part? Or are you going to vote to put the same people who created the mess in this country back in Washington?
Anyone who votes for an incumbent need only look into a mirror to see where the root of our nation's problems are.
I'd be interested to know your thoughts about this idea. Email bwebsterATwebcommentary.com (replace "AT" with "@").
Author of "Looking Out the Window", an evidence-based examination of the "climate change" issue, Bob Webster, is a 12th-generation descendent of both the Darte family (Connecticut, 1630s) and the Webster family (Massachusetts, 1630s). He is a descendant of Daniel Webster's father, Revolutionary War patriot Ebenezer Webster, who served with General Washington. Bob has always had a strong interest in early American history, our Constitution, U.S. politics, and law. Politically he is a constitutional republican with objectivist and libertarian roots. He has faith in the ultimate triumph of truth and reason over deception and emotion. He is a strong believer in our Constitution as written and views the abandonment of constitutional restraint by the regressive Progressive movement as a great danger to our Republic. His favorite novel is Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand and believes it should be required reading for all high school students so they can appreciate the cost of tolerating the growth of unconstitutional crushingly powerful central government. He strongly believes, as our Constitution enshrines, that the interests of the individual should be held superior to the interests of the state.
A lifelong interest in meteorology and climatology spurred his strong interest in science. Bob earned his degree in Mathematics at Virginia Tech, graduating in 1964.