Barraged with political ads before
election time, I am as bummed as anybody.Our government system is broken.
Regular citizens like you and me, once disgruntled risk slipping into apathy, because
we feel that there is nothing we can do to change it.That is mostly true, if we throw up
our hands and give up. That is not our tradition!Did the colonists give up? They did
not!
By the time the British were coming
to put the colonists in their place, Paul Revere rode from town to town yelling the
alert, "The British are coming. The British are coming." Our early Americans rose to the
challenge and rallied and as you know, despite great odds prevailed! God bless our
forebears who stood up and fought for our liberty. Had they not, I wouldn't be writing
this.
We have a new "King" to
defeat: our upper echelon of elected officials, especially, but not limited to Congress. As
oppressive as King George was, our Oligarchy (ruled by the few) that pretends to be Democracy
is King and we seem to have few recourses. Corporations and their
representatives (Lobbyists), the rich and the powerful decide
who will write the laws and what the
laws will be.
What does it take to be a
representative or senator?
1. Good communication skills;
reading,writing,speaking.
2. Good problem solving skills and
3. Good negotiation and
compromising skills.
4. Compassion for and empathy with the American
people.
We do not need lawyers writing laws
so that only lawyers can interpret said laws. That is clearly a conflict of interest and a threat
to "...and justice for all."
One solution might be: Term
limits for starters! I have heard the argument that Congressmen get more
skilled with experience. Really?! Any thinking person can see that they are
dead- locked a lot and they give themselves pay raises while we have hunger and
homelessness in our streets and working Americans living paycheck to paycheck
barely eking out a living acquiring credit card debt just to get by.
How can we take back our power? One
small suggestion: Vote against incumbents! Think of the resources saved
in media alone. Everyone from the president on down; one term (6 years?) No
need to campaign for re-election and the sweetest part is we the people don't
have to witness the dirty mudslinging. Wouldn't that be a relief?!
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