The Wiles of Congress

Polls are increasingly reflecting the American voters dissatisfaction with career politicians and corruption.

Until not long ago, politics was about serving one's people. Americans chipped in out of passion for U.S. ideals and a real calling to serve the community. The work wasn't easy, politicians didn't make much money, and most were anxious to return to their real profession after a term or two.

Jefferson argued that Congressional term limits were needed  to prevent every danger which might arise to American freedom by one continuing too long in office as members of the Continental Congress. But even though most of our Founding Fathers agreed, early politicians operated under a code that included self-imposed term limits, so they saw no reason then to put it in the Constitution. George Washington set the standard by declining to run for a third term as President, and throughout the 19th century, American politicians at all levels and all political stripes followed suit.

Since then, this code has eroded, to say the least, and over the past 50 years we've entered the age of  the career politician.  Most of our longest serving Senators and Representatives in history served during the last 50 years. 25% of all current Senators and 15% of all current Representatives have been there for at least 20 years, and these long-serving members run the show, far outweighing the newer politicians as the chairs and ranking members of important Congressional committees go to them, which is the source of our current problem.

Politicians Are Far Removed From Reality!

This permanent class of entrenched Senators and Representatives are people who don't remember what the real world is like. They don't work real hours, and their ample paychecks and benefits ensure that they'll never have trouble making mortgage payments, sending kids to college, or paying medical bills. From their lucrative position, they get to decide what's  best for us, without ever having to be affected by the laws they create. Today, lawmakers are more focused on regulating us and infringing upon our rights and liberties than fixing our social and economic failings.

The Result: Crime Against American democracy. Instead of bills that actually benefit the average person or family, we get things like bank bailouts, tax cuts for corporations who outsource work to foreign countries, and billion-dollar no-bid contracts to companies run by political cronies‚ all paid for with our tax dollars. Why do we have to pay for corporations with bad management? If you or I were to manipulate our books, we'd be thrown in prison! Right? Or if our business failed we'd suffer the consequences, not be rewarded.

What about the issues that really matter? When was the last time the Feds increased funding for a school in your area? Have they done anything to repair your local infrastructure? Have they made colleges more affordable? The money politicians spent bailing out Wall Street could have gone a long way in accomplishing these main-street American needs. Unfortunately, the issues that truly matter to us aren't backed by huge special interests groups, and when bills that would benefit ordinary people are brought forth, they rarely reach a vote before being picked over by lobbyists, or, are kept in limbo until they disappear!

Americans Want Term Limits

As usual, most Americans are ahead of the politicians on this issue. In the mid-90s, a short-lived pro-term limits movement arose and quickly fell as part of Congressional Republicans' Contract with America, but most of the politicians who supported term limits back then are still in office, having conveniently forgotten the term limits idea. Today, the issue never comes up in the halls of Congress, even though the latest polls still show the vast majority of Americans are in favor of term limits.

And perhaps the most damaging effect of Congress's unwillingness to implement term limits is the partisan bickering and intractability that has brought our current government into this vortex. When a politician's sole job is to get reelected, they become allergic to hard decisions, unwilling to compromise, and enslaved by special interests groups that provide their campaign funds. And with the Congressional incumbency rate holding at well over 90%, this doesn't bode well for the future of America. This isn't how our Constitution mapped out our Nation!

In light of today's problems, the only way to get Washington working again is to purge Congress of ALL career politicians and elect genuine public servants committed to putting term limits in place and working for the good of the people. We need representatives who don't feel entitled to their positions. We need politicians who have more than just their own careers at stake, and who aren't afraid to stand behind their constituents without regard for the "party line" or political fallout.

We need change! And we need it now!

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