So now all the things that didn't get fixed in the original bill and whatever else they decided they needed is law. The "fix is in". The companies that have dared to let the public know their part of the "pain" are now being called on the carpet to explain their outrageous behavior. HOW DARE THEY!!! Now we find that Senators McCain and Lieberman are sponsoring a bill to catch and punish "ENEMY BELLIGERENTS" Who would that be? Maybe you and me? Now we find out that the $2500 reduction in health care premiums that the President said was coming is not going to arrive after all. Our pain will go on and on and on unless WE do something about it.
In the 2008 Presidential election, approximately 61% of the total eligible voters actually voted. Only 70% of the those eligible to register had done so. That means that 61% of the 70% elected this administration. Compare this to Australia where 98% vote and other countries whose record should give us great reason to pause and ask ourselves the question,"why have the American people opted out of the process"? No wonder the "political thugs" in Washington don't worry about us.
Maybe we should go to Washington and have a protest March or send Tea Bags to Congress. Or maybe we should ask ourselves the question: "What kind of pain would make them change their ways"? Having been a White House appointee, legislator, Director of Field Operations for a statewide Presidential campaign, let me make some suggestions.
Though the House speaker made it "look like" some of her party would have to "throw themselves on the pyre of political martyrdom" she really doesn't care. The "agenda" is all that counts. They all want to get re-elected and the thought of have to find a "real job" is almost incomprehensible. We must RETIRE every one of them that won't listen, put in term limits to stop this ascension by age not ability, and you can only do this in the States. ALL POLITICS ARE LOCAL, DON'T EVER FORGET THAT. The answer is where you live, not in Washington.
Stop for now the letters, emails and phone calls. They are too easily ignored.Start showing up at your Congressman and Senators constituent office where you live. Let them see you, hear you and know that you are not going away until their is absolute proof that "they have changed", not that they are GOING to change. GOING never seems to happen. Empty promises is all we get.
The first and most important step for us right now is to let them know we are no longer The Silent Majority. Silence is no longer a part of our vocabulary. They will test us to see if they can give us "token" responses and then we will go back to the way we were. NO LONGER! Token anything will not get it from now on. Be on notice, "we are awake, we are now and forever vigilant, and we will never go away again!
The answer is actually one that nobody talks about. We need more political parties. Not a third party, but a fourth or maybe a fifth party. Vote out the incumbents? For what? We voted out the Republican incumbents in 2006 and 2008 and got the Democrats. Now people are upset with the Democrats. Let's throw them out. But who do we get? The same people we threw out two and four years ago. How is that fixing anything? You want to be a far-left liberal? There should be a party for you. You want to be a far-right conservative? There should be a party for you. You're a pro-business Republican who has no use for the Religious Right or the tea partiers? There should be a party for you. 538 members of Congress? What would happen if 187 of them were from party #1, 150 were from party #2, 85 were from party number three, 70 were from party number four, and 46 were from party number five. Well, they'd HAVE to work together.
ReplyDeleteThanks Steve, good comments. I think the real answer is that we don't let candidates come to us. We go out and find the kind of people we want and need and then support them to get elected and then hold them accountable. Thanks Steve for standing up and being heard!
ReplyDeleteJim