[countymounty]

ANOTHER INTERESTING VIEWPOINT.



THE 545 PEOPLE RESPONSIBLE FOR AMERICA'S WOES



BY CHARLEY REESE



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?



You 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 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.

[tripleblack]

Well-written piece.

I have no criticism for the logic or advice.

The only thing lacking is action from the "boss".

Us.

(Footnote: The same formula works at the state, county and city governments as well.)

[pcfrisch]

When it's broken down that way, that is scary. For the life of me, I don't see how these people are re-elected over and over and over.

[shartley]

Originally Posted by tripleblack

Well-written piece.

I have no criticism for the logic or advice.

The only thing lacking is action from the "boss".

Us.

(Footnote: The same formula works at the state, county and city governments as well.)

Correct!

And I will also put in that no ONE person is responsible for our Nation's "woes". Our government is set up to prevent any one person or any one group from controlling everything. So the next time folks want to start wagging and then pointing fingers, they need to take a quick course in Government 101 and see that chances are who they want to blame is NOT to blame (or not alone). In most cases it is also who those folks consider "their" people who are at fault too.

I have often said it, and will say it again... it is a wonder that ANYTHING gets done in Government, let alone things folks want to complain about. Politicians are their own worse enemy.... as well as ours it would seem. Yet WE elect them. It makes you really wonder....

[jim293]

Originally Posted by pcfrisch

When it's broken down that way, that is scary. For the life of me, I don't see how these people are re-elected over and over and over.

Makes you wonder doesn't it.

[tripleblack]

Originally Posted by jim293

Makes you wonder doesn't it.

Its a blatant example of where the 2-Party system has failed us.

Decades ago they tacitly agreed to make it VERY difficult for incumbents in good standing with the national party lose an election. Sure, open seats are hotly contested, and there are a few slots where gerrymandering has failed and the balance is even enough that an actual fight occurs, but the huge majority (something like 87%) of seats receive mere token competition each election.

Newt Gingrich tossed a bomb into the process with the "Contract With America" that swept the first Republican majority in 44 years into control of the House, but he's long gone and the same old party relics are running the show on both sides again.

What I DO see is that this upcoming election is likely to sweep most of those "in play" seats onto the Democratic side of the table. Obama is likely to have long coat tails, whereas McCain will give Congressional Republicans huge headaches with his long history of angering their Conservative base.

In an odd way, Obama and the Marvel Mystery Tour & Great Experiment in hard-left socialism is one of the few things capable of disrupting that ancient gentleman's agreement between the 2 Major Parties.

There could be a LOT more fireworks in 2010, and particularly 2012.

I suspect the Republican minority in Congress will continue to shrink this election, perhaps back to its pre-"Contract with America" numbers.

Obama may even receive the ultimate gift - a fillabuster-proof majority in the Senate...

The Democrats will perceive this as an outright mandate from the voters, and rightly so, clearing the way for the Experiment to move forward very quickly indeed!

[red pony chick]

I say Trip for Prez!!!!!