I thought there are some real radical (which isn’t necessarily always bad) ideas here, and not just the age old, “we’re going to write a bill that is more complicated than learning the concept of the irrational and transcendent nature of PI, and then spend half our term acting like we’re trying to pass it, and the other half trying to get re-elected for another term, to do it all over again!” kinds of changes…
A Response to a Barak Obama Response
Barak Obama is one of the most promising politicians I have seen in my lifetime. He is very intelligent, well spoken, and seems to inspire people. These are all qualities of a good leader, but to be a great leader he needs to go above and beyond what is expected. I like what I hear from him in his speeches, but in a way he is just playing the old Washington game of telling the people what they want to hear. Yes it is no secret the American people are tired of the status quo, Washington is corrupt, and our economy is in the crapper. The honest, hard working, average American has known this for years. Barak talks a good talk, and it sounds like he does want to help out “Main Street”, but it is going to take more than what he is proposing to make a “Change” for the better. He needs to step back look at the big picture, and then start thinking outside the box. If Barak truly cares about the real American people then maybe he would like to hear what I have to say. I am a U.S. Veteran, and I have walked down “Main Street” to get to work every day of my life.
Greed and corruption have crippled both our government and our economy. In order to fix the economy we must first fix our government. Our forefathers created our government with the idea that it would be for the people by the people, and this is a concept we need to rekindle. The only way to get a government that works with the peoples best interests in mind is to get the population more involved in government. To achieve this goal government needs to be more accessible to the people, and an easy way to get that ball rolling in this direction is to make Election Day a two day national holiday. An election holiday would give people a reason to gather, talk about the issues, and then vote on them.
The next problem in our government is our elected leaders supporting legislation with there own interests in mind. McCain makes a good point about stopping wasteful spending and pork in legislation. He does not however propose a permanent solution to this problem. If political leaders use pork barrel spending to get money for there constituents, which in turn is used to help them get re-elected, I say we enact some new term limits. Make the number of years one can serve in congress longer, but limited to one term. This way pork barrel legislation will not give the individual politician any benefit to push for it. This would also keep fresh new people with new ideas in our government, which would also cut out the incumbent vote and get people more involved in the political process.
As for the entrenched special interests in Washington, I agree that we need to do something about this because in my opinion we are on the verge of an oligarchy right now. Most of those who serve in government are well connected and have had access to the resources needed to get them voted into a political office from an early age. This is why you see so many family legacies in our various levels of governments. I have a radical idea that will give power back to the powerless. I say what our government is missing is an American version of the Roman Tribune. I suggest one tribune per state, elected every 2 years with no term limits, with only the power to veto a piece of legislation with a 2/3s majority vote among tribunes. The sole priority of the tribunes would be to make sure that the legislation that is passed is in the best interest of the average people. They would be in a way a body of whistle blowers.
I know some of the things I have proposed to “Change” Washington are a little extreme, but at least I have some real ideas. I am glad Barak Obama recognizes these problems we face as a nation, but troubleshooting what‚Äö√Ñ√¥s wrong is only the first step in resolving any complication. Deciding what to do to fix the problem is what really matters. Until I hear some substantial ideas from Barak, his slogan of “Change” is still just the same old Washington rhetoric we hear every four years. His plans to help Americans deal with kitchen table issues are also in the same format that every other politician uses. This format is in plans and policies that are agreeable to those who are voting for him, this is what a representative does, not a leader. A leader tells those who fallow what they need to hear, not what they want to hear. Strong leaders lead by example, listen to criticism, and try to always make the right decision even if it is an unpopular one. Having said all of this I still stand behind what I said at the beginning of this essay, but until Barak stops acting like a senator and starts acting like the future leader of the United States he will not have my full support.