Wednesday, May 29, 2013

All together, now...

If there are two things left that unite Americans, it's their disgust with Congress... and their tendency to perpetuate the problem by reelecting their particular congresscritter.  This is truly a bipartisan problem.

It's a slick racket: 435 different Congressional districts all convinced the institution is a complete mess... except for their representative.  Oh, there are other factors: fear of the loss of seniority and the ability to 'bring home the bacon,' a concern about throwing out the "good with the bad."  But these are not normal times, and business as usual won't cut it any more.

Over the last six to ten years, we've seen Congress, which typically enjoys a re-election rate greater than 90%, oversee a steady and none-too-subtle abandoning of the rule of law.  Executive branch abuses go unchallenged (except to posture on TV); financial shenanigans are winked at; outright fraud that undercuts the integrity of our title deed system is ignored.

Whatever you think of your particular representative, I've seen no evidence of anyone consistently speaking up to oppose this descent into thugocracy.  As the saying goes, "all that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."

We need to go one better than the "throw the bums out" mentality of 1994.  What's needed is a reassertion of the people over their representative branch; a reminder of just who works for whomEvery American should pledge not to cast a vote for any incumbent in the 2014 election cycle.  These are the same people who failed to pass a budget for the past five years; who rammed through multiple bailout bills in the face of clear majority opposition by the public; who continuously try to scare the public of the 'dire effects' of even a modest drop in spending, all while handing out goodies overseas like Santa Claus three sheets to the wind.  We should all remember that NO ONE is indispensable to the country.  There is not one single person so wise, so experienced, that the nation can't afford to lose them on Capitol Hill.  And if such a public servant does still remain, they of all people should realize the value to the nation of hitting the reset button.

A potentially huge side benefit of this resolve could be the breaking of the two-party stranglehold on our electoral system.  If Americans truly pledged to infuse 'new blood' into the system, it's unlikely they would forgo their particular party flavor just to vote for "the other side."  In such an environment, true 'third parties' alternatives could potentially flourish.  And it's about time.

Democrats, Republicans, Independents... what say you?  Isn't this something we can all agree on, at a time when our country needs unity more than ever?  Let's stop allowing clever snake oil salesmen to divide and conquer us.  Let's target the real enemy: not the "other party," but the bi-factional ruling class that no longer has any connection to the interest of the people they supposedly serve.

I, for one, plan to vote against every incumbent on the ballot next year.  Spread the word.  Who's with me?


Update, June 12, 2013 - Here's the full-size alternate graphic donated by reader "illogicmindz" ----




1 comment:

Anonymous said...

AMEN!!!!

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