The Issues, No. 22 - "We the People"

In addition to the President, Congress, the media, and corporate America which we have talked about previously, "we the people", who are the recipients/beneficiaries of everything the President, Congress, the media, and corporate America does, also have a profound responsibility in our democracy. And, like the others, we could do much better.

We, probably more than the people of any other nation on earth, have the ability to not only vote for whom we want, but we have the ability to let our representatives know, as often as we want, what we think and what we want them to do, without worrying about any form of retaliation. Unfortunately, most of us waste these opportunities and do not vote and do not ever contact our representatives to let them know what we think or want them to do.

A whole lot of us don't seem to care much about politics or what's going on in the country as long as everything is OK for us. We just assume that the elected officials will do what's right and will not do anything that will hurt us or our futures. If we have a complaint, we usually only discuss it with our spouses, our parents, the people we work with, or our friends --- or, in other words, people who can't do anything about it. Even if we think we might contact a representative, we might be afraid that there will be some form of retaliation and so we do nothing.

We simply have a wonderful opportunity to partner with our elected officials, to share our thoughts with them, and to help them make our country better and we don't take advantage of it. One of the purposes of the American Dream Machine is to encourage you to get involved; to vote and to share your thoughts and ideas with your elected officials. You have a great stake in this country and your thoughts and ideas are as good, and maybe better, than the thoughts and ideas of your representatives. But, if you don't let them know, they'll never hear them.

As I've said earlier, it's very easy to contact the President, your representatives in Congress, your Governor, and your state and local representatives. You can call them, write them, or email them. And most of them will send you a response. It also will not take you any time, to speak of, to do it. I've also suggested that you might just contact them and tell them you are involved in the American Dream Machine at http://americandreammachine.blogspot.com/ and that you would like them to look at and do something about the issues you are interested in. I truly believe you owe it to yourself, and maybe even to your country, to contact them all. If enough of us do it, we can truly be partners with them in making America better.

The Issues, No. 21 - Corporate America

Tuesday's posting (See "The Issues, No. 19 - The Media") talked about the tremendous responsibility the media has in our country and how, unfortunately, much of the media doesn't seem to care about its responsibility. Corporate America also has a large responsibility in America and much of it doesn't do any better than the media.

I think we should want our corporations to succeed and make profits and I think we should all be for an economy in which competition exists. Success and profits mean jobs with good pay and good benefits. Competition keeps prices realistic. But there have been too many instances in recent history where profits are excessive and appear to be based on collusion (look at the oil industry and maybe even the cable TV industry). There also have been a number of instances recently where company books have been "cooked", investors mislead, and companies collapsing where many people lose their jobs and retirement monies. And just recently there has been the near collapse of the housing market and the credit industry resulting in many people losing their homes and not being able to pay their credit card debt because the companies became too greedy and loaned money to people who couldn't afford to pay it back. When these type of things happen, everyone loses and the corporations involved have let the whole country down.

The only people who seem to benefit from any of the circumstance mentioned above are the corporate executives who are paid totally unreasonable amounts of money and walk away from even a company they have ruined, with outrageous compensation packages. And even the executives who have been caught with their hands in the cookie jar seem to get no punishment and still walk away with tons of money. So, together, these situations set a very bad example.

We as consumers and stockholders should demand that our corporations operate honestly and openly, and strive to produce quality products at reasonable prices. They should compensate their executives generously but not outrageously and maybe tie their compensation packages to the success of the company. And they should fire and prosecute those who break the law. Corporate America needs to constantly remind itself that it is a key piece to the continuing strength and success of our Democracy and that our country's continued economic success lies in its ability to operate responsibly.

The Issues, No. 20 - Is "It's Just Politics" OK?

I know it's just politics, but I don't think I believe that Hillary Clinton, despite what she said in her convention speech last night, is a big fan of Barack Obama. What she has done is not unusual in politics but it somehow doesn't seem right that she viciously attacked and trashed Obama in the primaries, even on a personal level, and now, all of a sudden, she's a big supporter.

I think this kind of behavior is bad for a number of reasons but primarily for the example it sets. It says that it's OK for the people who are running against each other to become elected as the President of the United States, to say really bad and hurtful things about each other. It says also that it's OK to be mean and to try and dig up as much dirt as possible about your opponent to make him/her look bad. And it says that it's even OK to stretch the truth a little if it will make your opponent look even worse. And then finally when it's all over with, it says it's OK to say you didn't really mean all of those nasty things you said and that you only said them because that is what political opponents do. In other words, "It's Just Politics" and so it's OK.

And so now our kids and grandkids are asking questions like "If it's OK for people who are running for President of the United States to say mean and nasty things about people and to stab them in the back when it might be to their advantage, is it OK for me to do it too?" On the other hand they also might be asking questions like "How am I supposed to have any respect for the President when he/she acts like that?" and maybe even, "Why should I get interested in politics and who represents me in Washington when they all act like that?"

I think people who are running for political office need to be more aware of what they are running for, who is watching them, and the example they are setting. I want to have a President and members of Congress who I respect and, for me to vote for them, they need to earn my respect. I can't respect anyone who acts the way I have described above and "It's Just Politics" is not OK with me.

The Issues, No. 19 - The Media

It seems to me that the media, with all of the freedoms available to it in this great democracy of ours, has a profound responsibility to all of us to ensure that it lives up to the highest ideals of our democracy. Unfortunately, I think much of the media does not care about ideals or what effect it is having on our people and care only about how much money can be made. Sensationalism, sex and sexual infidelity, violence, and deceit are what the media knows will sell the most and so that is what they present. And what they present has a huge effect on the population. In it's simplest terms, kids grow up thinking that it's OK to be unfaithful to their spouse and that there is a legitimate place for violence and deceit in their lives.

If you look at the movies and the TV shows that are produced today, it's not hard to see that most are basically trash and contain a lot of sex, violence, and deceit for no real purpose. When you turn on your XM radio and listen to Howard Stern, there is nothing there but sex and adolescent humor. When you pick up the newspaper or turn on the TV news you get the feeling they are licking their chops waiting for the next scandal, economic recession (or, better yet, depression), or the next tragic hurricane or tornado to strike. And you feel like if they can make something bad happen they will. The media influence is just tremendous and, more often than not, totally irresponsible.

I don't know what to do about it other than to stop buying the sensational magazines, newspapers, and books; stop listening to garbage on the radio; stop going to the trashy movies; and stop listening to the TV and newspaper "cheerleaders for the funeral director" who seem to be looking for and are trying to create doomsday. And, please don't buy and/or let your kids buy the violent and sexually oriented video games either.

We need responsible media that is trying to educate and uplift us, to make us better people and a better nation. We don't need to be entertained with garbage and nonsense. Our media should be attempting to keep us out of the gutter and make us feel good about ourselves and our country --- not the opposite.

The Issues, No 18 - Setting an Example

I think our elected officials should set an example for the people they represent and for all Americans. I don't think a Congress that accepts campaign contributions (legal bribes) from big business, lobbyists, and other special interest groups is setting a very good example. I don't think a Congress that doesn't act because its members are afraid they will lose votes is setting a good example. I don't think a Congress that can't seem to manage to pass the annual spending bills on time is setting a good example. I don't think a Congress that continues to push the country deeper and deeper into debt is setting a good example. I don't think the nastiness and cruelty that is exhibited in political campaigns is setting a good example. And, I don't think a Congress that constantly plays Democrats vs. Republicans at the expense of getting something done is setting a good example either.

All Americans, including our children, are aware of what our people in Congress are, or are not, doing. I think many of us think that if it's OK for our Congresspeople to do it, it's OK for us to do it too. Maybe that's why personal debt is out of control for many Americans. Maybe that's a contributor as to why the mortgage situation is so bad. And maybe that's why there is so much back stabbing involved in most competitive situations throughout the country today.

I think the people in Congress need to clean up their act by first realizing that the American people, our kids included, are watching them. They need to realize that they set the example for the nation. They need to start treating each other with respect and dignity, regardless of their political affiliation. They need to eliminate the questionable practice of accepting contributions from those who expect something in return. They need to work hard and get their work done on time. And, they need to face difficult issues with what they believe to be the right solution rather than avoiding them because it may cost them votes.

I don't want a Congress that continually gives us what we want. Rather, I want a Congress that gives us what we need and what is best for the country. I expect the people I vote for are going to be wise enough to understand what is best for the country and their constituents and I expect them to act that way as my representatives. And, I expect them to be moral upstanding citizens, and to act like people we want to look up to.

The Issues, No. 17 - Earmarks/Pork Barrel Legislation

I talked the other day about the annual delay by Congress in passing the spending bills for the next fiscal year (see "The Issues, No. 15 - Government Spending Bills"). I alluded to the fact that one of the reasons for the delays may be that our representatives use the spending bills as an opportunity to pay back their constituents or those who have contributed to their campaigns by adding to the spending bills funding for projects that will specifically benefit those individuals. These little items of funding are called "earmarks" or "pork barrel legislation" and usually do not have any relation to the bill to which they are attached. For a detailed description of earmarks, search the internet for either "congressional earmarks" or "pork barrel legislation". WikipediA has good explanations for both terms.

The major problem with earmarks is that they are funds in a federal agency's budget that are to be used for some pet project in some Senator's state or Congressman's district that are not usually related to the mission of the agency. They are funds often added at the last minute to the appropriations bills. And, as WikipediA says, they usually fit at least one of the following seven criteria developed in 1991 by the Citizens Against Government Waste and the Congressional Porkbusters Coalition:

Requested by only one chamber of Congress;
Not specifically authorized;
Not competitively awarded;
Not requested by the President;
Greatly exceeds the President’s budget request or the previous year’s funding;
Not the subject of congressional hearings; or
Serves only a local or special interest. "

So, obviously, the practice of earmarking is a little suspicious and underhanded at the least and I think it needs to be stopped. It's a practice used for payoffs that I think is sleazy and should have no place in the appropriations process. If a Senator of Congressman thinks a piece of legislation is necessary, it needs to go through the normal process before becoming law. I don't want my representatives in Congress paying back their pals with my tax dollars through a questionable practice and without the approvals of the majority of both houses of Congress and the President.

The Issues, No.16 - Year Round School

The idea of year round school has been around for some time and has been implemented in some localities across the country with differing results. A Google search of the internet for "year round school" will provide you with all of the information you need on the subject. I believe, that if it were done right, year round school would be beneficial to our kids, their parents, and society as a whole. Kids sitting around for three months in the summer watching TV, playing video games, texting their friends, playing on YouTube, and hanging out at the mall is not beneficial to anyone.

I think a summer program in school could be used to teach kids things that they want to learn and need to learn in order to function in and enjoy the world after they have finished with school; things that are not the traditional academic subjects. Classes could be offered in how to budget, save, and invest thier money; how to balance a check book; how to cook, maintain a car, buy a car, buy a house, build a deck, play a flute, fly a plane; how to practice safe sex, drive a car, make a dress, swim, dance, sing, act; and even how to participate in our political processes.

Summer school could be offered in three one-month sessions and students would be required to attend two of the three so that they would still have a month off for family vacations and a break. Some of the classes would be mandatory but many would be elective and all of the classes would be of subjects not offered in the regular school year which would make it something different and new for the students and maybe even fun as well.

In conclusion, I think that sitting home for three months in the summer, hanging out, which I believe is what most kids do, is a total waste of three months of their lives. I sincerely believe that the three months of summer offer a terrific opportunity for us to teach them how to better deal with and enjoy life after their formal education and that we are foolish to not take advantage of that opportunity.

The Issues, No. 15 - Government Spending Bills

One of my major peeves, when it come to Congress, is that Congress hardly ever passes the government spending bills for the next fiscal year until three or four months, or longer, after the next fiscal year has started. When I recently mentioned this concern to one of my Senators, his response was that establishing the budget for the next fiscal year is a complicated process that requires a lot of time to complete. My reaction to that is that if you have a process that doesn't work, you need to look at the process and fix it so it does work.

Beside the fact that its inability to get the job done on time makes Congress look inept and sets a poor example for the rest of the country, every time the spending bills are not passed before the beginning of the next fiscal year is costly to the government agencies which have to operate on what are called "Continuing Resolutions" which essentially means they can only spend at last year's level until Congress gets around to passing the bills. This usually involves the suspension of "non-essential" activities and as WikipediA says, "With non-essential operations suspended, many agencies are forced to interrupt research projects, training programs, or other important functions. It essentially limits government employees to a six- to ten-month work year, as significant amounts of time are lost to bureaucratic haggling and paperwork".

It seems to me that passing the spending bills is, if not the most important, at least among the most important things that Congress does. It therefore would seem that they ought to do it on time every year. If there is a problem in the system or the procedures they use, they should "fix it" and, if partisan politics and earmarks, or "pork", are causes for the delays (which they probably are to some degree), they need to knock it off. I want my Congress to do what it's supposed to do when it's supposed to do it.

The Issues, No. 14 - Who Are Their Management Teams?

I believe I read an article recently in Parade Magazine that may have been excerpts from a book written by Lee Iacocca in which he said that it is important for our Presidential candidates to let us know, well before election day, who they are going to have on their management team. He said a good manager is only as good as the people who work for him and that we simply are unable to vote intelligently for and judge what kind of manager our President will be until we know who his management team will be.

I think Mr. Iacocca has made an excellent point and I think that with the conventions coming up, that Senators McCain and Obama should tell us who they are going to select for their Vice President, their Secretary of State, their Secretary of Defense, and their secretaries of all other departments in the Executive Branch. I want to know who is going to run the CIA, the NSA, and the FBI. I also want to know who they are going to select as their White House Chief of Staff. And, I want to see resumes of these people so that I can make a judgment as to whether I think they are qualified or not.

So, I am going to send Senator Obama and Senator McCain emails letting them know that I am not even going to consider voting for them until they tell us who their management teams will be. If you agree with me, and, more importantly, if you agree with Mr. Iacocca, you might consider doing likewise.

The Issues, No. 13 - Why You Should Vote for Me (or Someone Like Me) for President

Today's posting is for fun but also could maybe be something to think about.

For anyone with any degree of intelligence, it should be intuitively obvious that you would rather have someone other than the current presidential candidates for your next President. Both of them have a great deal of unattractive baggage that I don’t believe a President should carry into office.

First of all, I don’t owe anyone anything. The media made a big deal recently of the fact that McCain and Obama had each raised multiple millions of dollars for their campaigns. Well, you don’t believe for a minute, do you, that the major contributors don’t expect something in return? I, on the other hand, haven’t received anything from anyone and so I don’t owe anything to anyone. The only baggage I’ll carry into the White House will be my personal belongings.

Second, I’m not a career politician. Either one of these guys, because they are career politicians, will spend their first term as President running for their second term, the country be damned. In other words, they will do what’s best for the continuance of their political career regardless of what’s best for America. I, on the other hand, am not a politician, I don’t care about a second term, and I will do, from the start, what I believe to be best for the country.

Third, I don’t come from money or big business and I don’t have money so, as President, I won’t favor big business or the wealthy. I’m just an ordinary middle class American concerned equally about the poor, the rich, and those in the middle.

Finally, there are a couple of other reasons why you should vote for me. Although I am basically conservative in my beliefs, I am not 100% Republican or 100% Democrat. I am conservative on some issues and liberal on others. I don’t care much for extremists like the religious right or the right to lifers. Extremists are scary to me and I equate extremism with ignorance and I think ignorance is maybe the world’s greatest problem. Secondly, I don’t like what happens in Washington. Both houses of Congress are so constantly involved in playing Democrats versus Republicans that hardly anything of significance ever is accomplished. They can’t even pass the annual government spending bills on time. We, as a country, have significant problems, such as the depletion of Social Security funds, healthcare, immigration, and energy. Because of our political system and the fact that congressmen and senators have to win elections to get into and stay in office, they aren’t ever going to do anything that would cost them votes. So, they’ll never pass any legislation that might involve raising taxes or reducing benefits. They’ll continue playing Democrats versus Republicans and waste completely the opportunity to make America better. So, when elected, I will not be influenced by extremists, and I will do whatever I can to motivate Congress to be more productive.

The Issues, No. 12 - Mandatory Service to the Country

In yesterday's posting I expressed my "Final Thoughts About the Federal Government" and concluded with a recommendation about working for the federal government. Today, I'm going to take it one step further and suggest that the Constitution be amended to require every American, at the completion of their formal education be required to spend two years working full time in some capacity for the federal government. Service can be in the military or the civilian service working for an Executive Branch agency, the Congress, or the federal courts. And, there should be no exceptions except for individuals who are not able to function mentally or are severely physically disabled.

The reason I am making this suggestion is because I believe that today there are too many of our people who take our country, and what it stands for, for granted, and have absolutely no appreciation for what it takes to keep our democracy going. Many of these individuals seem to believe they are above the military and the government employees who are working to ensure that our country stays strong and free and are out there only to satisfy their own personal needs and desires. They appear to have no sense of country or interest in anyone other than themselves.

I believe mandatory service would help to create an America where everyone would feel they have contributed to what makes the country great. I think there would be a renewed pride in the country where everyone would feel united by the ideals and the workings of our democracy. The result would be a prouder and more concerned population who just might put their country and their fellow citizens first, before their own personal goals and desires. I think it would make America even better than it already is.

Final Thoughts About the Federal Government

To date I have talked a lot about what I believe could be changed to improve the effectiveness of Congress, the President, and the Federal Courts. Before I begin to discuss issues that I think the Congress should address to improve our lives, I want to talk a little about the civilian men and women who work for the government.

They are, for the most part, smart and dedicated individuals who are doing their very best to carry out, and improve, the programs created by legislation that was passed by Congress and signed into law by the President. For most laws that are enacted, a bureaucracy is created to carry it out. As a fairly recent example, the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 required the creation of an entire agency, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), to create safety and health standards and conduct safety and health inspections of workplaces to "assure safe and healthful working conditions for working men and women". So, it's the law itself that was created by the Congress and signed by the President that creates the bureaucracy and not the career government employees.

One of the major reasons it may appear sometimes that the federal bureaucracy is inefficient is because the Federal Government is the government of all of the people and, as such, there are strict rules and regulations that agencies are required to follow in order to ensure that all of the people who are interested and qualified, have a chance to compete for a government job or a government contract. So by their very natures, the processes of hiring people for government jobs or selecting a contractor to satisfy government contracting requirements is time consuming and cumbersome. But the reason for this, and I'm going to say it again, is that the government has to give everyone an equal chance. Company's in private industry, on the other hand, can hire anyone they want for a job or a contract and often do without any competition.

I think the points I'm attempting to make here are first, that, for those of you who do not work for the government, before you criticize too much, remember that the government serves all of the people and cannot operate the way you do or the company you work for does. Secondly, there are proportionately as many, or maybe even more dedicated and intelligent people working for the government as there are in private industry. Finally, although the government does not have the glitz and bling that a lot of companies in private industry have, it does have a mission to serve the American people and make the country safe and secure and so a career with the government can be rewarding, not only personally, but financially as the government offers very good benefits both while you are working and after you are retired. Think about it!

The Issues, No. 11 - The Federal Judiciary

The third branch of the government, the Judicial Branch, according to the White House web site, "hears cases that challenge or require interpretation of the legislation passed by Congress and signed by the President. It consists of the Supreme Court and the lower federal courts". In other words, Congress, the Legislative Branch, creates laws; the Executive Branch, with the President as its leader, carries out and enforces the laws; and the Federal Courts, the Judicial Branch, hears cases where federal laws are challenged or require interpretation.


One problem with the Judicial Branch is that federal judges are nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate. This means that the nominations often become the victim of partisan politics and are delayed, particularly when the President is not of the party that has the majority in the Senate. As a consequence, the number of vacancies increases and it becomes difficult, at times, for the judiciary to keep up with its caseload. I don't know what the solution is for this problem but I am not happy that partisan politics interferes with our system of justice. Maybe term limits for Senators would solve this problem too, as well as the other problems we've discussed previoulsy related to the Senate.


There are some people who believe that another problem with the judiciary is that federal judges are appointed for life. I'm not sure this is a problem except when a judge becomes too old to function productively and hasn't the sense to retire. If anything, I would be for a mandatory retirement age for judges, including the Supreme Court justices, of 65 or 70. This would help to free up positions for judges that are being occupied by individuals who are no longer capable of carrying full time caseloads and, at the same time, keep the judiciary relatively young and vigorous.

The Issues, No. 10 - The President

Up to this point, I have not discussed the President. My reason for waiting until after talking about Congress is because I believe that Congress, not the President, is the bigger problem and requires more attention. I also believe that Congress has greater power than the President over what our government does and also greater power than the President to fix government's problems including problems with the way government works. The President's term of office is four years and the President is limited to two terms.



The President is the head of the Executive Branch of the government. He is responsible for carrying out, or enforcing, the laws of the United States. Almost every government department and agency is managed by the President. Go to http://www.usa.gov/ and search for "executive branch agencies" and you will see the list of what the President is responsible for.



All of the agencies in the government were created and are modified by legislation that was passed by Congress. The President does not create and pass legislation but he does propose legislation to Congress in which he is interested and he is responsible for signing legislation, after Congress has approved it, as the final step in making it into law. The President also has the ability to veto legislation, but Congress can override the veto by two thirds majority in each house and the legislation then becomes law without the President's signature. Search the internet for "Presidential veto power".

In 1947 the Twenty-second Amendment to the Constitution limited the President to two terms (search the internet for "Presidential term limits"). Even though the President is, at least, limited to two terms, the problem I have with two terms is that the President and all of his Cabinet and their politically appointed managers spend the President's first term campaigning for the second term. In other words, they do little to antagonize the voting public and averything to make sure the President is still popular when it's time for a re-election campaign. This, in my opinion, is wasting opportunity because it appears that oftentimes they don't do what is needed only because they are afraid they might lose votes in the coming election.

So, I would like to see the Constitution amended to limit the President to one term. The amendment could extend the single term from four to six years but I believe a President, as well as our Congressmen and Senators, can be most effective and do their best for the country when not worrying about the next election.

A New Slant on "How to Let Them Know"

As you know, at the end of most of my daily postings, I have urged you to contact your representatives in Congress, and sometimes your state representatives, to let them know how you feel about the issue I have presented that day. To make it easier for you, and maybe to to present a more organized approach, I have a new suggestion.

After you've read an issue that has been presented, you might, if you agree with the point of view that has been expressed, send an email to your representatives and let them know that you are involved in the American Dream Machine at http://americandreammachine.blogspot.com/ and that you are in agreement with the issue that was presented on such and such date. If you want to go a little further you could tell them you agree with all of the issues presented to date, all of them except Issue No. 6 (or whatever issue(s) you don't agree with), or only with Issue No 6 (or whatever issue(s) you happen to agree with).

At any rate, in order for us to become the special interest group that our representatives are going to pay the most attention to, we have to make the most noise in the largest numbers and we need to present an organized approach. So, I urge you to let them know often but let them know that you are involved in the American Dream Machine too.

The Issues, No. 9 - Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is a 1939 movie about the trials and tribulations of a naive governor appointed replacement Senator that starred Jimme Stewart and Jean Arthur. I think it should be a requirement that both houses of Congress show it in each chamber at the beginning of each legislative session and I think attedance should be required. The movie captures the very essence of American democracy and patriotism.

I recommend the film to any of you who haven't seen it. It will stir your patriotic feelings and make you proud, all over again, to be an American. I believe that if Congressmen and Senators saw the movie at the beginning of each legislative session, they would begin the year with a renewed sense of what it means to represent the people of the greatest nation in the world. And, who knows, maybe they will try harder to make America even greater.

So, get a copy of the movie and watch it and while you're all charged up about America after it's over, send a message to your representatives and tell them you want them to watch it too!

The Issues, No. 8 - Democrats vs. Republicans

Congress seems to have a great fascination with and derive a great deal of pleasure from which political party has the majority in the House of Representatives and the Senate. It seems to be one of their major activities and their favorite pastime. They are very vicious about it also. When the majority changes from one party to another, the party now in the majority takes every opportunity to punish the other party. And if the new majority party is a different party from that of the President, they punish the President too. Often times is appears that the punishment takes the form of arbitrarily blocking a piece of legislation just for spite, regardless of whether the legislation would be beneficial or not.

I believe and I think there are a large number of other Americans who believe that this game of Democrats vs. Republicans is ridiculous and harmful. It certainly makes Congress look like a bunch of idiots, but it also makes it look as if our representatives in Congress don't have minds of their own and that all Democrats (or Republicans) think and believe alike. I, for one, don't care about Democrats or Republicans and who has the majority in Congress. I want my representatives to act according to their own minds and beliefs and not according to what a political party believes. I also don't believe that any one person is all Democrat or all Republican or all liberal or all conservative. I think people are liberal (Democrat) about some issues and conservative (Republican) about others.

Therefore, if you believe the game of Democrats vs. Republicans is ridiculous and harmful to both Congress and the country, you need to let your representatives know that you want them to stop and that you want them to act as individuals who have been elected by their constituents to keep our country strong and prosperous and to do their best to make it even better.

The Issues, No. 7 - Don't Vote for Incumbents

We've talked about limiting the terms of Congressmen and Senators a couple of times now and in those instances we've said that limiting their terms requires an amendment to the Constitution. There is another way to limit terms that doesn't require an amendment to the Constitution but requires that we, the voters, don't vote for the incumbent. In other words, whenever your current Congressman's or Senator's current term is up and they need to win a new election to remain in office, don't vote for them, vote for their competitor. Their are a number of organizations who promote this idea and you can find them by performing an internet search on "vote for incumbent".

Not voting for incumbents will accomplish pretty much the same goals as limiting terms through a Constitutional amendment but is more risky. A Constitutional amendment would simply not permit a Congressman or Senator to succeed themself in office. The "don't vote for incumbents" idea will only work if enough voters follow through and actually don't vote for the incumbent which leaves the door open for the incumbent to be reelected.

A good compromise might be to let your representatives in Congress as well as your state representatives know that you want a Constitutional amendment to limit the terms of Congressmen and Senators and, in the meantime, whenever you have an opportunity to vote, don't vote for an incumbent.

The Issues, No. 6 - Amending the Constitution

We've talked, in previous postings, about how, in order to limit the terms of our representatives in Congress, eliminate one of the "Chambers" of Congress, and reduce the size of Congress would require amendments to the Constitution. Article Five of the Constitution describes the two methods that can be undertaken to amend the Constitution. In one method, Congress itself can propose an amendment by a two -thirds vote of a quorum of the House of Representatives and the Senate. Once proposed the amendment must be ratified by three-fourths of the states to take effect.

In the second method, two-thirds of the state legislatures may meet and then apply to Congress to convene a national convention for the purpose of considering amendments. Once an amendment is proposed by the convention, it, as in the first method, must be ratified by three-fourths of the states to take effect.

To amend the Constitution then, is not a simple process but rather a process that ensures that three fourths of the states agree that an amendment is necessary. And Congress itself and most state legislatures probably aren't going to want to propose any legislation to limit the terms of politicians. To add to the difficulty of amending the Constitution, there is a large body of Constitutional scholars, both inside and out of Congress, that believe the Constitution should not be amended at all.

But, regardless of however difficult it is and whatever obstacles must be overcome, it makes a lot of sense to amend the Constitution if the amendment will improve a situation without disturbing the integrity and intent of the Constitution and if the amendment will make our country stronger. Therefore, we, as individual Americans need to assess whether we believe limiting the terms of Congressmen and Senators, as an example, will improve a situation and make the country stronger. If you believe that it will, you need to let your representatives in Congress and in your state know. A movement to make an amendment that affects Congress has to start with the people.

It's Important to Let them Know

As of our last posting, we had discussed five issues: Responsibility, Contributions, The Role of Votes, Term Limits, and Congress is Too Big. Before we continue with additional issues, I think it is important to take the time to reemphasize how important it is for all of us to establish and maintain contact with our representatives.

We've talked about the special interest groups and how they contribute money to members of Congress in order to insure their agendas are looked after. And, we have determined that because of this practice, we have a Congress that is working for the special interest groups which, in most circumstances, do not necessarily represent the interests of the majority of the American people.

Therefore, we, the people, need to become not only a special interest group but the special interest group that Congress listens to first and foremost. And, we don't need to contribute money to their campaigns either. We just need to constantly let them know, in large enough numbers, that they begin to pay attention to us first.

So, if any of the issues we have presented so far have "struck a nerve" and gotten you the least bit excited, let your representatives in Congress know. If you've forgotten or you have just joined us, in our second posting on July 22, 2008, we talked about "How to Let Them Know". And, if there are other issues you are interested in, let them know about those issues also and/or send us a comment so that we might share your issues with our other readers. The important thing is that we let them know.

The Issues, No. 5 - Congress is Too Big

Congress is way too big to function efficiently. The Senate has 100 members; 2 from each state. The number of members in the House of Representatives was originally to be determined by population as a result of the census which is performed every 10 years but the membership had grown so large that in 1911 Congress fixed the number of members at 435.

Besides being too large, there are the two "chambers" of Congress, the Senate and the House of Representatives, that seem to trip over each other in attempting to perform their legislative duties. This "bicameral" Congress with 2 Senators per state and however many Congressmen determined by the census may have worked well in the early days of the nation when we had a few states and a small population. But today, with 50 states and a very large population, the size of Congress, currently fixed at 535 members, and the fact that it has two "chambers" makes it clumsy and inneficient.

There also is very little difference between what the Senate does and what the House of Representatives does. Everything could be done by one body with a fixed membership (no more than 200) determined by the relative population of each state. However, to take such action would, again, require an amendment to the Constitution that would require Congress itself to initiate the process.

If you believe that a reorganization and downsizing of Congress would improve its functionality and responsiveness to the needs of the country, let your representatives in Congress and your state representatives know. If you want more information on the size of Congress, you can do an internet search on "number of Senators" and/or "number of Congressmen" or look at the Constitution.