Election Misdirection (So You’ll Continue to Ignore the Important Stuff)

The admitted-to U.S. national debt is $19 TRILLION…and growing.  Just awhile back our distinguished Congress appropriated another $1 TRILLION just to operate the government for one year!  Think about that for a minute…

Then think about these things –

• Almost 95 million working age Americans have no jobs
• A significant number of black Americans have accepted the race-baiter charlatans’ lies about purported “racism” in this country, and “protest” against claimed injustice with wanton destruction of other people’s property and looting, which are truly unjust and inexcusable actions
• In the continuing military operations in the Middle East and Afghanistan, our military is scavenging parts from older planes to keep others operational (and why are we even still there?)
• The dollar will soon be replaced as the Global Reserve Currency, reducing the value of the dollar by as much as 90% (that’s right, your dollar will then be worth a dime…think about THAT for a minute)
• The emphasis in colleges and universities is on “safe spaces” and protection of the delicate sensibilities of students from ideas that challenge their previously unexamined “beliefs,” instead of providing the education you and I are paying for
• The FBI and Department of Justice, including the Attorney General (who is supposed to be the chief law enforcement officer in the nation) have both been clearly corrupted by the Obama racial divisiveness scheme, and now by the corrupt Clinton presidential campaign (so much for the “rule of law”)

And that’s just a few of the issues that practically scream to be addressed by the people we elect to conduct the business of this nation.  And no, I don’t mean the president, regardless of political party; I mean the Congress…you know, those “representatives” who we send to Washington to look after the interests of the American people and our nation?

While it matters who is elected president, in our democratic republic the balance of powers established by the Constitution enables the Congress to either go along with or effectively thwart any president’s plans, policies and proposals.  And that’s as it should be, for it is not a single person, of any political party, who should govern this nation, but “we, the people,” through our elected representatives.

Today, however, we’re in exactly the same situation the Colonists were in when they responded to King George’s arbitrary imposition of new taxes with the cry, “No taxation without representation!”  We have no representation in Congress, no voice that speaks for us, the ordinary Americans who work, pay our taxes, obey the laws, etc.  It seems the only people our career politicians are interested in (other than the big moneyed interests that pour money into their campaigns, of course) are the special-interest minorities like militant blacks, feminists, homosexuals, transgenders, et al.  As I have noted before, we’re suffering under a “government of the squeaky wheel,” where those who squawk the loudest, no matter their tiny numbers, get all the attention and action, while those of us who go about our lives, raising families, working, etc., are the ones who have truly been discriminated against and treated unjustly.

Will Hillary Clinton, the “human rights champion” who accepted hundreds of millions from foreign governments and entities in return for approving massive arms sales to those countries, fix that?  Will Donald Trump, the seemingly trapped-in-adolescence billionaire, fix these things?

That’s a rhetorical question, for the answer is an emphatic “No!”  They can’t, by design.  No president can accomplish anything without the active support, or at least the passive “going along in order to get along” acceptance of the Congress.  For example, we wrongly blame Obamacare on Obama, but as someone wrote long ago, “The president proposes…the Congress disposes,” which means that it’s the Congress that passed Obamacare that is responsible for it, the same Congress that’s now trying to distance itself from that disastrous monstrosity they created by voting for it even though they didn’t read it!  (Don’t you think that voting for, or against, any legislation without reading is reason enough to not only recall and unseat any Congressman or Representative, but also grounds for prosecution for gross negligence of duty and violation of their oath of office to support the Constitution?)

It’s the Congress that you and I should be all agitated and energized about, not the awful “choice” for president that the career politicians and bureacrats in both parties, without shame, have offered us.  The usually compliant voters of the “loyal opposition” Republican Party, after at least four decades of deceit and betrayal by the GOP establishment, didn’t give them the candidate they wanted (Jeb Bush), so in the clearest revelation possible of their disdain and contempt for their constituents, they’ve done all they could to make sure Hillary Clinton, their supposed opponent, is elected!  They believe that after Trump loses the GOP voters will come back into the fold, accept their “proven” premise that no outsider can win, and meekly endure decades more of their lies and betrayal.

The Democrat Party faithful, too, were ill-served by the Party establishment, who colluded to defeat Bernie Sanders, the Democrats’ “somebody else” of the nomination process.  While I certainly am no fan of any socialist, the voice of a large number of Democrat voters was effectively silenced by the collusion of the DNC and the Hillary Clinton Campaign.  That’s Third World, banana republic politics, folks, and if the career politicians in both parties have become so bold as to so flagrantly ignore the will of the people, it’s only a small step to imposing their candidates, or other wants, by dint of the force the government wields, either economically, legally through a corrupt Justice Department, or even militarily through the militarized police forces around the nation.

So, how do we fix this?  How do we regain control over government so that “we, the people” rule instead of bunch of lawless, self-serving parasites in both parties?  While there are many things to be done, the one irreplaceable thing is that you and I, the American citizen, have to start holding our elected officials (local, state and, especially, federal) accountable for their actions, or lack of action.  I offer here three things as a start, and it’s only a start, because for at least half a century we’ve allowed professional politicians to ensconce themselves in positions of influence and power, so it will require dogged persistence and commitment to wrest that power from them.

First, stop political campaign contributions.  It goes without saying that foreign nations and entities shouldn’t be allowed to contribute to political campaigns, and that is the law.  But Hillary Clinton has sidestepped that law by having millions in foreign “donations” to the Clinton Foundation and more millions in “speaking fees” for her and Bill, while she was the Secretary of State.  In that position, she approved billions in arms sales to nations with the most grievous human rights violations she formerly pointed out…until they donated to her foundation.

But no contributions, from any source, period.  The news media gets some of its highest ratings (and therefore more advertising revenue) during political campaigns.  OK, then let’s start the rehabilitation of the a shamelessly partisan media by having them fund federal elections, only with a twist: No phony debates, just a list of the legislation that came before the body during the incumbent’s tenure, his/her vote and a brief explanation of why he/she voted that way.  The challengers address each vote, either agreeing or disagreeing and explaining why.  That’s it.  Each sitting politician must then run on his/her actual performance, instead of marketing guru-constructed image campaigns and slick speeches.  Did you perform on our behalf or for the benefit of your own career?  Every working American I know is held accountable for their job performance; why shouldn’t we do the same for our elected representatives?

Second, and I admit I got this idea from an Internet meme (the supposed “Buffett rule,” which I sincerely doubt came from Warren Buffett): If there’s a budget deficit, then no incumbent Congressman or Senator is eligible for re-election.  For at least five years (and I’m fine with ten years).  How long do you think it would take our Congress to erase that $19 TRILLION national debit if this rule were in effect?  One term, or two?  You can bet on it.  They spend our tax money as if we’re the rich uncle with endless resources, instead of even trying to be fiscally responsible.  It’s time we forced them to be so.

And finally, ban any amendments that don’t directly relate to the original legislation proposed.  For example, for a highway bill, only amendments that address the construction of highways and related issues are allowed.  No farm or industry subsidies, military expenditures, additional taxes, etc…only tweaks to the original proposal.  You want to vote on another topic, then introduce that legislation.

For decades Congressmen and Senators have, in effect, hidden their votes using the justification that they voted for or against a certain measure “because that amendment was good/bad for our district/state.”  In other words, it’s a dodge created to protect incumbents from having to defend their votes.  If they had to defend each vote based on a simple, clear issue, they’d be easier to hold accountable.

That’s it.  Now, in at least two of those, action by the Congress will be required, and they won’t do it willingly, because it upsets their cushy little apple cart.  But if you and I, American citizen, make it clear to them – through calls and letters to their offices, or joining with other like-minded citizens or organizations, and especially by showing them that we’ll throw their sorry, pampered butts out of office if they don’t implement these steps – then we’ll have taken a huge stride in not only holding them accountable, but in fulfilling our role as citizens and reclaiming control over what is our government.

I’m sick to death about so many things our supposed representatives have done in our name, and while I’m not yet ready to take up arms against my own government, I’m certainly ready to insist that our representatives start doing precisely that…representing us!

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Formerly a liberal and an atheist, Paul E. Scates served as a Marine in Vietnam and is a lifelong student of American history, politics and culture. A former contributor to national website TooGoodReports.com, he writes his staunchly independent Conservative and informed Christian commentary for his fellow ordinary, working Americans, the “we, the people” who are ultimately responsible for preserving our Constitutional liberties.

Paul E. Scates

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