A fifth respondent has weighed in on the original post. Debbie Goehring is a retired teacher originally from Pennsylvania with many years spent in the classrooms of upper East Tennessee and now a resident with her husband Ron of Isla de Ometepe here in Nicaragua. She reaches much the same conclusion as the other responders: We, the people, have allowed this to happen to us, it's our own damn fault and if it's to be rectified, we, the people, are going to have to put aside our apathy and do something about it.
Can't argue with that.
Debbie apparently also agrees with the other responders that the solution can be found within the current structure (everybody just loves the U.S. Constitution, it seems.) Me, I continue to have serious reservations, but never mind that for now. We're making progress. Debbie proposes a Constitutional amendment that controls campaign spending and another that strips corporations of whatever political power they might have acquired lately (Repeal 'Citizens United' I suppose). She also calls for us to reestablish our 'civic virtue' but I admit that I'm not sure what that means. Whatever it is, she is clearly pissed that the masses have allowed the wealthy and powerful 1% to take and hold control. I'm certainly with her on that one.
Debbie makes reference to Founding Father James Madison (earlier Jane, you might remember, mentioned Thomas Jefferson), continuing this deification status that we, as good Americans, historically accord those individuals who framed the document under which the USA has functioned for damn near 250 years.
For whatever intellect they may have possessed, for whatever good they may have done, both in their day and now ours, there is no refuting the fact that both Jefferson and Madison OWNED other people, a condition with which I, personally, have a serious problem. Can I honestly put a great deal of stock in the words and thoughts of individuals who, somehow in their own minds, justified the ownership of other human beings? Truth be known, no I can't.
The Constitution was written long ago for the benefit of the ruling class when the nation's population was approximately three million. It begins "We, the people of the United States of America" but was no more representative of the "people of the United States of America" than was the Magna Carta. Native Americans, Africans and women had little or no say in this revered creation. They probably would have liked to have been considered and consulted on a matter of this importance. But I digress.
Perhaps I'm being petty and the Constitution can be made workable. Everyone else thinks so. What the Founding Fathers failed to address and what politicians have abused from the very beginning was a checks and balance system on what an elected official is allowed to do, both for themselves and to us, the public. As it stands now, our federally elected officials determine, without answering to anyone, how much they get paid, what kind of benefits they get, and their generous pensions. I cannot remember, as a citizen, ever having a say in any of that. Somehow, our elected officials have decided that they can make rules that they are not subject to, that they're entitled to benefits that the rest of us can't have and that they should be able to retire with a sizable pension after two years of service. And we're, somehow, okay with that?
They've taken the position that, because they were anointed by the democratic process to 'lead' as it were, their power and authority is all-encompassing, to the ridiculous level that they can actually believe that their authority includes an individual woman's uterus. This is preposterous.
Darrell has weighed in again with some additional ideas, several of which I believe are absolutely essential, especially if the precious Constitution is to be made viable again. He proposes term limits for all elected officials and the abolishment of lobbyists. I second both motions. He also states that we, the public, should seek more intelligent leaders, something that's been severely lacking in recent history. Darrell swears they're out there, but with the exception of Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, and maybe Al Franken, I have my doubts. Intelligence nowadays seems to be pointed more at technology, not politics. Darrell says we should vote out all current legislators
Here's something I believe is essential: Elected officials who do abuse authority -- the public trust -- should be put under the jail for a long, long time. No exceptions. A clear message needs to be sent: corruption of any kind will no longer be tolerated in any way, form or fashion. Period. Steal from the public, misrepresent the public, fail to act in the public's best interest, go to jail. Busting rocks. With a little hammer.
Okay folks, more information needed. What else?
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