Our flawed system in Congress
Published on Sean Hannity Discussion | shared via feedly mobile
This is a message to people of all political persuasions – liberal, conservative, libertarian, Democrat, Republican… – it’s about a problem that affects us all. Our founders left Europe for this continent largely to escape being ruled by an elite class of people whose only qualification was to be born with inherited wealth and power to rule the people. The founders embarked on a project to set up a government in which common people made the laws, thereby controlling their own destiny. According to most accounts, they envisioned our leaders to be shopkeepers, farmers, blacksmiths, preachers... ordinary people. The job of a legislator was to be part time, and they would meet periodically, debate, decide and go home to their occupations. Well, we blew it. Today our legislators go to Washington, where they are treated with great deference. We give them a salary of at least $174,000 per year, generous medical insurance benefits, and a lifetime pension. They hire personal staffs averaging 14 people for Representatives and 34 for Senators to kowtow to their every need. They receive allowances for expenses, travel, legal, offices in their home state, and other matters. They travel at the expense of both taxpayers and special interest groups and have available a fleet of 16 Air Force passenger planes for their use (spouses travel free on them). They are exempt from some of the laws that regulate ordinary mortals, perhaps the most egregious of which is an exemption from insider trading laws, which permits them to profit from information not known by the public. As a former resident of Washington DC, I can attest legislators get the best tables at restaurants, shows, and sporting events. Lobbyists fawn over them, heaping adulation and respect and showering them with gifts and donations. The call themselves “the Honorable…” or “the Gentleman from…”. As they remain in office, they gain prestige. They begin to serve on committees, and the longer they are in office, the more important their committee assignments and the greater their salary and pension benefits. Legislators on committees can have enormous power over other legislators. For example, a legislator who has achieved a seat on a Senate or House Appropriations Committee controls where and how money is spent – all $3.6 trillion dollars. If another legislator has a project to pursue and needs funds for it, he must go along to get along with the senior members. Ted Stevens of Alaska used his position on the Senate Appropriations committee in 2005 to bring $16 trillion of pork to the state. Appropriations Committee membership are handed out as rewards to those who toe the line, and they gain access to Federal funds for their districts which in turn buys them votes. It's a system that virtually eliminates denial of any expenditure. If you deny mine, I'll deny yours, so we just go on spending. Appropriation committees tend to be non-partisan for that reason. It’s a system in which there is absolutely no incentive to restrain spending Today Congress is a “good-old-boy” network – a club in which the members support each other and no one crosses the other. Longevity leads to increased power and prestige. The more power and prestige, the greater the urge to be re-elected. Is there any wonder the primary motivation is to give voters everything they want? Stagnation in Congress results from the overwhelming odds of incumbents being re-elected (between 96 and 98% typically). They have the advantages of name recognition, a bully pulpit, and campaign financing sources not available to challengers. This situation breeds what Paul Ryan calls "a class of bureaucrats and connected crony capitalists trying to rise above the rest of us, call the shots, rig the rules, and preserve their place atop society." Jim DeMint is a conservative Senator who is fighting the status quo in congress. He is feared and disliked by the entrenched members of both parties because they don’t want him rocking their boat. DeMint supports candidates for office who are ethical and true to their constituents, and he has been severely criticized for going against the “machine”. His book, The Great American Awakening, chronicles DeMint’s struggle to reform congress. It is a chilling story of self-serving professional politicians and the grip they have on America. Every American of any political persuasion should read it. As a Senator, DeMint has been carrying on this fight since 2004. Although he would prefer to term limit himself, we need him to lead the effort to clean up the mess in congress and take steps to prevent a re-occurrence. If we can get rid of the “good old boys” we can discuss the measures needed to reform the way things work in Washington. Seniority, term limits, the system of committee assignments, and lavish perks should all be part of that reform. Jim DeMint has almost single-handedly started a reform movement. His goal is to return the government to the people instead of an elite few. Senators are elected for terms of six years and roughly a third of them come up for re-election each cycle. Representatives serve for two years and all are up for re-election in each cycle. That means in 2012 we can turn over all entrenched politicians in the house, and a third of those in the Senate. Many of the elections will be won in the primaries. The non-incumbent candidate who prevails there is likely to be the winner in a reform movement. Please become informed regarding the primaries in your state and be sure to vote in those critical elections. Get involved. Contribute to the campaigns of your choice: write letters, make phone calls, send emails. Sitting around complaining and commiserating with each other accomplishes nothing. Without the influence of American voters, Congress will spend us into oblivion and we will end up like the European nations that are on the verge of bankruptcy. Only the voters can provide an incentive to rein in spending – the current system certainly does not. If you agree with this oped, please pass it on. Pete Welch
Dwight A. Hunt, Sr. A+, MCP
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