Well, the elections are over, at least for now. The nation is filled with people either elated or dismayed with the outcome. There is not a better time than now, for us to look at our government and how it operates.
Why is it that we pay an elected official to do a job, and they receive their entire paycheck while running around the nation vying for another job? There is no possible way they can be giving us our money’s worth when not on the job. If you took time off your job, without a vacation, to look for another job, would you get paid? After a year or two of expended absences, would you even have a job? But then, that goes back to the fact I believe we should not be paying them all that money to begin with.
Political office is called public service. It should not be a career. When anyone enters a career, they look to gain as much wealth and benefits for themselves and their family as possible. Why would we, the public, want a person in office looking out for little more than their own benefit? We put them in office to do our bidding, not to pad their pockets.
The founding fathers created a government where civic minded citizens stepped forward to do their duty as quickly as possible, and then go home once more to make a living. Why then have we let politicians change this service into a money making career? The only reference the constitution makes toward paying our representatives is in Article I, Section 6, where it states they shall receive “Compensation for services” and paid out of the “Treasury of the United States”. Compensation does NOT always mean money.
At no place does the constitution state or imply our elected officials should be career politicians. In fact, if you look closely to the early years of this nation, our leaders were businessmen with an eye on the future of this country. By serving the nation and benefiting its citizens, they too received a benefit.
When George Washington was elected to lead our army in the Revolutionary War, he did so without a paycheck. The Continental Congress paid his expenses, nothing more; that was compensation. Granted George got something out of it, but there was no cash in hand. Another fact; even though George Washington was a large property and land owner, he never had much money. He even had to borrow money for the trip to take office as the first President of this nation. After leaving office, he periodically secured loans to expand his home enterprises. If he had been a politician of today, those loans would never have been necessary. Political action committees (PAC) or government coffers would have footed the bill.
Has our greed gone so far that we refuse to do anything without a large monetary compensation? Do we only do the bare minimum without getting paid extra? What happened to the old standard of performing to our very best, going the extra mile for nothing more than pride?
Each and every American needs to join together in a ground swell for political reform. The federal government is too involved with our day to day lives, thus superceding the power of our local governments. Career political money grubbers are mostly to blame. With an overwhelmingly powerful federal government they can dictate changes in spending to line their pockets. Taking thousands of dollars for themselves and giving us back pennies, which we thank them for. Are you able to vote yourself a raise annually that far exceeds the cost of living increases? Do you have 100% government paid healthcare, or free travel? A retirement plan which matches your income now, without having the worry of taxes or if social security will exist?
Washington DC has become mount Olympus, ground too hallow for mere mortals to venture. Anyone viewing the workings of out federal government in action never sees the inter-workings, only the calm surface. We all have heard about the backroom deals, but there seems to be nothing we can do to change it.
This nation was founded on states rights, with a small central government to help standardize commerce and secure our common defense. A government used as a string to bind us together in a common union, not as a chain to shackle and burden us. Politicians are robbing our piggy banks to line their golden coffers and we continue to invite them back for more.
If the population of the individual states controlled the compensation our representatives get and not the federal government, the people would have more control of the politicians and nation. The legislative branch of our government would then be more attuned to our needs, as it would be their needs also. It’s time to sell the government yacht and put everyone back in the rowboat.
The executive and legislative branches of our government have become co-dictators of this nation, controlling us, the free people. How can we be a free people when the federal government controls the food we eat, the water we drink and even the air we breathe? The central government regulates our education, entertainment and standards of living. They do it every day, with their hand in our collective pockets.
The pursuit of our happiness is contingent on Washington bureaucracy. They tell us what we need and how much more we are going to pay for it. Politicians spout “pie in the sky” promises far beyond any reality. Later they tell us it will cost even more, while their pockets get heavier and heavier with our hard earned money.
Now is the time to push for governmental reform. We do not need a large federal government controlling us, WE need to control it, downsize it to a level better suited to our needs. Take it back a few steps and let our state and local governments address education, healthcare, welfare and so many other issues we face today. The larger the government, the more money it takes to get less done.
The first step should be to amend the constitution, replacing the compensation congress receives from the central treasury, to compensation coming from the states themselves. The states could then decide how much to pay their representation in Washington. They also could control the staffing each member of congress has. Silly little things as job performance and merit could come into play. All benefits these individuals keep hidden from public purview would be out in the open, under the scrutiny of us, the constituency.
This amendment would have a large impact on the federal budget. Without the burden of funding the legislative branch of the government, it would free up millions of dollars annually. Congressional budgets could be closely monitored for excesses in areas as days off, trips, expense accounts, etc. If a legislator misses votes, pay could be deducted, this in itself, would improve voting records. This would take another burden off the federal government and require less money out of the national budget. Money filtered from taxpayer to legislator would have fewer stops and minimize chances for depleting the funds. The more agencies involved, the less arrives at the final destination.
Control of the federal government should be in the hands of the states and citizens, not the other way around. We are the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, not the “subservient states of Washington D.C.”.
We fought a war for independence from England because of taxation without representation. We still have the tax burden, but do we really have the representation?
A government controlled by the few will benefit the few, more than the many or the whole.
Ed Williams
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