It’s Time To Go Back To Basics

I’m not sure if we haven’t come to a time in our lives when the issue of term limits shouldn’t be taken seriously and acted upon. If not now, then when?   The images of men and women who surely are impaired and fail to meet their responsibilities to govern and their impairments are seen daily and piped into our living rooms or on the front pages of newspapers. 

Have political parties and their leadership become+ so enamored with the lust for power that we would prop up those which are lacking the basic life skills and ability to function,  just to meet the selfish requirements of those in power.  

Now this isn’t a question regarding political parties, its gone way beyond that. It is a question of the moral character of those men and women who fail to speak up to protect the dignity of those who once served with honor within those chambers in Washington, D.C.  Where is the outcry from those who would claim they are the champions of the countless millions who are afflicted. Instead the men and women are used as props in this real-life drama.

We now have some members of congress that lack the cognitive skills to make reasonable decisions for the good of the country, and maybe we have a resident of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue who regrettably struggles with his own issues, which again are piped into our homes. 

This isn’t about whether we agree with their policies or philosophy of governance. It has to do with their ability to govern in a reasoned and lucid manner. We get the government we elect and must take that responsibility more carefully, instead of buying into the slick ads and mountains of mailers.

I say this with the utmost respect for those men and women who have served our nation, regardless of political affiliation. Do members of their families not care about them enough to let them walk off the stage with their dignity intact and with the thanks of a grateful nation for the time they have served? 

It was not too long ago our nation was led by a patriot who was afflicted with a terrible disease, not of the mind, but one which limited his mobility. That challenge did not constrain his ability to carry out the oath of office, leading us through The Great Depression and going on to guide our nation through World War II.  But that was then, and the situation facing us today is quite different.

It is apparent we need a new focus by our leadership, one where our elected representatives spend more time dealing with the difficult issues which will lie before us instead of worrying about setting up new campaign office for an election two years off.

There are those who would argue that the flight of “seasoned” politicians would cause the process to grind to a halt. That process has been broken for a long time now and the term “seasoned” should be changed to; well I’ll leave that up to you.  

It’s time to bring some fresh ideas to the table, for most people agree that Congress is “dysfunctional.” The famous quote from Congressional leaders when debating the House Bill establishing “Obama Care,”

would actually come from none other than House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, when asked about the 800-page Legislative Bill and she responded, “We have to pass the Bill so you can find out what is in it, away from the fog of controversy.” That certainly stands alone in explaining why we fail the American people.

From the start the framers of the Constitution warned about the dangers that would face the new Republic in regard to how they might govern, and whether it might be mired down in animosity and gridlock.

We may have created a system where the cart is indeed ahead of the horse. That cart is full of special interest groups and the inherent dangers of dogmatism which would set aside the good of the people in favor of special interest.

We must put our differences aside and work together to fix the inevitable challenges to our democratic processes and once again ensure we work for the betterment of our citizens and the country.