Guide to Fix American troubled Political Systems
Lobbying and Croniesm has incapcitated our political system. Here's what must be done to fix it.
* More Political Parties
* Member's of Congress who are Independents should be allowed to stand
alone and not caucus with one the two major parties.
* There should be a retirement age that matches with the rest of the public
-A 90 year old man making decision healthcare is not the best for
country I think.
* Senatorial and Congressional terms can't be longer than two terms (much
needed)
-Joe Biden has been in the Senate (before becoming VP) since he was 29
yrs old. that's 36 yrs and he'll still be there if not for the VP post.
-Robert Byd of WV has been there since 1959 (91 yrs old)
-Edward Kennedy has been in there since 1962
-Strom Thurmond was there 1956 – January 3, 2003
-John Mutter since 1974
These are just few examples. They are there not because they are the best at the job but because power tastes so good and they can’t let it go. They are not continuously reelected because they are the best for the job but because they’ve curried the favor of every big donor in district or state as the case may be. Case in point is John Murtha of Pennsylvania.
Sadly these changes have to be introduced and approved by these same folks at the capitol. So, I know it won't .
You cannot change the system by using the system to change the system.
How about we stop wasting money on those very old folks we know have 6-12 months to live anyway.
"Look, you are gonna die and America is a spiritual country so go with dignity and honor to meet Jesus and let us spend the healthcare money on those that have a fighting chance" Grandma.
I agree with everything but the first one.
Senators and Congresspeople going for a 3rd term should be taken outside and beaten with sticks.
Those guys are mini dictators...
I strongly agree with both of these points. But I think we need some type of proportional representation to help get third parties into congress.Originally Posted by Universal_Soldier
Without proportional representation you get situations like the Bull Moose party 1912, Perot 1992, and Nader 2000.
What you're trying to build - what you're asking for - is a political system that's better than the people it serves. The problem isn't the system, it's We the People. We're the ones who selfishly keep sending these dinosaurs back to Washington. We're the ones who tolerate it when they write laws that consolidate their power at the expense of the country. We're the ones who do nothing when they pass legislation they haven't even read. We're the ones who stupidly continue to pay into systems that ratchet up the dependency state. We're the ones who don't burn Washington to the ground when they talk about giving voting rights to illegal aliens and tax rebates to people who never paid taxes to begin with. In order to fix our system, we'd have to take millions of our people and set them adrift on barges in the middle of the Atlantic.
When the majority of the public realize that theft, enslavement and acting like uncivilized, lazy, entitled punks suckling on someone else’s hard work are wrong, the opportunistic people of power will fear retribution again and the government will change for the better. Only then will positive changes actually be allowed.
For now, it’s not possible as too many people have gone to rot weakening US culture. Our public and, therefore, our government are currently too fragmented and polarized for any trustworthy repairs to be made to DC or the party(s). Integrity has been lost and the nation has to stagger through the long slog of this deadlock till culture reassembles itself to rediscover that integrity (personal opinion, doubtful this go around) or the party(s) fail (more likely) so that Americans can learn through fast pain and hardship to not rely on Federal crack daddy the entitlement dope pusher buying license from the addicted to “rob” the successful of wealth and liberties.
Once changes are made, I’d hope the Fed is rendered down to a pale shadow of today’s monstrosity. I’d hope the Senate is brought back too its appointed elitist, corrupt social club roots while the House is expanded in number and altered design to connect more with its local constituencies and not the mega wealthy national and multinational interest groups of today. As for the Executive, I’d hope some manner of checks and balances in the party system preventing future party/oligarch puppets and instead promoting individualist leaders not tied down to favors. Do all this and get good legislation/regulation going again and the courts will follow suit and no longer take up the Hill’s legislative slack and our need for more lawyers than the world combined will go away.
Most importantly, I’d like to see a filleting knife taken to the Federal bureaucracy cutting out this 40% BMI (Body Mass Index) slug down to a lean endurance runner 5% tossing the burden of responsibility back to the people.
A complete overhaul of the people and government back to our western enlightenment, rational individualist, laissez fair economic roots and complete ditching of the current pop culture chic communitarian managerial theory is in order for another 233+ years of success.
Last edited by vryhpyammoadded; 08-06-2009 at 09:42 AM.
+1
Minus the term limits and politician age standards the rest is already allowed to happen freely. The problem goes back to what 2Sheds has already mentioned. We've seen candidates take shots as a third party candidate only to be shot down by the voters themselves.
We look to the other multi-party nations and see....a two party system made up of dozens of members all backing each other but in a much more confusing way. The only difference is that you can pretend that you voted for something "different" although you already know which side your candidate is going to side with (once again liberal or conservative).
Term limits sound good but its got its own problems. Usually lack of experience leads to some expensive mistakes. The fact that most incumbents have to really screw up before the people of a district decide to elect someone new (even if within the same party) shows to just how lazy many can be.
I will disagree with you on the basis that the longer these folks stay in office the harder it becomes for a new comer to defeat them in congressional election. They are hugely advantaged when it comes to name recognition as well as donations which are the key to winning elections in the US. Without donations or name recognition ( which you can only get through expensive outreach programs including ads) , nobody will even know that you are running for office. However, when these cronies get in the pockets of big donors while protecting their interest in the corridors of power.Chris Dodd (IMO) is a great example. This guy, at the last check, he's donation tally has less than 1% coming from his constituents, while the rest come from the fat cats. Country wide and all those other financial firms have been keeping him in office. Term limits are important if they weren't, they won't be imposed on the president.
No body is stopping you* More Political Parties
No body is stopping them.* Member's of Congress who are Independents should be allowed to stand
alone and not caucus with one the two major parties.
But I wish them good luck in getting any bill passed.
It should be up to the voters to hire or fire respresentatives. Not legislation. Elder statesmens can be highly valued for thier institutional memory and leadership.* There should be a retirement age that matches with the rest of the public
-A 90 year old man making decision healthcare is not the best for
country I think.
That is something we lack in California where term limits created a revolving door rookie politicians with no motivation for compromises.
The Vice President is still a voting member of the Senate. He usually votes to break a deadlock.-Joe Biden has been in the Senate (before becoming VP) since he was 29
yrs old. that's 36 yrs and he'll still be there if not for the VP post
In the end, its the voters that makes the decisions. Keep in mind that bad people are sent to Washington by good people who don't vote.They are not continuously reelected because they are the best for the job but because they’ve curried the favor of every big donor in district or state as the case may be.
If you don't like the system, there's nobody stopping you from voting or creating your own political movement. Or volunteering for a canidate.
Politics is akin to making sausages. You really don't want to know how they are made. Yet it's the human means of sorting issues within our familes, work, community and country.
This is why third or alternative parties fail to materialize. They tend to be engrossed within thier politics at the exclusion of others. They usually end up being the spoilers to benefit the status quo.
Ross Perot helped Clinton get elected just as Ralph Nader help Bush Jr. get elected.
I am pleased with this country and its political system.
Pretty wacky, huh?
Hang every lobbiest in front of the capitol. Hard but works.
You sound like a retired congressman.
If you are not aware, US runs a 2 party system. A thriving third party is not part of the plan.
That's the Irony of it. can't quench fire with fire.No body is stopping them.
But I wish them good luck in getting any bill passed.
Really? how come Presidential third term is not up to the people? most of those folks with" lifetime contracts" in capitol are cronies and mostly in pockets of big donors. That's why many of the times these congresspeople go unopposed in their districts or state...a free country like America? Bro that's sad. If that's not evidience of the systemic flaws, I don't know what is.It should be up to the voters to hire or fire respresentatives. Not legislation. Elder statesmens can be highly valued for thier institutional memory and leadership.
Yes he votes to break tie but he's not a senator. He's the Vice President. Voting to break tie doesn't make him a Senator!The Vice President is still a voting member of the Senate. He usually votes to break a deadlock.
There have been dozens of attempts at 3rd and even 4th parties since the Whigs disappeared. Even when the US had several parties they all fell to one side or another. Why didn't they succeed? Paul, Perot, Nader? They all had big followings but no one would vote for them. Various reasons not to do so as well. 3rd and 4th parties can happen at any time. Getting people to vote for them is a different story. Trying to say that there is some conspiracy to not let a 3rd party in is asinine.
We had a bigshot 3rd party big talker here in Texas this last election running for governor. He got lots of airtime and had a big grass roots push. He was beat out by the liberal guy who's name I've already forgotten. No conspiracy. He just couldn't convince anyone that he was the right choice (thank the baby jesus).
Maybe if a 3rd and 4th party candidate would happen if they weren't as bat-**** nuts as the previous guys have been.
You miss the point. A third party under current system is a sham.There have been dozens of attempts at 3rd and even 4th parties since the Whigs disappeared. Even when the US had several parties they all fell to one side or another. Why didn't they succeed? Paul, Perot, Nader? They all had big followings but no one would vote for them. Various reasons not to do so as well. 3rd and 4th parties can happen at any time. Getting people to vote for them is a different story. Trying to say that there is some conspiracy to not let a 3rd party in is asinine.
We had a bigshot 3rd party big talker here in Texas this last election running for governor. He got lots of airtime and had a big grass roots push. He was beat out by the liberal guy who's name I've already forgotten. No conspiracy. He just couldn't convince anyone that he was the right choice (thank the baby jesus
Maybe if a 3rd and 4th party candidate would happen if they weren't as bat-**** nuts as the previous guys have been.
Anybody elected as a third party or independent still have caucus with one of the larger one by law. In other words, you are essentially a proxy for either party (you chose the lesser of two evil).
People know that under current conditions that a third party isn't viable that why they don't vote that way. That doesn’t mean that if the system was changed to create a viable multiparty system that people aren’t ready to vote. The Democratic Party is likely to splinter into progressive and the Blue Dogs, Libertarians are likely to break out of the Republican Party. A lot of people who has these affiliation such as Ron Paul only stays with the larger Major parties due to the constraints of the system.
Besides, about a third of the people in this country consider themselves Independents. So, don't discount the need for such a change pal.
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