Life Preservers

Here’s the Problem. (And a Solution.)

October 17, 2013 at 1:58 pm 3 comments

In thinking about the pompous clusterf*ck that is our government these days, I wondered how they can still have a job while not going to work, not managing to a budget, and, generally, behaving so badly. I thought, Surely, there has to be a way to fire these people for such incompetence. Surely, our brilliant Founding Fathers covered this?

Well, no. We the People cannot impeach or fire members of Congress. According to Article 1, Section 5, Clause 2 of The Constitution:

Each House may determine the Rules of its Proceedings, punish its Members for disorderly Behaviour, and, with the Concurrence of two thirds, expel a Member.

For comparison:  Allow a large group of teenagers to stay home alone for a four-day weekend, with an unlocked liquor cabinet, a big bowl of pot, a stack of 50s, a swimming pool, three sports cars, a kick-ass sound system, and internet access. When you get home, ask them if they’ve behaved themselves.

Sound ridiculous? Well, what goes on in Washington, D.C., is just as illogical, just as stupid, just as out of control. Our Senators and Representatives can make their own rules and do pretty much anything they want because they can only be fired if they vote to fire each other by a two-thirds majority.

Our current national debt is $16,750,300,206,723.60.  (That’s nearly $17 trillion.) (Trillion!) But they can decide (among themselves) to say “That’s okay. No worries.” They decide if they get another raise, get ideal health care, have a private retirement fund outside of Social Security. They decide to take more vacation annually than most of us get in 10 years. They decide to pay for limo service or ride in private jets. They decide if they walk off the job. They decide how much we pay in taxes.

And they can raid that liquor cabinet over and over and over again.

We have only one option. We have only one opportunity to change things. We vote.

Apathetic? Disillusioned? Snap out of it. We are not helpless. We are not trapped. And it is our duty as citizens to do our part.

You can bet your bottom dollar, they are all assuming that, by the time the next election comes along, we’ll have forgotten the preposterousness of the current situation. You know they are relying on voter turnout of around 50 percent. They’ll spend a ridiculous amount of money to continue to promote the myth that there are ginormous, life-altering philosophical differences between the democrats and republicans in office. They’re going to do everything in their power to keep us fighting among ourselves, while the majority of them—the majority who are legally allowed to decide on the consequences of their behavior—slide back into their seat, with a thumbs up across the aisle and a knowing chuckle.

While searching the web for the information about how a Congressman can be removed from office, I came across this site:  kickthemallout.com (Kick Them All Out). Sounds like a good idea to me.

Let’s not forget how much they have screwed up. Let’s ignore their example and work together to get something done. For at least the next election cycle, set aside your preference of democrat or republican or whatever. Vote American, and punish their incompetence. Let’s make sure there isn’t a single incumbent who gets to come back for another term. It won’t guarantee a perfect Congress, but it will send a message. It will show our representatives that We the People will not tolerate greed, corrupt ethics, and gross negligence. It will teach them an important lesson:  There are consequences for bad behavior.

Entry filed under: Uncategorized. Tags: bad behavior, Congress, kick them all out, shut down, vote.