What you’re about to read is common sense at it’s best.
It’s mostly penned by Charley Reese, who once wrote for the Orlando Sentinel Star. I say “mostly” because I believe it’s since been slightly modified to include the references to Iraq and Pelosi instead of Tip O’Neal.
My friend Richard just shared it with me, and it resonates with every fiber of my being…what about you?
Remember, the majority of the House and Senate voted to approve the “Stimulus Bill” without even reading the thing. Seriously. Think about that for a minute.
Would any of us sign a real estate contract without reading it first? Isn’t something this honkin’ big, with this much teeth, that will unquestionably impact generations to come – isn’t that worth more than a “Cliff’s Notes” review? And did it get even that????
Please read what Charley has to say and consider how it speaks to our current state of affairs. Then I’d love to hear what you think and how you feel about it in the comments below.
The 545 People Responsible for America’s Woes
Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them.
Have you ever wondered, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, WHY do we have deficits?
Have you ever wondered, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, then WHY do we have inflation and high taxes?
- You and I don’t propose a federal budget. The President does.
- You and I don’t have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of Representatives does.
- You and I don’t write the tax code, Congress does.
- You and I don’t set fiscal policy, Congress does.
- You and I don’t control monetary policy, the Federal Reserve Bank does.
One hundred Senators, 435 Congressmen, one President, and nine Supreme Court justices , 545 human beings out of the 300 million are directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country.
I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered, but private, central bank.
I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason. They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman, or a president to do one cotton-picking thing. I don’t care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash. The politician has the power to accept or reject it. No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator’s responsibility to determine how he votes.
A Confidence Conspiracy
Don’t you see how the con game that is played on the people by the politicians? Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party.
What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of a Speaker, who stood up and criticized the President for creating deficits. The president can only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept it.
The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and approving appropriations and taxes.
Who is the speaker of the House? Nancy Pelosi. She is the leader of the majority party. She and fellow House members, not the President, can approve any budget they want. If the president vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto if they agree to.
Replace Scoundrels
It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million can not replace 545 people who stand convicted — by present facts — of incompetence and irresponsibility. I can’t think of a single domestic problem that is not traceable directly to those 545 people. When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise the power of the federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist.
- If the tax code is unfair, it’s because they want it unfair.
- If the budget is in the red, it’s because they want it in the red.
- If the Army & Marines are in IRAQ , it’s because they want them in IRAQ .
- If they do not receive social security but are on an elite retirement plan not available to the people, it’s because they want it that way.
There are no insoluble government problems.
Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they can take this power. Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exists disembodied mystical forces like “the economy,” “inflation,” or “politics” that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do.
Those 545 people, and they alone, are responsible. They, and they alone, have the power. They, and they alone, should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses.
Provided the voters have the gumption to manage their own employees. We should vote all of them out of office and clean up their mess!
Charley Reese, a journalist for 49 years, reported on everything from sports to politics. From 1969–71, he worked as a campaign staffer for gubernatorial, senatorial and congressional races in several states. He was an editor, assistant to the publisher, and columnist for the Orlando Sentinel from 1971 to 2001. He is now retired. Reese served two years active duty in the U.S. Army as a tank gunner.
Please share your thoughts in how you feel about all this in the comments below…
Amen, brother! But the mess has been slowly oozing over us for the last 40+ years. The people are too busy, too lazy or just too stupid/ignorant (thanks to the lousy “education” systems and the junk on television). Now we’re told brazenly “we won, you lost, we’re taking over”.
The 545 are comprised of corrupt tyrants and milktoasts — not a principaled leader or patriot in the bunch. God help us.
Few people understand how Congress is responsible for our budget mess. These people WANT us to become serfs to a HUGE government class. They feel obligated and empowered to remove income and wealth from one “class” and give it away to another, after taking a hunk for “processing” and payoffs to political friends. America is a shadow of it’s former self disciplined self. Both sides of the aisle are responsible, but one side FAR more than the other…
Here’s a video clip, showing where we are and where we are going. The destruction of our economy by our own Congress and President is a Marxist’s dream come true. Rockets and bombs hurled at us by our enemies could not accomplish the destruction that our own Congress and President are inflicting on us today. Karl Marx must be grinning from ear to ear.
http://blip.tv/file/1417453
This guy is so right. Now if only we could send it to everyone, OH wait we can. Put in on all of the social sites, sending emails to everyone you know, send it to everyone that sends you an email, print it out and send it out with all your mailings, well you get the idea, and when you do these things ask everyone you sent it to to do the same, and who knows maybe people will wake up, shake off the apathy and stop burying their heads in the sand. I just did it. Now it’s your turn to make a stand and take OUR country back from these crooks and charlatans. Thanks, A Fed Up American
Except for Ron Paul of Texas I would replace all the rest of Congress. But it would’t help until the People stand up and demand a return to Constitutional government. The great socialist Franklin Roosevelt and the entitlement programs he started have been with us so long many people now consider them rights. In order to pander to those who elect them politicians naturally offer more and more entitlements and freebies. Of course they don’t have the money to pay for it so they borrow from the future to pay for the present. It is criminal impoverish the future for the present but most people are so busy trying to get by they do not realize what is happening until it is far too late. Or they feel that they are powerless for what can one man do against the power of the State. Well the future has become the present and the bill is now due and payable. You are right about Congress creating this mess. It started in 1995 when Congress passed a bill to get more people to be homeowners and taxpayers and turned main street banks into predatory lenders. This led to the CDS and CDO derivatives and the escalation of leveraged debt to the point that it is now many times the value of the whole planet. See You Tube for explanations.
Despite his oratory President Obama is a socialist and is and will continue to use this crisis to extend government control into ever increasing aspects of everyones life. He has nationalized large banks, auto manufacturers, insurance companies and he has only been in office 6 weeks. The history is that once the government inserts itself into any area it will not relinquish control. That fact that the blotted government is responsible for creating this mess is irrelevant. What does Obama say? “Ask not if the government is too big but how well does the government work!” Answer: “Not very well”!
Add to the above the fact that the oil based energy economy is dying. Worldwide we are using 80 million barrels a day. It is unsustainable. We reached peak oil production 2 years ago. The solution is not to try to maintain the dying oil economy but use our limited resources to develope a new technology.
Hint: Wind and Solar will not replace oil fired power plants. The short term solution is nuclear power plants until geothermal technology is developed. Will the current government embrace this…not a chance. Unions and Oil companies contribute too much money to maintain the staus quo. What can change things? The PEOPLE demanding that politicians respond to the needs of the people.
You mention the so called Stimulus Bill that Congress passed without even reading it. Have you figured out that Obama came out of the one party Illinois/Chicago political machine and is transplanting it to Washington DC. The Stimulus Bill is a Democratic War Chest for Democratic Party support groups and pet social programs that will buy votes in 2010, 2012 and beyond. We are danger of becoming a one party country. The vote that passed the Stimulus Bill is a harbinger of the future. If you want to see the future review Germany in the 1930’s, it is there for all to study.
What can save us? It will take leaders that can motivate the people and tell the truth about the hard times we are facing. It will mean downsizing the government. Ending most entitlement programs. Putting everyone top to bottom on a pay as you go program. Realigning the country into a sustainable energy regimen. Relocating people away from the large cities. Getting people back to producing things instead of paperwork. Will there be pain, you bet, but the longer we delay the worse it will be. This President and this Congress will not face the truth. It would mean they would have to take responsibility for the problems and the solutions. It would be too disruptive for many people to accept.
My suggestion is stock up on hand tools and seeds and barter goods. The lights will go out and stay out. The transportation systems will likely collapse at least for periods. The government will be powerless to stop extensive lawlessness. Figure a return to the 1880’s for a decade or two. Good Luck!
Talmage
Not so fast! We do not get off that easily. Our’s is a government of the the people, for the people, BY the people. The majority of the 300 million people in this country sent these 545 “representatives” to Washington…most of them MORE THAN ONCE!!! So it must follow that what exists is what we want/allow to exist.
He is just doing what he said he was going to do before the election “make it more fair” (that’s code for transfer wealth)! Nobody was paying attention because this was “such an historic election” and he “speaks” really well! Everybody wants everything for free from Uncle Sam…the problem is SOMEONE has to pay for it. Yeah, the republicans spent too much money when they were in control, but instead of holding their feet to the fire and making them run the government more conservative we voted out the amateur spenders and voted in THE PROFESSIONALS.
I like the article. Let me start by sharing what my son, which is a young Marine Officer that has served 3 tours in Iraq, shared with me about 3 years ago. “Our Government; local, state and national is a reflection of Americans”. His points were to me, were no matter how rotten the individuals that the American voters has elected the voters are worse than they are because the voters keep voting for them time and time again. Please; note I refuse to call those Government dead heads my leader.
Congress has made ugly comments about the people that did not read their mortgage contracts when they purchased their homes, which they no longer can afford. To my knowledge Congress has never read a bill that they have voted on. I don’t like this country being run by the lobbyists, but I understand why the lobbyists are in Washington, because Congress has to depend on the lobbyists to read the bill and explained the bills to them. Congress can’t make heads or tales of a bill to be voting on. Congress is quick to talk about getting rid of Social Security and Medicare. But they are first in line to get their Social Security checks and receive the best tax paid health care and the best retirement in this country for just a few years in Washington working about 20 hours a week.
Congress is always asking the workers to give some of their pay and benefits back to their companies, why doesn’t Congress give some of their pay back to the America people? Congress would not recognize a 40 or 60 hour work week if it slept in the same bed with them. No one in Congress understands the complexity of the economy. You can tell that by those blank looks on their faces when those well educated economists are speaking. Congress will not get any better until the Voters throw out all of those lawyers and start electing Economists, Doctors, Business owner’s, Plumbers and other skills that understand what it takes to run a business and a country. One good example that comes to mind is Senator Bob Cocker.
I don’t think anyone in the congress and/or the White House should be allowed to use military planes and tax money, including Pelosi to travel or should I say go on these in and out of country junket.
Please forgive me for my bad writing skills, I went to school where the local, state and Washington knew what was best for my education.
I could go on for days writing about what a mess that congress, the White House and the voters has gotten this country into.
This is why we need limited terms for Congress. The same old band of “Good Ole Boys” is still there and still doing the same old thing regardless of what party they are with. And they need to have their salaries and perks capped. Maybe there needs to be a march on Congress!!
There are a lot of comments by a lot of people that fit this discussion. As usual Ben Franklin is one of them. He said, “We are taxed twice as much by our idleness, three times as much by our pride, and four times as much by our folly.” He certainly understood people.
JP,
I totally agree. But the question is, “how do we, as a people, remove those 545 people?” If they continue to run this country then this “economic crisis” is never going to end. It will continue like it always has been for the last 40 freakin yrs!! There is just way too much greed in this world!!
Mike
This is a very good article and those of us who pay attention to what is going on around us can appreciate the candor. But, as I think we all somehow inherently know,history seems to be repeating itself. I have asked several people over the past two months if they think what the colonists tried for the first two years after settling the new continent would somehow work now. The socialist experiment of combining the fruits of their labor almost sent them back to Europe.
I found that very few people even know about the 1st two years. Which brings me to my point: With the current state of education in pertinent and factual history, economics,and politcal ideologies, how many voters today make informed decisions? Do you think most voters have any idea as to how fast we are moving in a socialist direction? I would think that government control of private banking decisions,government contol of healthcare decisions, government control of education curriculum to name a few would scare the apathy out of people. But,alas, I don’t think we as a “free” people will wake up in time.
History is repleat with this scenario and with the acute polarization of our country and the sound bite mentality of our media how is it going to change? How are we going to vote the right people in?
Wow……
Pretty intense thread!
Well, I definitely agree with the article, and I also agree with the poster who said WE voted these people in – some of them, over and over again. Now, obviously, we’re not talking about ourselves – this group right here. It’s those other crazy people out there that voted for the losers.
Anyway, before I started getting into investing, I was really into politics – being vocal about all the injustices of the government against the people, and so forth. (I could have written that article, except I never narrowed it down to 525 people.) But, once I began my journey with REI, I decided to think on the positives. I can’t think on these negative things. I did my part before the election/s. I was extremely active. Now, I just want to live my life, make a great income, and think positive thoughts. I try to avoid the news these days.
But for anyone that want to know about getting some grassroots efforts underway, I just happen to hear Glen Beck today talking to a regular person about a group she started – apparently there are grassroots efforts all across the country to stop, or at least slow down, the socialism that is taking over. Just got to glenbeck.com (I think), or google it. You can find it from there.
I do know that we all can make a difference!
You are preaching to the choir. But we cannot stop by voting these people out of office. Lobbying by big business needs to by curtailed by new laws. Our government is corrupt so measures need to be introduced to go after our law makers that sell their vote for the highest buck.
It is time that we take back our rights that have been stepped on by the lobbying bucks spent by Big Oil, the Fed and – as Eisenhower once said – the the military/industrial complex.
The statement that elected politicians are a reflection of the wishes and desires of Americans is complete and utter one dimensional thinking and reveals a misunderstanding about how our system has come to work. Yes, the politicians are voted in by Americans. However, the politicians are not in the pocket of the voters for their votes, but the campaign contributors who enabled them to buy the marketing to get those votes. Additionally, most politicians do not care about the votes that they did receive once in office, but about the best way to gain more money to get future votes or to fill their personal bank accounts. Prohibiting private campaign contributions and private money to politicians in general is the only thing that will correct this fundamental flaw in our democracy.
As for the banking collapse, thats the result of the most egregious form of institutionalized corruption this country has ever seen. Banking has a long history and the rules have been tested time and time again and therefore results can be predicted according to what rules are in place. The conditions that were allowed to be put in place to cause this mess are the sole cause. Not the mortgagees, the mid level bankers, and not even wall street. Its the Fed. Pure and Simple. The question you have to ask is why did they allow this to occur? Only middle class wealth transfer to the wealthy? Or are there other motivations for putting these conditions in place?
This is a good piece. I am not sure I would blame all of them though… just most. The problem can not be solved until ALL private money is taken out of the election process and term limits are put in place. In addition, we really need to take the power away from the FED. The question is, how do you get the law makers to put pressure on themselves to create the needed change?
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