All week long CBS was running promos for 60 Minutes. "If you think the Approval Rating of Congress is low now (9%) wait until you see our report". I figured there was nothing they could tell me about that corrupt body that I didn't already know. Boy was I wrong.
A few years back when I worked for a publically traded company I used to get an email every quarter telling me the blackout period was about to start. During this time period I was not allowed to buy or sell the company stock because I might have information about the upcoming quarterly earnings which might affect the stock price. This is called insider information.
Last month a hedge fund manager was convicted of using information he got from board members of companies to buy and sell stock and make a profit. He was fined millions of dollars, had to give up millions in illegal profits and was sent to prison.
Congress has exempted itself from such rules!!! The legislative body which can pass or repeal legislation that can change the fortune of any company can use information gleaned in the legislative process to profit from it. During the health care debate when it was clear that health insurance companies would not be hurt by the legislation Speaker Boehner bought large chunks of health insurance companies. Think he is an evil man? Speaker Pelosi and her husband did the same thing 2 years earlier.
But it doesn't stop there. If I attach a rider to a bill to build a road, improve a road, move a road or build an airport there is nothing from preventing me from buying up all the land around it ahead of time. They gave several examples of this form or corruption.
Is it any wonder that most legislators leave Congress millionaires. First they avail themselves of the best health care our money can buy them. Then they give themselves a pension plan that would give the UAW wet dreams. Then they exempt themselves from laws that affect all the rest of us.
The Occupy Wall Street movement complains that the system is rigged for the 1%. Well guess who is doing the rigging? The 1% in Congress. Despite their miserable approval ratings the average incumbent is re-elected all across the land. Despite the purdy pictures of all the Republicans standing in front of the Capitol many, many, many years ago saying how much they supported term limits there are none. And most of the people who were in that picture are still in Congress. My senator among them.
They ARE the 1%
Something has to give. We have one party that gives lip service to the the worker. The other just outright despises those who work while they counting their dividends.
Vote out the rascals and find progressive candidates to take their place. Democracy for democrats. The Republic for all! Let us all make sure the next elections are fair. Let's volunteer as election judges and be present and informed about our democracy.
Each of us can make a difference for us all!
Term limits? not so much. Some of these guys are taking the title public servant seriously (Bernie Sanders from Vermont is a good example) some are just obsessed with reelection and taking what they can. Term limits if enacted would bring a new batch of suckers in every two years to the House. When they need to figure out the politics of Washington, who to go to for information etc. the only people they will find as their friends will be the lobbyists, more than happy to make them comfortable and tell them what to do and how to fit in. Who are these lobbyists? Former members of the body suborned because they are now cut off from the perks of their former position. Not a great solution.
The only cure is an informed electorate voting for their common interest. This informed group of citizens has yet to present itself. We get the government we deserve. If we believe the hot button lies these guys tell to get elected we deserve to be fleeced. Democracy is hard work. I often wonder if we are worthy of it. Too many pay too little attention.
Thank you for bringing this up.
I write taxes... I was absolutely stunned and blown away when a person came to me with a Form W-2 issued by the "Legislative Retirement System" - now, I know there are regular employees working for each body in the legislature. But I never dreamed that what was envisioned to be a temporary legislative system in this country would be so permanent that we would be pensioning people who devoted a life time of work to the operations of the House or Senate (Michigan).
I read a couple books recently. They are both very interesting. Both are authored by conservative commentators. But they are still worth reading.
Check out:
"The Original Argument" by Glenn Beck. This book takes some of the Federalist Papers and recasts them in contemporary English (old English had sentences that could run a whole page!). The point of this compilation was to highlight just how far our system of government and how the very notion of what the Founders conceived of as to how the People were to be supreme vis a vie the Federal, State and Local governments has gone astray. It was eye opening to read just the 14 Federalist Papers presented in this book.
Also I read the book "Demonic" written by Ann Coulter. This book is brutal in its language and in her contempt for anything liberal. Once I got past the fact that she is a conservative "right winger" I read her book with the idea to examine the basis for her contention as to what drives liberals apart from conservatives (or vice versa). She uses example after example from history including the French Revolution and other ideas to support her claims. For me, it was instructive to just appreciate the historical context of government in action - whether led by liberals OR conservatives... I read it for content - not for her tendency to use incendiary language that, for some, might divert attention away from what could be learned. I found it instructive...
I harbor the thought too often that we have really lost our way in this country. What I thought I believed I now have learned was simply foolish on my part. Just finished a book titled "The Non-Religious Christian" as I had recently attended a men's spiritual gathering a week ago Saturday. I was looking for answers on a personal basis that might address how to make a friend and keep one... What I found was other men are looking for the same thing. This book confirmed that for me but it also convinced me, in words that I had not yet been able to craft on my own, that many systems in the world are corrupt - absolutly corrupt! In this case, the church. The very foundation of the church is shown in this book as based on nothing short of power, absolutism, authority, and misinformation. I knew that but it took this book to bring it together for me...
In conclusion it is not surprising that our Congress should be so flawed. It is comprised of flawed human beings who exercise absolute power - as the saying "power corrupts... absolute power corrupts absolutely..." So, whether the church or the government - take your pick! It doesn't make me feel better by saying that... rather, it is just recognizing the need for people to be aware, involved, and at least motivated enough to vote!
great post!
everysooften
west Michigan