We have an entrenched political elite whose turnover rate is lower than the parliament in the old Soviet Union. This group of parasitic scum has taken our once proud and productive country and made it a beggar nation, with a disappearing manufacturing base, a dysfunctional education system and a foreign policy that makes us a timid enemy and a treacherous ally.
Many senators and representatives have been in office for more than 30 years. If history repeats, most of these elitists will be re-elected by their crony capitalist supporters and their unions -- a shame, and unconscionable. Professional politicians have proved they are petty crooks at heart who feel entitled to deference and privileges unavailable to those they supposedly work for. That we continue returning them to office is a stinging indictment of our collective political intelligence.
Our current administration's proposed $3.8 trillion budget is a prime example. The political elite will fiddle with it, but it will be enacted, saddling us with another $1.6 trillion of new debt, costing more than $12,500 each for all 300 million-plus Americans. It will continue unrestrained growth in entitlements; pork-barrel spending; spending on specious anthropogenic global warming; and the lemming-like pursuit of "green" industries for which there is no market and less desire among the populace.
This spending will move us ever closer to a Soviet-style directed economy. The catalog of failures of federal programs is huge, and the listing of unintended negative consequences is long.
We can't afford to continue on this destructive path nor continue to endure a parasitic, ever-growing government. I will not vote for any incumbent for any federal or state office. They are the ones who have made this mess we're in. Let's vote them all out.
Larry Garner
Augusta
Well written and well stated Larry Garner. Our government schools turn out good government voters, so a chance for a change for the better looks grim. I, too, would like to see the congress get a good flush along with the entrenched bureaucracy that provides support for out corrupt system. I don't think it will happen anytime soon, if ever, but it's a great fantasy.
1. November 6, 2012.
2. Term limits.
3. Constitutional convention called by the States to restore the Founding Fathers' intents
An excellent LTE Mr Garner. No mention of the partisan diatribe spouted by the small minded, the letter places the blame squarely where it belongs, on the entrenched politicians of both parties. Perhaps there is some hope for the United States, as more and more people see the damage inflicted on our economy and employment opportunities by those self-serving egomanics who insist on using the treasury of the United States as their personal re-election campaign fund.
We need no approval from congress on term limits, we already have the option to limit the terms of our elected mis-representatives, we simply vote them out after two terms. There are some that should have gone after one term. I suggest instead of the current electoral process, we pull a social security number out of a hat whereby the winner (loser?) gets to represent their district. " Sorry Cliff, your number came up and you gotta go to Washington (or Atlanta) for four years."
Again, thank you for a well written LTE, Mr Garner.
Mr Garner and myself: Equal Opportunity Annoyers.
I agree, for once. These elected "officials" couldn`t handle a lawn mower yet they`ll spend other`s money as if it grew on trees. Practically NONE of these "holier-than-thou" "leaders" have ever had a job other than politics, not one callus, no dirty fingernails nor missed payment because of low funds. They`re either born wealthy or know someone that was to back them. These aren`t fiscally consevative regardless of their party...
My only problem with the letter is this statement, "If history repeats, most of these elitists will be re-elected by their crony capitalist supporters and their unions -- a shame, and unconscionable."........it leads one to believe that capitalists are somehow the problem. It's the socialists that are driving us to the poor house.
Larry Garner has some valid points but also some invalid ones. The American Establishment is elitist. A credible argument can be made that we are in effect an oligarchy or a coporatocracy instead of a democratic representational democracy. Strict term limits is not the answer because a residual core of expertise is needed in Congress, and because of the recent Supreme Court decision giving corporations person-hood, probably unconstitutional. Campaign finance reform could help bring about a healthy turnover in the Senate and House, but that is a dead issue in Congress including in the eyes of Sen. John McCain who once triumphed campaign finance reform.
Larry Garner is wrong in his characterization of U.S. foreign policy. He thinks it is based on military might. Excessive military spending and military misadventures abroad are prime causes of our economic meltdown. United States has bombed and killed in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia, and Yemen. The effect has been to create more enemies, to destabilize the Middle East and South Asia, and to add trillions to the national debt. United States has lost the moral high ground when it comes to respect for human rights because we use torture. The U.S. has lost its political imprimatur and its economic clout.
Using soft power instead of military might would have worked much better. War should always be a last resort. Military prowess cannot save the American economy, give the U.S. back its good name, or reform the broken and corrupt U.S. political system.
Mr Gardner hit the nail on the head about our 2 BIG GOVERNMENT, BIG SPENDING, PRO AMNESTY SOCIALIST SENATORS. Johnny Isakson works for the lobbyist as shown by his vote for TARP and his Housing bill. We need to fire Johnny this year and hire a CONSERVATIVE that will work for Georgia.
Labeling the two right-wing U.S. Senators from Georgia "socialists" is absurd. Saxby Chambliss is a neoconservative. Look into the neocon's agenda. Both Johnny Isaacson and Saxby Chambliss are in the pockets of corporations including those that suck at the tit of the government financed U.S. war machine and profiteer from war.
Isaacson and Chambliss are right-wing American elitist scoundrels who sucker gullible southerners with their faux patriotism. They are not on the side of the little guy. They are on the side of the well-connected, well heeled, status quo American Establishment. Money, power, and maintaining an autocratic system are their bottom lines.
Who labeled the Georgia senators as Socialist?
Term limits would solve alot of our problems.
Cain - Again you want us to downgrade our military when in fact what we need is to use our military correctly! We need to defend our borders from illegals and drugs!! If you want peace, be prepared for war. 99% of people won't start a fight with a well armed person.
Great letter. I too will not vote for any incumbent in 2010 or 2012. It's way past time we started over.
Mr. Cain (6:18 post) you are right on target.
We cannot go it alone around the world. Our economy cannot support such an effort. Trying to do so will destroy us just as it did the Soviet Union. We will be a memory of somebody who used to be someone important.
We need to discard, or at least set aside, those issues that divide us; that are not core to who we are supposed to be. We need to come together without the labels of Conservative or Liberal, Republican or Democrat, and focus on what is central to our becoming the country we need to be.
Entrenched ideologies are what got us in our present mess.
What American's need to do is learn to be responsible for themselves. Reject any politician who promises to spend your money in a better way......elect the one's who say they will spend LESS of your money. If they don't produce, fire them next election. Then maybe they will get the message. But first and foremost, you have to stop expecting the Government to take care of you. Learn to take care of yourself.
Flush the system....Cain U are getting kinda racy with your comments...haha... better watch it or U might become like 1 of us...
The American people no longer violently over throw the government but it is certainly time we get an overhaul done. This November is the perfect opportunity to get all of them to pay attention to the "unwashed masses" ..Voting is a priveledge and should be taken seriously. Not wasted ...carefully consider your values and the candidates actions not words when casting it next time....
Its going to be an interesting election year. I wonder what folks will do if faced with incumbent Issacson or his liberal opponent? Hopefully we can weed folks like Issacson out in the primary. But what if we don't!? I don't see myself voting in a liberal, even if it does mean changing things up in Washington.
Here are the solutions to our current political disaster (feel free to add to my list):
1. Term Limits.
2. Cut all Federal, State & Local government spending by a minimum of 25%. With the end goal to cut more.
3. Begin a large scale, gradual reduction of all social benefits so that Americans once again stand on their own two feet. The goal should be to phase them out within 5 years. That is plenty of time for someone to find a job or a career.
4. Bills should be no longer than 10 pages, written in plain English and should be "single" issue focused, no earmarks, no fluff. Post them online for all to see 60 days before they are voted on.
5. Fire the IRS. We need a fair tax system that is fair for all and costs almost nothing to administrate.
What a sorry state of affairs we have all allowed to occur in Washington.
How are we going to get the social parasites to vote them out. It's more of them than us now. They are not going to kill the goose who's laying the golden egg.
No lawyers should be allowed to hold any office in Congress . Conflict of interest.
In the vent section of the ATL. paper...Every politican up for re-election in Nov. should be very afraid..Any incumbent should be voted out without question.....also...Bumper stickers "Don't re-elect Anyone."
I have never had a bumper sticker on my car but that one I would support 100%. I found one online in case anyone is interested. I'll probably get this message banned if I post a link to it so to find it go to google and type in bumper sticker "dont reelect anyone". Lets start a trend!
The Government will not be straightened out until a majority of voters realize that NO ONE has a right to, or is entitled to ANYTHING that requires the labor of someone else.
One idea to keep the career politicians out would be to make Congress be filled like jury duty.
Voters need to be more proactive when it comes to contacting their represenatives. It is said that one letter or email usually represents the sentiments of 35000 voters. So the more often they hear from voters on an issue the more likely they are to pay attention....IE Nebraskas senator.....
If Obama has his way, sometime before 2012, he will try to abolish term limits for the president, and will make himself dictator. He has said today that he would work with the Republicans as long as they find a way to make his proposals work. If they want their own proposals, tough.
I am sure Larry is talking about entitlements like private airports funded by taxpayers for the benefit of a select few. I fully agree with his letter but would add that the government shouldn't fund anything but parks highways medical and military. No more subsidizing of gentlemen farmers, no more tax free organizations no more corporate welfare. And no more deductions for political Action Committees or contributions to candidates.
Quote from Obama on Private Health Care Insurance today. "I don't have the authority as I understand it. I can't simply issue an executive order, lowering everyone's rates. If I could, I would have done that already." ----------- It appears that the only thing preventing Obama from being the dictator that he wants to be is the Constitution.
Well if you vote for the new person, but they are a Republican or Democrat, you may not solve the problem either.
dissman has a point, government subsidized farming is a huge enterprise in this country. Many think it is unsustainable from an energy/ecological perspective as well as being a cash cow (pun intended) for well-connected farmers who grow cotton, corn, and other energy intensive crops that require huge amounts of nitrogen fertilizer which is made from fossil fuels. Run off into streams, rivers, lakes, the Gulf of Mexico have created a huge dead zone where nothing grows except toxic algae. Welfare takes many forms including corporate welfare!
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