The American Apologist

I would like to see some changes made to the way politicians work. As you know, if you have read any of this blog, I am depressed about the current state of affairs in our political system. Both the Left and the Right have shown a propensity for stupidity — legislators, judiciaries and executives no longer seem to have the best interests of the Country in their hearts and minds. They are, in short, concerned about getting and keeping power. In politics, that means winning elections, establishing government programs (more bureaucracy), and spending the People’s money.

Here are 4 suggestions I would like to offer to combat the growing problem:

1. Term limits – politicians were not envisioned to be a professional class when we founded this Country.  We wanted citizens to serve their Nation, then go back to the “private sector”. So let’s put effective term limits on how many terms a person can serve in a single position and a cumulative limit on the career. Let’s say this: No one can be elected or appointed to a position after having served 12 years in politics. Furthermore, no one can serve more than 2 elected (or appointed) terms in a single position.  The terms of the Presidency shall not be counted in the 12 year total, but no one can be elected to a position after having been President of the USA.  For example, I may serve 1 term as a Representative (2 years), then be elected to the US Senate and serve 6 more years (8 total). I could be elected to another Senatorial term (because I have not passed the 12 year limit) for a total of 16 years. I could then run for President and serve 1-2 terms in that Office because those years are exempted from the limit.  Here’s another example for clarification purposes: I am elected to Governor for 1 term and serve 4 years. I am then elected to the Presidency and serve 1 term. I could not go back and be elected for US Senator (even though I have only served 4 years as Governor) because of the Presidential limit. I could, however, run for another single term in the White House if I chose to do so, because I’ve only served 1 term as President!
2. Transparent Legislation – I would still require all bills and statutes to have the legalese than we now see, but it must also include a plain English version, the independently verified cost estimates, detailed funding sources, and a section detailing the actual intent of the legislation. Let’s face it, if we were opening a business, we’d have to develop a business plan with these details. I think it only fair that we expect the same level of competency and transparency in our elected representatives!
3. Clean Up Sessions - I think it’s only fair that we go back and clean up (remove) old laws which are antiquated or undesirable.  I would like to see 20% of the time that elected officials serve go to cleaning up “old messes”. There’s nothing that says old laws have to be removed, but it seems to me that many new laws are enacted to counteract an existing law which was poorly written, so spending the time might actually result in fewer new laws.
4. Open Meetings – I think many of the “politics as usual” problems are directly linked to the lack of open meetings. The elected professional politicians get together and come up with some “back room deal” which makes both parties look good to their constituents, or worse yet, they come up with a scenario which allows themselves “deniability”. Let’s put all the cards on the table and actually see what plans they are developing. After all, they represent us!

OK, that’s my 2 cents worth today — what are you thoughts?

Joe

Great… a liberal from academia (Princeton, Oxford, and Harvard) for the Court. Hey, here’s a new twist — she’s NEVER served as a judge!! Make perfect sense to me (if you’re living in WonderLand).

I’m tired of politics (which is what the politicians are probably counting on)… in fact, I’m sick of politics. In the State of Illinois this morning (at 12:59 am), the Senate passed a 2,500 page budget which was not available at 3:00 yesterday (according to one Republican state Senator on an interview with WLS radio).

My first thought was “how could one possibly read 2,500 page in 10 hours and honestly comprehend the proposal? They can’t…

What worse — for the first time, the budget did NOT include line item appropriations, it only included lump sums and designated the Governor to spend the money as he sees fit. So… the University of Illinois and Illinois State University don’t really know how much money they’ll get until a later date. Furthermore, the senators can now remove themselves from the blame game by saying “Your budget got cut drastically?? We didn’t do that, the Governor did!!”

And here’s the crowning touch to this madness… the State of Illinois is $13 billion in debt… the legislature didn’t give line item amounts and when asked why by the press they actually said “we didn’t give line item budgets because there’s no money available” Huh??? Your just appropriated $4 BILLION dollars in lump sums yet there “no money” to be able to give line item budgets within that budget??

Un-freaking-believable!!!

I ran across this quote recently. It is from the late Col. Jeff Cooper, USMC (Ret) who founded the Gunsite Academy (or Ranch) in Arizona. Gunsite teaches proper gun handling techniques for those who wish to survive an armed confrontation.

In observing our political scene, it is necessary to remember that in any
democracy the absolute goal of the politician is power. Not money, power.
This means that the only thing of any consequence to a politician is
re-election. He will walk on eyeballs to be re-elected, and the only time
that principle means anything to him is when it happens to coincide with
what appears to him the best course towards his own re-election. Now the
only way to get power is to take it from someone who already has it. Under
our system, the theory is that the people at large are sovereign and have
the power, but the only way the politician can achieve power is to take it
from the people who already have it – or should have it. This makes for a
permanent conflict in principle between the voter and his representative.
This is not cheerful, but it is nonetheless a fact.

Of the three systems of government enunciated by Aristotle – monarchy
(tyranny), aristocracy (oligarchy), and polity (democracy) – polity
(democracy) is the best, not because of its inherent virtue, but because of
its basic lack of efficiency. An inefficient government is best for the
people, simply because it is inherently incapable of doing anything well,
and the less it does the better.

Jeff Cooper
From Jeff Cooper’s Commentaries
Vol. 5, No. 2
February 1997

And “we” have decided to trust our healthcare to this ineffective bunch in Washington, DC…

*sigh*

Joe

I’m not surprised by everyone wanting to tar and feather former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee for his decision to commute Maurice Clemmons’ sentence back in 1999. His action did set the ball rolling on a 10 year path of suspected mental illness, accused child rape, and the apparent murder of 4 law enforcement officers in the State of Washington. That being said, I too would have considered the clemency request when you hear of an 18 year old sentenced to 95+ years for robbery and theft convictions. Afterall, I read (not too long ago) that the average time served for murder in the US is between 10-11years¹. I would give Huckabee the benefit of the doubt (something his political enemies won’t do) because it’s clear the several other entities played a significant (probably more significant) role in this tragedy than the former governor.

Take, for example, the judge who reportedly over-turned a “no-bail” ruling by another judge and granted Clemmons bail just a week or so before his (reported) rampage against the police. The man was up on child rape charges, was wanted on a felony warrant from Arkansas, had supposedly told people he was the Messiah and the Barack Obama would soon acknowledge that fact –  and this judge changed another judge’s decision and let Maurice Clemmons out on bail?? And people want to blame this blood-bath on Huckabee?? REALLY??

Don’t get me wrong — I’m not a Huckabee fan or supporter. But I am a fan of this guy:

Harold B. Estes, Master Chief Bos’n Mate, USN (Ret.)

He dictated a letter to President Obama that is worth reading. Here is the original at Snopes.com²

Dear President Obama,

My name is Harold Estes, approaching 95 on December 13 of this year. People meeting me for the first time don’t believe my age because I remain wrinkle free and pretty much mentally alert.

I enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1934 and served proudly before, during and after WW II retiring as a Master Chief Bos’n Mate. Now I live in a “rest home” located on the western end of Pearl Harbor, allowing me to keep alive the memories of 23 years of service to my country.

One of the benefits of my age, perhaps the only one, is to speak my mind, blunt and direct even to the head man.. So here goes.

I am amazed, angry and determined not to see my country die before I do, but you seem hell bent not to grant me that wish.

I can’t figure out what country you are the president of. You fly around the world telling our friends & enemies despicable lies like:

• ” We’re no longer a Christian nation.”

• “America is arrogant” (Your wife even announced to the world,” America is mean- spirited. “Please tell her to try preaching that nonsense to 23 generations of our war dead buried all over the globe who died for no other reason than to free a whole lot of strangers from tyranny and hopelessness.)

I’d say shame on the both of you, but I don’t think you like America, nor do I see an ounce of gratefulness in anything you do, for the obvious gifts this country has given you. To be without shame or gratefulness is a dangerous thing for a man sitting in the White House.

After 9/11 you said,” America hasn’t lived up to her ideals.” Which ones did you mean?

1. Was it the notion of personal liberty that 11,000 farmers and shopkeepers died for to win independence from the British?
2. Or maybe the ideal that no man should be a slave to another man, that 500,000 men died for in the Civil War?
3. I hope you didn’t mean the ideal 470,000 fathers, brothers, husbands, and a lot of fellas I knew personally died for in WWII, because we felt real strongly about not letting any nation push us around, because we stand for freedom.
4. I don’t think you mean the ideal that says equality is better than discrimination. You know the one that a whole lot of white people understood when they helped to get you elected.

Take a little advice from a very old geezer, young man. Shape up and start acting like an American. If you don’t, I’ll do what I can to see you get shipped out of that fancy rental on Pennsylvania Avenue. You were elected to lead not to bow, apologize and kiss the hands of murderers and corrupt leaders who still treat their people like slaves.

And just who do you think you are telling the American people not to jump to conclusions and condemn that Muslim major who killed 13 of his fellow soldiers and wounded dozens more. You mean you don’t want us to do what you did when that white cop used force to subdue that black college professor in Massachusetts , who was putting up a fight? You don’t mind offending the police calling them stupid but you don’t want us to offend Muslim fanatics by calling them what they are, terrorists.

One more thing. I realize you never served in the military and never had to defend your country with your life, but you’re the Commander- in-Chief now, son. Do your job. When your battle-hardened field General asks you for 40,000 more troops to complete the mission, give them to him. But if you’re not in this fight to win, then get out. The life of one American soldier is not worth the best political strategy you’re thinking of.

You could be our greatest president because you face the greatest challenge ever presented to any president. You’re not going to restore American greatness by bringing back our bloated economy. That’s not our greatest threat. Losing the heart and soul of who we are as Americans is our big fight now. And I sure as hell don’t want to think my president is the enemy in this final battle.

Sincerely,
Harold B. Estes

Thanks be to God for the brave men and women, like Harold, who served to protect our nation from harm. God help us from the liberal, socialists, appeasers current in vogue…

Joe

¹ Reference on crime statistics: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pub/html/cjusew96/ts.htm

² URL on Snopes.com: http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/haroldestes.asp

I don’t think so. Take a look at this quote from our 16th President and see how well it fits with today’s political climate and the agenda of the current administration in the Oval Office –

“You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift. You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong. You cannot help the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer. You cannot further the brotherhood of man by encouraging class hatred. You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich. You cannot build character and courage by taking away a man’s initiative and independence. You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves.”

– Abraham Lincoln

I think they need to reinforce the concrete in Lincoln’s Tomb. I’m sure Abe is spinning in his grave, and all of that vibration can’t be good on the structural integrity of the monument.

Joe

UN-Believable!  Liberals at work…

This is a YouTube video of Rep Eric Massa (D-NY) who says the following:

MASSA: I will vote for the single payer bill.

PARTICIPANT: Even if it meant you were being voted out of office?

MASSA: I will vote adamantly against the interests of my district if I actually think what I am doing is going to be helpful.

(inaudible participants’ comments regarding the “interests” of the district statement from Mr. Massa)

MASSA: I will vote against their opinion if I actually believe it will help them.

It’s time for term limits people… the elitists (on both sides of the political aisle) are not in touch with the people they “represent” anymore.

Joe