Throw the Baggage Out

Watching the local news this morning, they were covering the potential party switch of Florida Governor Charlie Christ as he jockeys for position in his campaign for a US senate seat.


I used to be fairly politically active but over the years I have become more and more disinterested. I have a political affiliation but I don’t vote strict party lines. I was raised to believe every vote counted and it was important to voice your opinion in the booth on Election Day. Since then I’ve become more jaded and I think a lot of Americans feel the same way. The polls are agreeing with me when they show less than 40% of the electorate is supportive of incumbent politicians.

Have Americans lost faith in their elected leaders? I think that’s an unequivocal yes, and it’s my belief there are minimal basic issues contributing to this apathy. As much as I believe money can be the basis of all good things, it can also be the foundation supporting all the bad. I wrote a couple months back that I thought it was wrong when the Supreme Court allowed corporate America to underwrite political campaigns to whatever excess their business plan would allow. It opens a Pandora’s Box letting the minority that controls most of the money to influence the majority who sits at home, watches television and believes everything coming down the information highway.

The second big problem, as I see it, is professional politicians. When freshman congressmen arrive on Capitol Hill, and their first order of business is to get busy getting re-elected, that’s a problem. I want these representatives of “the people” to, first and foremost, look out for us.

I resent the fact that Congress has so many entitlements that Joe Public doesn’t get. From Social Security to medical insurance and lifetime pensions, it’s the best job there is. And they not only spend more time extending their political careers than they do conducting America’s business, they are ineffectual at that. This in-fighting has to stop. It’s time to put America first. I’d like to see an end to politicians who spend their entire careers on the dole.

I suggest we further restrict term limits. How about a requirement for volunteer or public service prior to any type of run for office? Maybe we should just have retired people who have the time to dedicate to the needs of America calling the shots in Washington.

I just know it’s time for a change. Let’s throw out all the useless baggage and start over.