Tag: broken government

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government repairs: part 5 of 5

If the government is not irreparably broken, then how can we fix it? 

 

Through the course of our repair posts, I’ve actually become even more convinced that the government is not irreparably broken.  In fact, perhaps what’s swayed me most is the significant feedback I’ve received both publicly and privately — from those of you on the far left, far right, solidly in between — and those who are too disgusted or disillusioned to lay stake to any such position.  It’s fascinating to see the agreement among you.

 

Term limits.  Money limits.  Basic respect.  Several of you wholeheartedly ‘amen-ed’ those 3 suggestions.  That’s a great start.

 

Included today, no less, are other suggestions I’ve received.  Some I agree with; some I do not.  But in our efforts to fix government, I think we need to give ample, outside-the-box consideration; we need to consider ways that are different than our engrained thinking.  We need to listen to one another well.

 

In no particular order, here are other suggestions to fixing the government:

 

  • Draw congressional districts by non-partisan commissions.  Gerrymandering is the routine practice (utilized by Democrats and Republicans) of drawing voting districts in such a way as to give an unfair advantage to one party.
  • Make all members of the federal government — including all members of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches — abide by the laws they promote, pass, and interpret.
  • Outlaw lobbyist organizations — the organized attempt by members of the public to influence politicians or public officials.
  • Don’t allow former congressmen to become lobbyists.  See former Majority Leader, Rep. Dick Gephardt (D-MO), who has substantially profited since leaving the House, lobbying on behalf, for example, of the healthcare industry, Boeing, and even the Republic of Turkey.
  • Refrain from collective bargaining with government employees, ensuring tax dollars are not part of the process.
  • Reduce the percentage necessary to break a Senate filibuster.  Also, add rules that allow the minority in the Senate and House to bring legislation to a vote on the floor.
  • Reinforce and embrace the family as the primary, basic unit of society.  We’ve lost sight of the significance and worth of family.  Policy should reflect that.
  • Have Senators be appointed by the Governor of each state as they used to be.
  • Put term limits, also, on the Supreme Court, so that ideology doesn’t become the primary driver of a judge’s decision.
  • Get the government out of our food choices.  There’s no need to legislate farms nor individual food choices.
  • Don’t allow (as Benjamin Franklin forewarned) a permanent, salaried ruling class.  We may have reached the tipping point on this.  Our bureaucrats have become bloated and permanent.
  • Follow the Ten Commandments.  They are basic rules that everyone can abide by.  Throwing them out of our courtrooms and classrooms has led to a country that is challenged in giving God basic respect.
  • Adopt a balanced budget amendment.  We differ on how to spend our money — fine.  But we cannot sustain spending more than we have.
  • Encourage and allow states’ rights.  If states desire a different set of laws, allow even for succession.
  • Eliminate political parties. Senators and Representatives should serve and represent those who elected them — not be bound to party politics.
  • Eliminate the Electoral College.  Let the popular vote decide the presidential election.
  • Eliminate tax exemptions for corporations that contribute to politicians, wherein the politicians offer favors in return.
  • Limit immigration, so as not to build a majority of people dependent on government assistance.
  • Care for “the least of these,” but don’t simply adopt policy that increases “the least.”
  • Legislate according to the Constitution.
  • Embrace the Constitution.
  • And if all else fails, revolt.  Not with might nor militia — more a peaceful but strong revolution.  We the people need to stand up and say, “We’re not going to take this anymore.  We refuse to be governed in such an unethical, irresponsible way.”

 

Good ideas.  Now what to do…

 

Respectfully,

AR

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government repairs: part 4 of 5

If the government is not irreparably broken, then how can we fix it? 

 

Today’s suggestion is simple.  Actually, it’s elementary.  The elect need to “go back to school.”  No, they don’t need to enroll in the closest Econ class (although that might be helpful).  They need to go back to kindergarten.

 

Follow me here…  In recent years and certainly weeks/months, the elect’s behavior has been absent of several key, elementary virtues.  The Intramuralist has been increasingly disturbed by their behavior; several of you have voiced similar dismay.  How they talk to each other — about each other, how they treat one another, and how they sometimes speak to us — especially if they think we share an opposing viewpoint — has been awful… all this from supposedly intelligent men and women.  Once again, neither intelligence nor party allegiance matters.  The President, Congress, and leaders of all parties have been terrible at being clearly, consistently truthful and offering regular respect to others.  Truth and respect are elementary virtues — taught to us in kindergarten.

 

Borrowing from Robert Fulghum’s insightful, 1988 classic, All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, allow me to suggest a few specifics our otherwise intelligent elect have forgotten.  In order to fix our government, these need to be generously employed:

 

  • Play fair.
  • Clean up your own mess.
  • Don’t hit people.
  • Don’t take things that aren’t yours.
  • Say you’re sorry when you hurt somebody.
  • It doesn’t matter what you say you believe — it only matters what you do.
  • Sticks and stones may break our bones, but words will break our hearts.
  • Ignorance and power and pride are a deadly mixture.
  • Yelling at a living thing does tend to kill the spirit in them.
  • Always trust your fellow man.
  • Always trust God.
  • Always love your neighbor.

 

Allow me to also add a few more of my own…

 

  • Be honest.
  • Say what you mean and mean what you say.
  • Listen first and foremost; when you think you must speak now, take a deep breath and first listen a little more.
  • Restate what you think you hear.
  • Act justly.
  • Love mercy.
  • Practice humility daily.
  • Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.
  • Learn how to both ask for forgiveness and to forgive.
  • Don’t say anything in one audience you’d be embarrassed to repeat to another.
  • Don’t spend what you don’t have or have no plan to repay.
  • Be liberal in offering respect — be conservative in offering criticism.

 

Regardless of proclaimed intelligence, our elect have forgotten what’s elementary.  My current sense is they don’t even fake it well.  And unfortunately, too often too many of us join in their reindeer games.

 

Wait… I have one more suggestion I learned in kindergarten.  Well, actually, I didn’t learn it then because it wasn’t available.  But when I was in kindergarten, there was no way to arrogantly broadcast my opinion, have likeminded others affirm my disrespectful articulation, and then never be forced to wrestle with the validity of my own perspective.

 

As our elect “go back to school,” will someone please advise them to stay off of social media?

 

Respectfully,

AR

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government repairs: part 2 of 5

If the government is not irreparably broken, then how can we fix it? 

 

Priority #1:  congressional term limits.

 

Several of you have publicly and privately affirmed the above; the first step to fixing our broken government is to establish term limits for the elect.  The length of each term should be debated.  Presidents are given a maximum of 8 elected years.  I believe a reasonable approach is 12 years for senators — meaning 2 elected terms — and 8-12 years for representatives — meaning 4-6 terms.  If 8-12 years is not long enough to complete one’s job, then perhaps one is in the wrong job.

 

In preparation for suggested priority #1, I sought conservative, liberal, and independent opinion — gleaning insights from the Annenberg Public Policy Center, Cato Institute, Heritage Foundation, BalancedPolitics.org, and RestartCongress.org among others.  Utilizing several of their articulations, let me offer the following reasons for congressional term limits:

 

  • Politicians would be less likely to focus on special interests because they cannot stay in office indefinitely.
  • If the elect are less focused on special interests, they will also be less likely to become comfortable with “pork barrel” spending.
  • Being less focused on lobbyists and special interests, chances for corruption will be limited.
  • More of a “citizen” Congress would be created, as opposed to congressional bodies primarily consisting of lawyers and career politicians.  Congress would thus be better in touch with their constituents as opposed to in touch with national party platforms.
  •  If better in touch with constituents, the vote of the elect would also more accurately reflect those they represent.
  •  The elect will then not be too far removed from their experiences in the private sector; hence, they should more easily comprehend how the private sector is affected by their legislation.
  •  Those in their last term of office are more likely to ignore politics and media criticism when considering prudent policy measures.
  •  The need for re-election becomes less important — as then does toeing the party line and holding onto party seats.  Too much of that is the current driver behind individual legislative decisions, which complicates passing legislation.
  •  Committee assignments would be determined by merit and expertise, rather than tenure, another area that currently wields significant potential for corruption.

 

The bottom line is that term limits would help restore ample respect for Congress.

 

One more thing that was eye-opening to me during this research process was the answer to the following question:  who typically opposes term limits?  What people groups seem to be most against the concept — especially when you look at the substantial, ethical reasons above?

 

Primarily in opposition to term limits are political scientists, lobbyists and special interests, and the elect themselves.  The concern among some political scientists is that amateurs may end up running the government.  But the lobbyists? … the special interest groups?  They see their influence as potentially lesser.  The elect?  They like being in office.

 

Term limits, hence, are priority #1.

 

Respectfully,

AR

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government repairs: part 1 of 5

Recent events have me thinking.  Actually, the events aren’t even all so recent.

 

As we’ve witnessed the shut down and the healthcare rollout failure, we’ve also had the even lesser pleasure of witnessing partisans return to their camps.  It’s almost as if, when all else fails, when push comes to shove, the partisans believe they must cling to their camps; they must hold most fiercely what they believe to be true; they adhere to a passionate ideology.

 

Even though to date, for example, the implementation of the Affordable Care Act has been unprecedentedly poor, how the politicians and pundits speak of it often depends more on their chosen ideology than on accurately addressing the problem.  Hence, persons in “Camp Obama” are more likely to minimize the failure, while “Team Boehner” or “McConnell” campers may instead utilize the moment to justify more, far-reaching criticism.  My sense is that both camps cloud the conflict; both camps interfere with responsible, effective governing.

 

The bottom line is that politics are impeding government.  The polarization that has escalated and intensified over the past 3 decades has hurt us.

 

This past weekend I had an excellent, challenging conversation with a trusted friend.  Note #1:  the 2 of us don’t agree on all things.  Note #2:  I’ve yet to find a person with whom I agree on all things.  And note #3:  agreement or not does not diminish our ability to discuss nor impact our “trusted friend” status.

 

In our discussion, with an acknowledgement of the partisan camps that so easily entangle, we came to a bottom line question:  is our government irreparably broken?

 

Let me ask again:  can we recover from the brokenness?  Has the polarized politicking digressed so far that we cannot return to responsible, effective governing?

 

It’s a tough question.

It should cause us to pause.

Is our government irreparably broken?

 

I’ve decided to be intentional…  do a little research…  think a little longer… ponder solution.  I have to believe the broken, American system can be fixed.  Granted, it’ll be challenging… ok, hard… maybe even, well, a little daunting… intimidating… unnerving… hmmm, better stick with hard.  But the Intramuralist believes it can be done.

 

Some time ago, my older brother encouraged me to not only acknowledge a problem but to also offer a solution.  If the government is not irreparably broken, then how can we fix it?  What must be done?

 

Over the next few posts, my goal is to explore the repairs.  We will offer potential solutions to an inefficient, ineffective, irresponsible, broken means of governing.  No one solution will be “it.”  If “it” was that easy, the Intramuralist would probably be writing this from inside an oval office.

 

We will cover tangibles and intangibles, specific steps, and perhaps some virtues to embrace.  I will also include your respectfully submitted ideas.  We’re in this together — together under a broken government.  We desire something better and more.

 

Our first step will be introduced on Thursday.  Can you say term limits?

 

Respectfully,

AR