TONE-DEAF POLITICANS

They Forgot Who They Work For

Has anyone noticed how little politicians care about what voters care about and think, unless it’s re-election time? And then, it appears they are okay with lying to us, promising something they either can’t do or won’t do. While the Left is worse about this (inflation, border, climate change, etc.,) the Right isn’t much better.

It appears that beyond the voting cycle, all the majority of them want is to cozy up to big money types and lobbying groups, especially unions. It reminds me of institutional investors. They have so much money that they can sway markets, but they are beholden to the big groups they represent to some extent, but mostly to their own bottom line. How else did the Clintons get so much money in the Clinton Foundation? People were buying access, many of whom were from foreign nations, which means American interests weren’t prioritized. Too many current Lefties are sucking up to China and Iran for promised “return on their investment.” In few cases is this beneficial to us. The Bidens were particularly partial for favoring those two countries, giving access to outrageous amounts of money (Iran) and ignoring the depredations of the CCP.

Government shutdowns? Meaningless to anyone but the voter, as the employees do get paid, without having to work, while our services are halted. They give themselves huge raises, spend like drunken sailors (Nancy Pelosi’s booze cruise B767 comes to mind) and ignore the needs and pain of voters.

The Left shoves through programs none of us want (except the big guys on the take) and the Right goes ahead and gives them the votes, perhaps out of some misguided idea of being nice. The Right approves cabinet positions and justices who should never have been elevated. The Left virtue-signals, promoting people and ideas that only the fringe approves.

Time For Change

I previously had mixed feelings about term limits as the jobs are more complex than when our country started. Ironically, that is what the Founders intended. However, you don’t develop these cozy cuddles with unions and lobbyists overnight; it takes time. If we limit terms, we do lose institutional knowledge, but we make it very difficult for special-interest groups to sway decision-making. I’d extend this beyond politicians. It should apply to leaders of government administrations. Are we really better off with oldsters like Schumer and Pelosi? Wouldn’t newbies be more likely to poll us to make decisions? They’re all going to make mistakes, but if they are able to learn from them and course-correct, we’ll all be better off.

That’s the problem with old-time politicians, bureaucrat and the like. They have their pet solution and try to force it down on you, even as it has never solved the problem and often, makes everything worse and costs too much. We need a more nimble, adept group that can take a scientific approach to issues. Try something in a test case. If it works, expand it. If it doesn’t, drop it and try another solution.

A perfect example is universal school choice. States have tried this with unbelievable success, some of which only revealed itself during Covid, when the public schools did a face-plant with their pathetic attempts to protect themselves. They failed to educate any child, which means a generation has fallen behind. With competition, they will either up their game or be eliminated. Either is fine. This is a proven solution; nothing out of the Dept of Education has worked.

In most cases, what doesn’t work is an expanded federal role in anything. Short-time politicians and administrators are free to experiment as they do in the states. They aren’t trying to keep the job for a lifetime. They are more likely to assess possible solutions (plural) and try one, give it up if it failed and try the next one, learning on the way. Obamacare would never have gone nationwide if it had been implemented in one state as a test case. Wait!! Massachusetts did try it…and gave it up.

Term Limits with One Important Add

Term limits is not enough. When anyone in government is term-limited out, they get nothing as they leave. Not even a party. No retirement, no lifetime health care; nothing besides a final paycheck. This will return us to the original idea where more of us serve for a time, as military personnel do, and then move onto a real career. I’d even take it away from the President. None of our recent presidents have been poor; they didn’t need the payout. Fauci got so rich in his job that he should have had to forfeit his pension, so, because he was wrong on practically everything, a distinction he shares with Joe Biden). But he doesn’t need our money. How many people died when Fauci refused to prioritize treatments?

Haven’t we had enough? Wouldn’t it be great to have some new ideas floated to make our lives better? This is, in part, why Donald Trump won. People didn’t want yet another lifer politicians. They wanted someone who had not only had professional success, but someone who had epic failures, learned from them and came roaring back. Test the next candidate by the same standard; then, with luck we won’t be faced with Gavin Newsom.