545 People

[wavemaker9 (Rick D.)]

545 PEOPLE By Charlie Reese

Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems
and then campaign against them.

Have you ever wondered why, if both the Democrats and the
Republicans are against deficits, WHY do we have deficits?

Have you ever wondered why, if all the politicians are against
inflation and high taxes, WHY do we have inflation and high taxes?

You and I don't propose a federal budget. The president does.

You and I don't have the Constitutional authority to vote on
appropriations, the House of Representatives does.

You and I don't write the tax code, Congress does.

You and I don't set fiscal policy, Congress does.

You and I don't control monetary policy, the Federal Reserve Bank
does.

One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one president, and nine
Supreme Court justices 545 human beings out of the 300 million are
directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible for the
domestic problems that plague this country.

I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that
problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated
its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally
chartered, but private, central bank.

I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound
reason. They have no legal authority. They have no ability to
coerce a senator, a congressman, or a president to do one cotton-
picking thing. I don't care if they offer a politician $1 million
dollars in cash. The politician has the power to accept or reject
it. No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator's
responsibility to determine how he votes.

Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you
that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this
common con regardless of party. What separates a politician from a
normal human being is an excessive amount of gall. No normal
human being would have the gall of a Speaker, who stood up and
criticized the President for creating deficits. The president can
only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept it.

The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole
responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and
approving appropriations and taxes. Who is the speaker of the
House? She is the leader of the majority party. She and fellow
House members, not the president, can approve any budget they
want. If the president vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto
if they agree to.

It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million cannot
replace 545 people who stand convicted -- by present facts -- of
incompetence and irresponsibility. I can't think of a single
domestic problem that is not traceable directly to those 545
people. When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people
exercise the power of the federal government, then it must follow
that what exists is what they want to exist.

If the tax code is unfair, it's because they want it unfair.

If the budget is in the red, it's because they want it in the red.

If the Army & Marines are in IRAQ, it's because they want them
in IRAQ.

If they do not receive social security but are on an elite
retirement plan not available to the people, it's because they want
it that way.


There are no insoluble government problems.

Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom
they hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose
gifts and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give
the power to regulate and from whom they can take this power.
Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there
exists disembodied mystical forces like 'the economy,' 'inflation,'
or 'politics' that prevent them from doing what they take an oath
to do.


Those 545 people, and they alone, are responsible. They, and they
alone, have the power.

They, and they alone, should be held accountable by the people who
are their bosses. That is provided the voters have the gumption to manage
their own employees. We should vote all of them out of office and
clean up their mess!


Charlie Reese is a former columnist of the Orlando Sentinel
Newspaper.

[mfwilkie]

Charlie's message is food for thought except for one thing, Rick,
it is we the people who have grown lazy in our stewardship
of the workings of freedom.

We are reaping what we've let them sow, because for most folks it's become easier
to let someone else get their hands dirty; their thinking is freedom is the right to complain
about everyone else.

Quality control begins at home.

Adams, Jefferson and Co. must be rolling over in their graves at how we've redefined citizenship.

Thanks for the post.

Maggie

[wavemaker9 (Rick D.)]

Maggie, "WE'' the people have a duty to elect who we are most likely to trust in the position WE grant them. Yet we are far from able to guide their motives beyond their election. The core of our freedoms are being stripped away meticulously. Time has always been on their side and all WE had to do to allow their foothold was look out for ourselves instead of our national integrity. My father has been a GSA lawyer for the D.O.D. all of his career. This is his reaction to Charlie.

Right on point!!! It's called representative government which was subverted
by the 60s Flower Child generation by protest action groups. Specifically a
representative was voted in by millions of voters for their political
philosophy and goals- This elected representative was then prevented from carrying
out the will of millions of voters by protest action from a minority protest
group aided by a Marxist media. Hence representaive government for millions is
compromised by minority sabotage pressure groups. My last posting on that
topic was:
The media and Democrats have attacked our President and country since the
start of our war on terrorism after 9-11 to the point of subversive treason.
They have started a propaganda campaign that enboldened and aided Islamic
terrorists in killing our soldiers. This was done on the familiar Communist
dialectic materialistic technique of pretending to wanting to save our troops
while really taking action to kill them. The insurgents we're fighting in Iraq
are the same breed of terrorists involved in 9-11 attack and originate in all
Islamic countries. Our homeland is safe because we're fighting them in
their breeding ground and are able to retaliate against any other Islamic nation
that pulls another 9-11 surprise, without getting flyover permission. We are
at a point of Mutually Assured Destruction MAD. The same strategy we
employed against Russian WMD attack.

Democrats=Communists that are out to destroy the USA from within.
Democrats executed Fair Trade Agreements that resulted in Communist products only in
US. Democrats are pushing for socializing Wall St and topple capitalism-
they hate the rich and drove investment capital to Communist China. Democrats
stopped all economic and energy development in the USA under the guise of
ecology. Marxist Obama and Democratic Houses will lead this country into
domestic and global communism and complete the revolution.


Rick, Obama is a radical black supremacist who envisions a Black America
that would divide the USA and spark racial and class warfare. A vote for Obama
is a vote for extreme Communism ala Castro. Expect bloody race riots
comparable to 1965 Watts in all urban areas as black rage is ignited against RICH
whitey. I remember aiming a rifle at a carload of blacks at the Long Beach
Marina who threatened to throw fire cocktails at "rich man's toys" during the
Watts riots- they took off as they were in a crossfire situation. Obama is an
articulate genius who critizes but has no real solutions to anything-only
social programs. No stimulus or bailout program can work unless we Create JOBS
to support our lifestyles.

Love Dad

I don't know how I feel about his reply. I do know that I lived this with him. His generation sees what we have forgotten. If you've ever dared to read the Communist Manifesto you would understand that that plan is working within our nation to divide and conquer. Most of the proponents of this manifesto do not know they are and are Americans.

Rick

[Jonathan Morey Weiss-Namaste47]

With all due respect, Rick.........dad can't get much more right than the furthest to the right. He has the democrats as the Anti-Christ.......I think a bit more tolerance is called for.

In the same vein as Reese, listen to Lee Iacocca's expression in his latest book:

'Am I the only guy in this country who's fed up with what's happening?
Where the hell is our outrage? We should be screaming bloody murder. We've got a gang of clueless bozos steering our ship of state right over a cliff, we've got corporate gangsters stealing us blind, and we can't even clean up after a hurricane much less build a hybrid car. But instead of getting mad, everyone sits around and nods their heads when the politicians say, 'Stay the course'
Stay the course? You've got to be kidding. This is America , not the damned 'Titanic'.. I'll give you a sound bite: 'Throw all the bums out!'
You might think I'm getting senile, that I've gone off my rocker, and maybe I have. But someone has to speak up. I hardly recognize this country anymore.
The most famous business leaders are not the innovators but the guys in handcuffs. While we're fiddling in Iraq , the Middle East is burning and nobody seems to know what to do. And the press is waving 'pom-poms' instead of asking hard questions. That's not the promise of the ' America ' my parents and yours traveled across the ocean for. I've had enough. How about you?

I'll go a step further. You can't call yourself a patriot if you're not outraged. This is a fight I'm ready and willing to have. The Biggest 'C' is Crisis ! (Iacocca elaborates on nine Cs of leadership, crisis being the first.)
Leaders are made, not born. Leadership is forged in times of crisis. It's easy to sit there with your feet up on the desk and talk theory. Or send someone else's kids off to war when you've never seen a battlefield yourself.
It's another thing to lead when your world comes tumbling down. On September 11, 2001, we needed a strong leader more than any other time in our history.

We needed a steady hand to guide us out of the ashes.

A Hell of a Mess So here's where we stand. We're immersed in a bloody war with no plan for winning and no plan for leaving.
We're running the biggest deficit in the history of the country.

We're losing the manufacturing edge to Asia , while our once-great companies are getting slaughtered by health care costs.
Gas prices are skyrocketing, and nobody in power has a coherent energy policy.
Our schools are in trouble.
Our borders are like sieves.
The middle class is being squeezed every which way These are times that cry out for leadership.

But when you look around, you've got to ask:'Where have all the leaders gone?' Where are the curious, creative communicators? Where are the people of character, courage, conviction, omnipotence, and common sense? I may be a sucker for alliteration, but I think you get the point.
Name me a leader who has a better idea for homeland security than making us take off our shoes in airports and throw away our shampoo? We've spent billions of dollars building a huge new bureaucracy, and all we know how to do is react to things that have already happened.
Name me one leader who emerged from the crisis of Hurricane Katrina. Congress has yet to spend a single day evaluating the response to the hurricane, or demanding accountability for the decisions that were made in the crucial hours after the storm.
Everyone's hunkering down, fingers crossed, hoping it doesn't happen again. Now, that's just crazy. Storms happen. Deal with it. Make a plan. Figure out what you're going to do the next time.

Name me an industry leader who is thinking creatively about how we can restore our competitive edge in manufacturing. Who would have believed that there could ever be a time when 'The Big Three' referred to Japanese car companies? How did this happen, and more important, what are we going to do about it?

Name me a government leader who can articulate a plan for paying down the debit, or solving the energy crisis, or managing the health care problem. The silence is deafening. But these are the crises that are eating away at our country and milking the middle class dry.
I have news for the gang in Congress. We didn't elect you to sit on your asses and do nothing and remain silent while our democracy is being hijacked and our greatness is being replaced with mediocrity. What is everybody so afraid of? That some bonehead on Fox News will call them a name? Give me a break. Why don't you guys show some spine for a change?
Had Enough? Hey, I'm not trying to be the voice of gloom and doom here. I'm trying to light a fire. I'm speaking out because I have hope I believe in America . In my lifetime I've had the privilege of living through some of America 's greatest moments. I've also experienced some of our worst crises: the 'Great Depression', 'World War II', the 'Korean War', the 'Kennedy Assassination', the 'Vietnam War', the 1970s oil crisis, and the struggles of recent years culminating with 9/11.
If I've learned one thing, it's this: 'You don't get anywhere by standing on the sidelines waiting for somebody else to take action. Whether it's building a better car or building a better future for our children, we all have a role to play... That's the challenge I'm raising in this book. It's a call to 'Action' for people who, like me, believe in America . It's not too late, but it's getting pretty close. So let's shake off the crap and go to work. Let's tell 'em all we've had 'enough.'

Complacency, laziness, fear of change............that's what keeps us on the sidelines..............what do you think?

[Ron Wallace (Scotshawk)]

Rick, you may not know how you feel about your father's reply, but I know how I feel about it. Take a good look at the Democratic symbol, and tell him he can kiss my Democrat ass. My father, my grandfather and my great grandfather were Dems so I guess I come from a long line of Communistic traitors.

If he wants to call me a communist and a subversive traitor, that's his right by the constitution, and it mine to call him a narrow-minded, bigoted nazi. My Democratic father was a cowboy, worked on the WPA when the ranches died in the depression, went to California and worked in shipyards building warships when he was too old for WWII. I had three brothers and a first cousin serving in Viet Nam at one time while Bush and Cheney were high, dry and safe. I had a brother in the Korean War when I was born. How dare he challenge my family's patriotism. Three of the four were wounded in Viet Nam; how much blood has he shed for this country?

Subversive treason, he can kiss my ass again. I've lost kin and friends in Iraq where anyone with half a brain knows we had no business being while the real enemy, the real attackers were living free and growing stronger under this piece of shit Republican regime. Dick Cheney is a war profiteer; Harry Truman would've had him shot.

And I'm tired of this Obama's Black America crap. I'm a nice mix of red and white and I'm voting for him so he better get ready to listen to my Okie ass too. I know he's not a Muslim, but it wouldn't matter if he was. I've met a number of good Muslim people just like I've met a number of sorry white folks who call themselves Christians. Muslim extremist may be dangerous but so are Christian extremists and Jewish extremists and atheistic extremists. It's not the religion, it's the extreme followers of any group who are willing to stoop to terrorism in order to quail the will of the people.

Our homeland is in peril because we're in the wrong place for the wrong reasons, extending our men and women past the maximum and leaving our country open. I hope this nation can survive the destruction brought upon it by incompetent leaders, and I hope it remembers it is a representative government.
I hope that when the MAJORITY votes and boots this crap out of office that we can get back to being a government of the people where the middle class takes it place --- in the middle.

If I've come across as harsh, so f'ing be it. Call me a Communist and you can piss me off. Call me a traitor, subversive or otherwise, and I'm ready to fight. I'm weak that way, falling short of the glory of Christ who was pretty socialistic by the way. I know peace is the way, but I have trouble with the other cheek thing and your father has pissed me off and it makes it too hard to just take it without venting some.

Jon, amen, and Maggie if Jefferson and Adams spun at the speed appropriate to the damage done to this country in the name of all they stood for, they would have already bore through the center of the earth and out the other side. Love Ron

[wavemaker9 (Rick D.)]

These responses have to be as representative of the polarities that divide us as our poetry represents our unity of interest to creatively express the core of our beliefs. I did not intend to question anyones patriotism. My father was a war hero also Ron. He was a recon pilot in the Korean War. He is in his last years of life and recalling alot of the events of his past that he thinks will guide his children to make intelligent decisions about the future of the country he loves. I take his words for what they are, his. I understand his motives to be honorable but his undertanding of current events to be filtered through fears that guided his generation. I love him my friends. He is my father. He would never have called you a Communist Ron. But the both of you would sure have enjoyed a very spirited conversation and probably ended up with solutions worthy of note. Jon, I've always admired Lee Iacocca. His ability to see through the chaos and innovate during extreme duress are what make a leader.
My father is much more than his current anger denotes. When I was 14 we faught the fires started during the Watts riots together with garden hoses. We lived 40 miles away from Watts but he felt it was his civic responsibility to help the innocent so we drove there and stayed until it was nearly over helping where ever we could. When we returned home to our boat 3 days later my mother told us about the threats she had faced from carloads of angry people from the same place we had tried to help. What my father does not remember is that was the night that he aimed the shotgun (empty, my younger 5 sisters and brothers were too curious to leave it loaded and he did not have enough time to dig out the shells so the standoff was all show and no ammo) at the carload of blacks threatening to set our home ablaze. We were not wealthy. We lived meagerly and honestly. We were not racists. We were not radical Christian right wingers. We were just plain scared. That fear has a way of staying with you. I am pleased that you all have found a place to vent. Please do not make me or my family your target. We are after all is said, in this together.
Love, Rick

[Ron Wallace (Scotshawk)]

Rick, I wou never hold you or your family as a target in any form or fashion. I'd have welcomed spirited debate with him in days of better health. I debated with my own father many times before I lost him. I live in a state I hold dear and love as much as the country I love deeply, but it is one of, if not the, most conservative states in that country, possibly one of the most racist states as well, but I'd like to think not. Here in the midst of these sentiments I still cannot sit on my views andd values when challenged by others.

You should love your father, Rick and love him deeply. I did mine; not a day passes that I don't miss him. My PCbackground is a picture of him still in uniform in his late sixties as he is retiring from the force. I know how he would've then near seventy. We would be cancelling each others votes, but at ninety he had changed, grown, still sharp and solid intellectually, a voracious reader at 93 when I lost him, he would have been voting with me cancelling a couple of my brothers' votes.

I know what it feels like to be in the middle of division on liberal / conservative views. My family is almost equally split, but we love each other and respect our opposing views as points of debate and not points of separation. My 73 year old big brother who was serving in the Korean War when I was born would bow up as we say here to anyone questioning me as a traitor.

As long as the nation tolerates differing views and is willing to hear the opposing points of debate, we can learn; we can improve, but if we become intolerant and polarized with each other, no one profits.

One thing I know is that there are no totally righteous groups, only righteous men and women among all groups. Good men must rise above the others. This country was built on liberal ideas, the ideas of free thought, free speech and freedom of imposed religion should still be fundamental universals to all men everywhere.

In closing, Rick, I respect your father; he is obviously a man of great courage, and he has fathered a line of good men. He should be proud, but he should not expect such harsh statements to go without being answered. My father was not a subversive traitor for his Democratic political convictions, nor am I. I salute his service and apologize for my disrespectful language, but I don't back down an inch from my personal convictions as a Democrat and a supporter of Barack Obama.

[wavemaker9 (Rick D.)]

Ron, thank you, it is our wish to remain free. With this sharing we both validate our heritage. I remain your student and cherish the priviledge my friend. I heard no disrespect, just the crossed boundaries of a warrior. I'd go back to back with you anyday and know mine would be safe.

Rick

[Ron Wallace (Scotshawk)]

You got that right, my friend, again my respect is there for you and your family. There is freedom in strength, and power in intellect, and you know I'd have your back without hesitation. Ron

[Jonathan Morey Weiss-Namaste47]

The previous dialogue has shown that the bipartisan political system has the potential to work. Openmindedness, communication and respect for others' ideas, without making it so personal.

You two have been friends of mine for a few years now........I had the great pleasure to meet Ronny, but not yet Rick.......maybe some day.
You both have my respect as individuals and poets.............

[Sherry Thrasher]

If the rest of the world could work through issues like you have done we would all be in a better place right now. Personally, I believe our next president has his hands full. Our country and world are both in a real mess. This is not a black and white issue or a republican democrat issue. We are all feeling the effect of irresponsibility. We are all at fault for not keeping our political leaders feet in the fire and holding them there. We are all at fault for placing the blame for responsibility of what is happening in our world on someone else. I am disgusted by the way both parties are polarizing Americans. If there were a moderate candidate worth a damn then he or she would get my vote on principal. What is wrong with these politicians? I don't trust Mc Cain or Obama and please don't even get me started on Paulin. As a woman, she infuriates the hell out of me and I am a registered republican. As an American, I feel raped.

Sherry

[wavemaker9 (Rick D.)]

I think she is alot like us Sherry. Well maybe more like you. She's really cute and pissed off. I don't know about her qualifications but I do like her moxy. I'd love to see her and Pelosi in a mud wrestling match, mud slinging just doesn't do it for me.

[Sherry Thrasher]

My biggest problem with this is I believe at this point it is all lip service. I believe they say exactly what we want to hear and then do what ever they damn well please. Hilliary Clinton with a Mississippi drawl? Please! Just give me a freaking break. If they want to know what it is like to run a family as a single mother on 28,000 a year, paying a mortgage, car insurance, groceries and keeping the lights on while working a full time job, going to school full time (finishing at the top of the class), living without healthcare and when you need it, when it really matters there is no "help" as we are not under the "poverty level," then you get to pay the medical bill off in three years while the room full of illegal citizens all walk away with a wave goodbye. We then get to try and keep the kiddie happy and when he needs something for school, we don't fall back on WIC or assistance. We simply stand in line and hope that the debit card goes through. All this while somehow managing to maintain a credit score of 850. Tell the politicians to give me a call. I know something about balancing a budget. Joe the Plummer lives in my neighborhood and none of us drive a beemer.

[wavemaker9 (Rick D.)]

Amen. I'd vote for you! You forgot to mention that you are a darned good poet too. It is all lip service and once they are in office they find lips to service them...ahem.