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DaddySatyr -> A Return to the Way Things Aught to Be (11/30/2017 6:59:10 AM)
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A Return to the Way Things Aught to Be
By Michael The Libertarian
For many years, I have been harping on the idea that our elected officials, most particularly our congress critters, should be voting the way we want them to vote, when we send them to Washington D.C.
Now, let's not – you and I – dear reader, confuse issues. “Talking heads” are constantly repeating the false claim of: “We live in a democracy!” Actually, we don't. We live in a democratic republic. More accurately, in practice, we live in a representative democracy.
Representative … It's interesting (to me, anyway) that “the peoples' house” of the congress is populated by people called “representative”. “The peoples' house” is referred to as: “The House of Representatives”. Coincidence? Well, based upon the behavior of most of those congress critters over the last fifty years or so, I would think it's more oxymoron than coincidence.
These bloviating die-hards are under the mistaken impression that we elect them to be “leaders” rather than representatives. It's one of the symptoms of a disease I've been railing against for decades, now. The disease is the erosion of the principles upon which this country was founded; public service.
Even before this country was a country, the continental congresses were made up of citizens, chosen by their neighbors, to let the rest of the country know how those citizens back home felt.
Going to the congress wasn't seen as a career. In fact, it was a huge dent in one's career. Most, back then, were farmers or maybe, they owned some kind of small business, but having to leave home (some of them couldn't really travel back and forth because of geographical and time constraints) for months (at minimum) meant that whatever your trade was, it was going to suffer. Back in these days, elected officials really were “public servants” and God bless them, each and every one.
What we have, today is a system by which men and women become politicians and make elected office their “career”. What's really troubling about this is something that is the fault of the politicians and we, as a people.
What career politicians have devolved into is people who almost never keep their promises. A group that frequently runs to their base (either right or left) during primaries and then, pretends to become centrists, in order to win the general election. They will tell you this makes them “statesmen”. It makes them artists of deception (“liars” for those of you in Poughkeepsie).
Now, as I have come to learn, comes a man who is trying to return to those golden years of yore (although, I am sure he wishes to make politics a career, also). Michael Allman is running for congress in California's 52nd district. He has vowed to vote the way the people in his district direct him to vote; even if he doesn't agree with the vote!
In today's day of politics, that is amazing and refreshing.
From Allman's website: “I am running for congress because the political infighting and posturing that’s happening in Washington has to change. Voters are more engaged in political debate than ever before, but their views are not well represented in the current politicized environment. I’m going to change that. When I am elected to congress, I am going to vote on issues the way my constituents tell me to vote, on an issue-by-issue basis.”
See? Exactly as it should be. It almost makes me wish the idea of living in The Peoples' Republic of California again wasn't such a distasteful idea.
Okay, you want “fair and balanced”? You want criticism? That's simple: Allman claims to be a Republican and successful Republicans in southern California are like successful left-handed snipers in the military … almost unheard of. What I predict happening, here is: once he gets elected, people that didn't vote for him, by-and-large will be the ones influencing how he votes in congress. In effect, he'll be another rabid democrat that just happens to have an “R” after his name.
But, I like his principle and I think all 435 members of the house aught to adopt it. It would make them more palatable to me.
Think of it, when was the last time you heard a politician say: “I'm going to vote on … the tax bill, for example … the way my constituents want me to vote" as opposed to: “I'm going to vote with the members of my party.”
- Michael
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