A lesson

Ok, so here's the deal.  We're a two house democracy.  The House of Representatives is comprised of people who represent the population at large.  Each Representative represents approximately the same number of people.  A little State like mine only has enough people to warrant one Representative.  California's population is such that 53 Representatives are required to adequately represent the people there.  Now the Senate, on the other hand, represents the States.  Each State, large or small, is equally represented by two Senators.  This is by design.  When a bill goes through the House, Delaware gets one voice, while California gets 53.  The idea here is proper representation of the country's population as a whole.  When that same bill reaches the Senate, Delaware and California have equal say on the passage of the bill.  Kind of ingenious when you think about it.

So I gave that very quick, fairly incomplete civics lesson to make the following statement:  The system is broken. The design is still ingenious; it's just the politicians that are screwing up the whole thing.  Thing about it.  Whenever ANY decision is made by ANY politician, the primary criterion is "How will this affect my chances for re-election."  It's a sad fact, but a fact nonetheless.  This is the only reason the DNC and RNC exist, and quite frankly I think we need to purge our nation of both entities.  "Bring on term limits", you say.   Yeah, that battle cry goes up every election cycle, but the folks who hold the power to turn on those limits are the same folks who determine their own salaries...   that ain't happenin'.

What to do, what to do.  Common sense tells us that if these yahoo's didn't have a reelection to look toward, they may actually make good decisions during their term in office.  Not for any lofty goal such as 'doing the right thing' or 'following their conscience'; oh no, dear reader.  They would do it to ensure their legacy...   the only way to make a positive name for themselves is to make good decisions that positively affect the public.  Now, the only way for us (you know, The People) can ensure term limits is to STOP voting these people back into office!  Stop going into the booth and throwing the switch for the name you recognize or the one you always vote for.  Don't vote for anyone who is already in office, even if you like them, even if you've had dinner with them, even if they've done a good job.  It's gonna take a few election cycles for them all to get a clue, but they're smart people when it comes to self-preservation, they'll figure it out.  When they do...  and ONLY when they do...   the DNC and RNC will dissolve and we may just see a steady return to sanity in our government.

Vote Out the Incumbents and dissolve the lobbies.   And pass me another Irish coffee.  Political discussions make my head hurt.