| Author | Message | ||
     Crusty |
Have you ever wondered why, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, we have deficits? Have you ever wondered why, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, 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 Marines are in IRAQ , it's because they want them in IRAQ 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 - 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 A penny saved is a government oversight. | ||
| Torquemonster |
makes me wanna apply some war paint and cry "REVOLUTION!" What makes me angrier is that the American people have forgotten that our government works for US and we ALLOWED them to "do" us like this. | ||
| New12r |
What makes me angrier is that the American people have forgotten that our government works for US and we ALLOWED them to "do" us like this. It is hard though when you get to choose a douche bag or a dip stick because they are the ones with enough money to put their ugly mugs on every freaking billboard and tv commercials. | ||
| Brumbear |
A little revolution is a good thing. We could just have 5 different people follow each member 24/7 for 1 month and then report and publish there findings on what these people do. The volonteers would be easy to get they get publishing rights to the stories.I know I would buy the CD and book. Then sell it to a network at election time and air it in its entirety. | ||
| Swampy |
The deficit is no longer my problem! I paid my taxes! YOU, mispent them | ||
| Igneroid |
Very similar up here in Canada...same shit, different flies..... | ||
| Jayvee |
"There are no insoluble government problems." There are, however, problems that the government may not be able to "solve". I'm not even real sure I want the government solving all my problems. | ||
| Firebolteric_ma |
I'm not even real sure I want the government solving all my problems. The Gov't already sticks there ugly head in my day to day problem's.... They also tell me to do stuff I disagree with, Where/when does it end? Bottom line......$$$$$$$$$$$$ | ||
| Coops53233 |
Don't political opinions belong on the Backfire Board? If every Member of Congress were "voted out," you'd loose more than a few good individuals who actually agree with and vote according to most of your concerns. Seems pretty easy for people to read the opinion page, oversimplify things to suit their argument, and then complain. | ||
| Buellerthanyou |
It is hard though when you get to choose a douche bag or a dip stick because they are the ones with enough money to put their ugly mugs on every freaking billboard and tv commercials. Charles, believe it or not, nobody has to vote for either the Democrat or the Republican (flip sides of the same coin). If everyone would vote their conscience instead of whatever shill the two major parties and their media lackeys try to shove down their throats, things might be a bit different. What I really hate is people who say they won't vote for some "third party" candidate, whose platform they agree with, because they don't want to "waste their vote" like it's a foregone conclusion that one of the Big Two will automatically win. It doesn't seem to occur to them that if everyone who thought that way actually did vote the way they wanted, the Big Two might actually not win! Remember that it wasn't always the case that the two dominant parties were the Republicans and the Democrats (Tories...Whigs...?). 'Course, I think lots of people just want to be on the "winning" team, even though we all know that most of us lose either way if we vote for the status quo. I have friends who will vote for someone they don't want just to try to keep someone else that they don't like even more, out of office. Oh, well, I'm voting Libertarian, 'cause I believe in the Constitution.  HellBuelly J "If liberty and equality, as is thought by some, are chiefly to be found in democracy, they will be best attained when all persons alike share in the government to the utmost." --Buellistotle | ||
| Jayvee |
Speaking of voting, we haven't even had more than 55.3% of eligible voters actually vote in national elections since 1968. Thats 39 years of the country basically being run by half (or less) the registered voters. Amazing? Maybe they are just trying to vote their conscience, but we don't have a "None of the above" choice? | ||
| Aesquire |
Everyone bitches about that other congresscritter, but not so much their own. That's why the guys over in that other state keep re-electing the fellow you know is pond scum. ( also the critter from the other district/state/etc. does not loudly tell you he's voted for good stuff for you. He does tell his voters ) I really don't have an answer to this problem. The powers that be sure won't approve a "vote them out" system, and even so, the idea has flaws. The Brit's have a vote of no confidence setup, and it can be & has been used to destroy good guys as well as bad. | ||
| Just_ziptab |
Just call off the elections and those 545 people are out of a job. The country will run just fine with out them. Think about it. If they aren't making rules that nobody wants and sticking their noses in some other country's business that we don't need to be into........then no problems are created. Big business will solve those problems with their own money, not "our" money. Our plant runs just fine when the brass is all gone..........maybe even better since we have to solve our own problems with hands on, real time experience......not someone making decisions from behind a computer screen that is well insulated from the noise of the real problem. | ||
| Brumbear |
I always vote and hope but the truth is, as bad as they are it aint a bad life and it definately could be worse. Not the answer either I know but I am getting past caring anymore and thats not as bad as it is a shame. | ||
| Crusty |
Don't political opinions belong on the Backfire Board? Yes, they do. However, there's no Start New Thread button over there; so I started one over here and I hope it gets moved soon. By the way, DON'T RE-ELECT ANYBODY | ||
| Blake |
That was a pretty good backfire o'encrusted one.  I heard on the news this morning that the libertarian candidate may be a current Republican congressman, is that accurate? | ||
| Mr_gto |
You say 55.3% vote, but the last two elections have been won by split decisions. That means 27.65% of the people in the US decide who runs this country. Kinda fked up if you ask me. | ||
| Chopperdave |
Check out Ron Paul Congressman Ron Paul is the leading advocate for freedom in our nation’s capital. As a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Dr. Paul tirelessly works for limited constitutional government, low taxes, free markets, and a return to sound monetary policies. He is known among his congressional colleagues and his constituents for his consistent voting record. Dr. Paul never votes for legislation unless the proposed measure is expressly authorized by the Constitution.In the words of former Treasury Secretary William Simon, Dr. Paul is the “one exception to the Gang of 535” on Capitol Hill. http://www.ronpaul2008.com/ | ||
| Bad_karma |
The situation is beyond what voting can correct or control. Sorry. Thirty years of voting but no more. Count me in on the second revolution or the first successful secession. Joe | ||
| Aesquire |
The trouble is, no place else on the planet is as free as here. If you have a revolution, could we just ship all the bozo's in elected office to Iran, then resume America, by the Constitution? Worked better than anywhere else for 200 years. ( reset the laws back to before Wilson would be about right...) | ||
| Ferris_von_bueller |
Joe, there are a lot of us "brothers" out there but, as of yet, no leader has come forward to really organize us. Furthermore, as Brumbear said, " ..it aint a bad life and it definitely could be worse" |
