Everywhere I go people ask why does Congress keep voting to increase the national debt while telling us that the national debt is bad? Why do they challenge us to live within our means while they continue to live outside of their own? And why after spending trillions of dollars on “stimulus” and bailouts do we have so little to show for it?
The simple answer and maybe the most honest answer is what I call careerism. The career politicians in our nation’s capital are trapped between wanting to get re-elected and doing what is in the people’s best interest. This was obvious just this week in the news. Senator Jim Bunning of Kentucky, who is not running for reelection, spoke out against extending unemployment benefits and DOT funding. The shockwaves reverberated throughout Washington DC. Both Republicans and Democrats were denouncing his position. With outrage they cried “How can he be so insensitive? Doesn’t he know we are in an economic crisis?”
Senator Bunning was asking a question that rarely gets asked by career politicians. How are we going to pay for this? Just weeks after Congress voted for a “pay-go” requirement in the budget–where any increases in expenditures must be offset with cuts elsewhere or tax increases–they are already ignoring it. What Senator Bunning wanted was for the leadership to explain how the extension was to be funded. He could ask this very important question because he didn’t care about his reelection. The political fallout didn’t matter. What mattered was the principle. We must pay for our services now; we cannot force our grandchildren pay for what we receive. Pretty simple and very honest.
This issue is not about whether or not extending benefits was the right thing to do. There are all kinds of important projects in government and each one has its own constituency. The point I am trying to make is that many members of both chambers, and both parties, feel that they can’t ask tough questions anymore because they become victims of politics – the classic GOTCHA moments. It’s time for these career politicians to step down. These are important issues and how we as taxpayers pay for services and benefits must be part of the national discussion.
The government has no money of its own. Therefore it must take from one and give to another. Since we as taxpayers are the ones the money is taken from we are the primary stakeholder. But career politicians apparently no longer care about that. It’s time to vote them out and not send just another carbon copy to replace them. That’s why I have already gone public by self term limiting my time in DC to four terms. Then I will step down and let another go serve. By doing this I can shield myself, and more importantly you, from the politics that has taken us to this critical juncture in history. By doing this I can remove the insider pressure that is certainly causing some of the problems.
There are other issues in Washington DC, but I believe any measure that forces politicians to do what’s right, not just what’s politically expedient, is in all our best interests.
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Dear Mr. Ribble,
I’m glad you didn’t advocate for compulsory term limits, and at least kept it voluntary for yourself. If you turned out to be a good limited- government congressman and your constituents wanted you to stay, why would you limit your terms? There are some, like Ron Paul, who understand the Constitution and have been reelected over and over. Why would we want him out?
The only thing that politicians really fear is not being reelected. Wasn’t that one of the few things that made it hard for the Democrats to muster enough votes for the Health Care Bill? What if one third of them were (term limited) lame ducks? Then they could have all voted for it, and no worries!
For both good and bad politicians, their main concern is whether they are supported by enough of their constituents back home to be reelected. Fortunately, there are many of us who do know and understand the principles of limited government, and as you know, there is a growing movement across the nation to learn and understand our form of government better. As we voters educate ourselves, our responsibility is never to go to sleep again, and to work for good Constitutional candidates. Then good congressmen can take principled stands, resist pressure from powerful people and groups,and rely on their constituents to support them when the going gets tough.
Your job, therefore, is to stay principled, and if you remain true to good principles, why would we want to vote you out, or see you limit yourself to only four terms? The reason many career politicians are so corrupt is because often both Democratic and Republican parties, as well as the voters in their districts, are misinformed, apathetic, lazy, and corrupt themselves. How will it change anything to get rid of one corrupt politician (through term limits) and replace him with another? The voters, as well as the local party machine, will still be corrupt and uninformed!
Every congressman is only one election away from being thrown out, and when the people decide to do it, they can get rid of him for good. The only solution to the problem of corrupt politicians is an informed electorate. We’re working on that here in the 8th District. You can, too, through your campaign literature and your positions.
Since there is a new wind blowing in America, and people are becoming more active and aware than they have been in a long time, good candidates (and their supporters) have opportunities to educate like never before. Yes, the newspapers, political parties, and many other institutions in America have entrenched leftists in powerful positions, and we still have to overcome their influence. But have you noticed how many people no longer trust them?
Rosalie Greenley