Fooled me once, twice, no more! (commentary written for CNB 12/24/2010)

by Nickie Summers

American citizens across this great country are having postmortems over legislation enacted by political officials during the lame duck session of 111th Congress. What happened to the ‘resounding message sent to the White House’ after the midterm elections? What about the ‘shellacking?’ Yes, politics as usual continues. The phrase that comes to my mind “Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice shame on me.” How many times will The People be fooled by political officials who campaign on The Will of the People, but govern to the will of big money and special interest?

Let me introduce you to the Professional Political Core. They are elitists who made politics a professional career and whose careers are funded by special interest money. They are people who entered politics for honorable reasons, or so I want to believe, but over time became addicted to the smell of money and power. They take personal pleasure living large at the expense of taxpayers while dismissing the U.S. Constitution. They view their political career as a means of personal profit verses serving the people. The Professional Political Core is a dangerous species firmly entrenched in U.S. government – a ‘closed’ faction with a hard shell; difficult to penetrate with new ideas and fresh faces.

But enough is enough. Benjamin Franklin once said, “Who had deceived thee so often as thyself?” Americans have trusted politicians for too long. We must accept that we’ve been fooled again, but for the last time. We are in an era of change and it’s The People’s change: eradicate the Professional Political Core that exists today and establish a framework that prevents it from settling comfortably back into our government’s structure.

Since the Tea Party movement, Americans are more engaged in the political process and educated on the U.S. Constitution. They’ve erected a spotlight putting in plain view for all Americans to see the back door dealings and corrupt behaviors in the legislative process. All of this culminating with record numbers of citizens involved in rallies, phone calls, and emails to legislators and the media. But this is not enough to effectively change the political culture in Washington. What more can we do?

A proactive approach is needed to turn the tables back to the days of our Founding Fathers. When and how people served honorably for the purpose of the country, before the culture of the Professional Political Core took over. Three basic ideas can set the framework to restore, enforce, and protect the purity of the elected office:

1. Set term limits for federal lawmakers. Currently there are no set term limits. This opens the special interest financial doors to career seeking politicians and under minds the electoral and legislative process. During the midterms of 2010 we saw this in California, Nevada, and New York among others. Sen. Jim DeMint (R-South Carolina) and several colleagues are proposing a Joint Resolution that would limit service in the Senate to 12 years and service in the House to 6 years. To get details on the resolution go to http://demint.senate.gov/public/_files/TermLimitsForAll.pdf
2. Set reasonable salaries for federal lawmakers. For those who have idle time on their hands, do a little research on the history of congressional salaries…automatic pay raises, no accountability, WOW!! Benjamin Franklin, among other Founders, felt passionately about retaining modest salaries in government and felt that earning any wage at all as a politician could lead to conflicts of interests and corruption. Today the congressional base salary is $174,000. A push is underway to freeze congressional salaries for 2011. I believe that doesn’t go far enough. An analysis of all salaries and associated performance should be reviewed. Also, a resolution to the 27th Amendment with unambiguous language is needed to manage congressional salaries and accountability to The People – like the other amendments do! To get details and history on the 27th Amendment, go to http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution_amendments_11- 27.html
3. Apply equal force of the law to federal lawmakers as it is applied to their constituents. Legislatures exempt themselves from the law and then pontificate their justification! Rep. Charles Rangel (D-New York) is the latest politician who violated the law, but received a congressional slap on the hand – a censure. I could walk into any grocery store and find at least one person who is currently being audited and looking down the barrel of a major tax penalty bill and mounting legal fees…no slap on the hand and go ‘on your merry way’ for them! Benjamin Franklin said it best “There is no kind of dishonesty into which otherwise good people more easily and frequently fall than that of defrauding the government.” We see this over and over again with Democrats, Republicans, public officials, and constituents. No one is exempt from having the freedom of choice to do right or wrong; therefore no one should be exempt from equal application of law. Today, virtue is in the hands of The People and, through their local representatives, they must restore it in Washington. Which brings up the 17th Amendment, but I’ll table that for another day…..

History is wise and teaches us so much if we would just listen. A final quote from Benjamin Franklin – author W. Cleon Skousen set up the quote well in his book The Five Thousand Year Leap:

Franklin fervently hoped this policy [that man would seek public office for honor verse profit] could be perpetuated in America from generation to generation. At the Constitutional Convention in 1787, he [Franklin] gave a discourse on the need to fix the course of American public service so that it would always attract men of public virtue and repel scoundrels scrambling for a soft job. He [Franklin] said:
“Sir, there are two passions which have a powerful influence in the affairs of men. These are ambitions and avarice; the love of power and the love of money. Separately, each of these has great force in prompting men to action; but when united in view of the same object, they have in many minds the most violent effects. Place before the eyes of such men a post of honor, that shall at the same time be a place of profit, and they will move heaven and earth to obtain it. The vast number of such places it is that renders the British government so tempestuous. The struggles for them are the true source of all those actions which are perpetually dividing the nation, distracting its councils, hurrying it sometimes into fruitless and mischievous wars, and often compelling a submission to dishonorable terms of peace. (Smyth, Writings of Benjamin Franklin)

The 112th Congress brings a sense of hope to American citizens – hope to restore the U.S. Constitution, protection of rights, limited government, and fiscal responsibility. But, the responsibility lies in the hands of The People to be proactive with their state and local representatives creating enforceable legislation that will set new rules and real accountability with federal lawmakers.

Nickie Summers is the creator of Stand Up Be Read™, author of the Children’s Book The 4th of July A Celebration of Independence, and regular contributor on Conservative Network Broadcasting.

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