Our leaders corrupt way of doing things is responsible for every crisis we face in this nation. And by extension, the American voter holds some of that responsibility for allowing these career con men to remain in office.
The following is a list of what I think are the results of our leaders lack of leadership skills:
- Abandonment of the working class - Our social programs are being scrapped while wildly profitable industries get tax breaks and huge subsidies every year. Financial firms are nearly every financial crisis we have ever faced. And every time their bubbles pop, our political leaders are all too willing to bail them out with taxpayer money. Meanwhile, our industrial strength, which used to be the backbone of this once great nation, has been sold to foreign countries in the name of cheaper labor, yet politicians in Washington do nothing as good paying jobs vanish and average workers’ wages drop. Instead, they dupe us with skewed statistics and urge us to spend beyond our means. That way they can keep the sick cycle of our consumer economy spinning.
- The craft of journalism has sold itself out as entertainment – Corporations own most of our national media so we now hear only the news they want us to hear and only with their ‘special’ spin on it.
- Military used as security forces to protect corporations interests overseas - This business-first foreign policy has turned our democratic republic into an empire. Our government now spends half a trillion dollars every year to police the globe. And yet when our soldiers come home from our wars abroad, we treat them like garbage. Worst of all, despite the terrible sacrifices our troops and their families have made, most Americans feel less secure than ever.
- Political hypocrisy – The labels democrat and republican are interchangeable. There is very little difference between the two as they sell their services to the highest bidder. Washington idea of ‘change’ is the conversion from ‘public servant’ to a ‘shadow government’ run by shortsighted, money grubbing conmen. Big business and its armies of lawyers, accountants and lobbyists run our country. They all siphon billions from our treasury, writes our laws, and dictates foreign and domestic policy.
- Callousness of the wealthy – abuse of the working class for their own gain
The plan that has been in place since Reaganomics became a buzzword is that Americans are being groomed to be the servile class. Our ability to manufacture goods has been taken away when our factories were sent overseas. We are now left with only service jobs with salaries of less than half what previous generations brought home. Funding for education is being systematically stripped away preventing millions of American’s from attaining their dream of higher education while more jobs are requiring higher education. Only the rich will afford to go to university and therefore only the rich will be employable which keeps the money in the hands of the rich, and the gap between rich and poor expands ever wider.
We need to revolutionize our government. The infection eating away at our country is too great for band-aids. Real reform requires a total overhaul of the political system.
Get Rid of Career Politicians
One of the first things that needs to be done away with is career politicians. We have a perfectly workable framework to guide any new politician on how this nation should be run, and supplanting those politicians who have made a career out of hoarding all the goodies for themselves while hard working tax paying Americans struggle just to make ends meet will free up money to balance the budget and make this nation profitable and independent again.
As a part of this plan salary caps need to be instituted. Everyone entering Congress receives the same pay and benefits and they are directly tied to the health of the economy. If things are going well for the economy then they can get modest annual raises, if not then they do not get a raise. They have to feed their own retirement plans and health care plans just as the tax payers they serve do.
We need to crush the old ‘two party only’ system by ridding ourselves of the ‘electoral map’. This is nothing but a tool that has become masterfully manipulated by incumbents to ensure they stay in power. We need independent voices to be heard in debates and on ballots. This is the only way we are going to get politicians to finally listen to the people.
Where is the planning for our future?
This country is making plenty of money to run it. The problem is the greed of the politicians in charge of it. They give it away to special interest groups instead of following a long term and short term plan designed to benefit the people who supplied that money. And about those long-term and short-term plans, the only plans most of these politicians are interested in is their next election, so they spend their time and our money buying support to keep themselves in office. Our leaders don’t how to budget money, nor do they know how to make any plans for our nation’s future. They are ‘re-active’ instead of ‘pro-active’. And everyone knows that this situation is disastrous for the future. To know this is true you only need to try to name something that has gotten better in this country. Everything has only gotten worse.
The starting salary for members of Congress in Washington is $165,000 per year, four times the national average of $40,000 and more than fifteen times the minimum wage. Do you think anyone bringing home that salary can relate to the sacrifices that tax payers make every day to put three decent meals a day on their families table? Do they live without healthcare? Does their spouse have to take on a second job to make it? Do they worry about losing their pension should they fall ill before they retire?
Members of Congress have their own gymnasium, their own stores, and their own hairdressers. They have “franking” privileges, allowing them to send mail at cheaper rates. After only five years of service – that’s right, five years – they qualify for a full pension. They can supplement their retirement fund by putting an additional five percent of their salaries into a 401(k)-style “Thrift Savings Plan.” And while millions of their fellow Americans go without adequate health coverage, thanks in large part to lawmakers’ kowtowing to the health care industry, Congress members enjoy the highest quality medical care. Plus they bring in their family members to ride the gravy train.
Free For All Spending Is Stifling Us
This free for all spending has to end, the sooner the better. Every time our economy is flush and tax revenue is pouring into the coffers Congress spends like there’s no tomorrow. But when money gets tight, do they cut back on their spending in order to stay within our means? No. They demand more and go into debt so they can continue their spending habits. Today, our national debt is over $10 trillion!
I’m just one guy trying to make some sense of how we got to where we are. I can clearly see that something has to give. This bloated and under-funded system is due to collapse. If we don’t change the way politicians do business in Washington every American will pay dearly from the economic crash that is certain to be far worse than the Great Depression. It’s up to the voters because career politicians are not in any hurry to give up the gilded trough they are currently hooked up to.
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