This is one of those messages that get sent around online because they are so on-the-money.
The article is by Charlie Reese.
Charlie Reese is a former columnist of the Orlando Sentinel Newspaper. He has been a journalist for 49 years. He is retiring and this is HIS LAST COLUMN. Here’s what he had to say:
“Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them.
“Have you ever wondered, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, WHY do we have deficits?
“Have you ever wondered, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, WHY do 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 equates to 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? John Boehner. He is the leader of the majority party. He 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 Army & Marines are in Iraq and Afghanistan it’s because they want them in Iraq and Afghanistan …
“If they do not receive social security but are on an elite retirement plan not available to the people, it’s because they want it that way.
“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!”
Al @ Components 0f Success
Well, you are absolutely right, but you are lucky in the US, you have only 545; they are about 1500 in France if I recall well. THe Big rip-off.
The only problem are coming from governments and their so-called democracy that is not.
In Andorra, all the people of the government are business owners. They know what they talk about when they talk about economy.
Do you think I will commission my business to one of these politicians: I am not fool. it will collapse in a week, they do not know anything about economy and how to make money without stealing it legally from the people (taxes).
I beat they could not expand normaly a peanut business in the street.
These people sure should be removed straight away from any governement and replace by successful business owners only.
A country is a big business in charge of its citizens like is a business owner in charge of his employees except that the business owner knows what he does and does not steal legally money from the people is in charge of.
ok fine vote all 545 of them out . who can we trust to be voted in . there is no one out there that won’t fall into the rut once they get voted in .
I agree that there is a deeper handling needed. Charlie’s opinion is a deeper look than a lot give to the situation, so we now have to solve that next step. I personally don’t believe that all men are irresponsible. We just have to insist on accountability and realize the power we as the voters have and use it correctly.
The 545 individuals in power where placed there by money. Without money, current “American” democracy can not be achieved therefore replacing these 545 can only be replaced with 545 individuals who act and view things similarly to the original 545. American democracy needs to be changed from its bare roots and power much be given back to the people.