The Time is Now for Real Change!

I had originally planned this article to discuss the so called Red Wave everyone is predicting or hoping comes about and how much could be accomplished if it did happen. Don’t get me wrong, I do hope this happens and that something is accomplished. But I got to thinking, what is really going to happen if there is a Red Wave? Will real corruption be prosecuted? Will the corrupt heads of the various snakes be prosecuted and real justice be served? Will the political swamp really get cleaned up? Will politicians all of a sudden start doing “exactly” what We the People request and require?

I do not believe it.

Oh, some laws and regulations maybe fixed, replaced, or removed and maybe one or two low level cronies, scapegoats, might be prosecuted. Things may even start getting better for the American people. But how long before it goes back to exactly the way it is now? My money is on “not very long”.

But the Red Wave and what they need to accomplish is not what I'm writing about.  I'm writing about making our representatives more responsive to our requests and requirements.

I propose that it is that “moment in time” where We the People take back control of our political system and force real change to how politics and politicians operate.

I’m not proposing any change to our form of government. Our current Republic is a great form of government for the United States. It is not the form of government that is the problem, it is the politicians and politics in general that is the problem. This is what we must focus on.

In order to do this, we must force through certain changes to the political process. At every level city, county, state and Federal. It would be a big task, take a lot of effort and real commitment as well as years and years of effort by the "active" majority to make it happen.  However, I believe it needs to happen and the time is now!

Off the top of my head, I do have some suggestions about these changes.

Create or Change State Laws

Too many times we vote in a politician who has vowed to do great things for their constituents and the country only to do nothing or virtually nothing. They end up doing a myriad of other things, including lots of talk, that has nothing to do with representing the "will" of the people.

We need to change state laws or create new state laws that makes it easier and more efficient to remove politicians that are not doing what they said they would do. I know there are recall procedures in place in many states. If so, we need to adjust recall procedures to streamline the process.

Getting rid of a bad politician or a politician that misrepresented themselves and replacing them should be almost, I say almost, as easy as bringing that politician in front of the boss (We the People) and saying “Your Fired”!

Term Limits

It is time for term limits! I have no specific suggestion for the length of the term. There has always been an argument that term limits remove the politicians that know what they’re doing. That may actually be part of the problem. They become too knowledgeable and play the game too well.

Nevertheless, I’m not against reasonable term limits that are long enough to allow the transfer of knowledge to new representatives coming on from old ones leaving. I do not know what that is, 12, 16, 20 years? But I do not believe there is any reason for someone to stay in office for 30, 40 or more years. Here is a list of politicians and their lengths in office.

Members of United States Congress by longevity of service

Too many of our politicians get into office and never leave. Do you ever wonder how a politician’s net worth grows so much on a government salary? I do!

Age Limits

We must approach this with caution but I think it must be looked at. Especially given some of what we are currently seeing almost daily with our politicians.

Some of our older members of congress may not have the physical or mental acuity to perform their duties appropriately. On the other end, some younger members may not have enough life experience to bring real knowledge to congress.

10 Oldest Members of the Current United States Congress

10 Youngest Current U.S. Congressmen in 2022

This may be a slippery slope and does require some in depth analysis and discussion. One argument is that they are supposed to represent We the People so, other than being a good negotiator or orator, their age should not matter.

But maybe it does and, in some cases, it almost certainly does.

Employment Following Office

A member of congress that leaves office must initially go into the private sector or retire completely. They cannot accept any paid position with any lobbying firm or a company with major government contracts for a certain period of time following their time in congress.

Have you ever heard the saying “a padlock only keeps honest people honest”. This is a similar situation. This limits the influence a company or lobbying firm can apply on members of congress.  It keeps the honest politician honest.

Business Transactions, Stock Trades

I personally would want this to be pretty restrictive. No member of congress or that member’s family can conduct any business transaction, including stock trades, that may be influenced by current legislation being discussed and may tentatively be voted on in the next 12 months.

I even thought that members of congress and that member’s family need to put their stocks into managed accounts where they have no say whatsoever in how those funds are managed.

I’m open to discussion on this, I would only hope that it is realistic. Again, do you ever wonder how a politician’s net worth grows so much on a government salary? And again, I do!

Hold Politicians to Higher Standards

This is a tough one or maybe not. We must be able to look up to our politicians. They are our defacto leaders as we have elected them to be just that. So they must hold themselves to a higher standard than the person on the street and we must ensure they do.

Lying, cheating, stealing, adultery, and anything else of a dubious nature must be severely punished up to and including removal from their position and even jail. Obviously the person on the street would go to jail for some of the same offenses as well but what about lying? If a politician is caught in a lie, should they go to jail? Honestly, I would not be against it. I know that is tough, maybe not realistic, but let’s be honest we need to trust our politicians completely. This is not always the case, they even have jokes about it.

“My favorite mythical creature? The honest politician.”

“What's the difference between a politician and a flying pig? The letter F.”

It would be nice to know you can trust your politician completely.

What about influencers, news organizations, social media platforms, actors, and the like? Should they be held to the same standards? Maybe that is a discussion for another day.

In the movie Braveheart, Mel Gibson's William Wallace said to the Scottish Earls:

"There's a difference between us. You think the people of this country exist to provide you with position. I think your position exists to provide those people with freedom."

Something to think about.

Lie Detector Tests for Potential Candidates

Here is a novel idea, lie detector tests for any potential candidate that intends to run for office at any level.  Maybe multiple times before their primary date, before election, and when they go up for reelection.  Here are some potential questions to ask:

1. Have you ever lied to your constituents or the American People?

2. Do you intend to lie to your constituents or the American People?

3. Do you intend to use this office for personal and financial gain or for the betterment of America?

Do you have any possible questions you’d like to ask?

There will be issues that come up with this like how to monitor them so that we can be sure the test is conducted accurately. Lots of things to consider.

I know this might be asking a lot but I do believe that we need to hold our political leaders to a higher standard!

Royal Edicts, oh I mean, Presidential Executive Orders

We are a Republic not a Monarchy.  Since January 20th, President Biden has signed 100 Executive Orders costing the American Tax payer nearly $1.4 Trillion (with a T).  This needs to be stopped.  There needs to be more controls in place for when and what can be in a Presidential Executive Order.  A president shoiuld not be able to just willy nilly force something upon the American people.  This is why we have Branches of Government.

I do not know how this can be handled but there must be something that can be done.

Biden nears 100 executive orders estimated to cost taxpayers almost $1.5 trillion

Finally, I am sure there are more things to discuss, more to work through, and a long, long road ahead to make anything like this happen.  I do believe that this is that Moment In Time that Causes Real Change!  I hope we all look back at this time and remember it is the time the world changed!  For the better of course.

I hope I live to see it.

If you made it this far, thank you for reading the ramblings of an older (I said older, not old) Freedom Loving American!

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This was written by FIBIS, 'not' professional writers or journalists. Our only desire is to make you think. We hope we have succeeded!