“Ninety percent of the politicians give the other ten percent a bad name.” Henry Kissenger
Unfortunately, the founding fathers set up the country to be run by politicians. Elected representatives presented the best of the bad choices offered by history. Unlike royalty, the public would be able to replace politicians when they overstepped their role. This system has kept our country going for over two hundred years despite the concerns of Benjamin Franklin.
Now that government is failing all around us. Ordinary citizens and voters seem to be getting the short end of the stick in terms of the services that we expect the government to be providing in exchange for our taxes. Here in California, we hear that the City of Oakland, never known for it’s safe streets is reducing the police force because it can’t afford to pay the retirement commitments to officers. The legislature in Sacramento can’t balance a budget but can ban plastic bags and aluminum baseball bats. Is that what we told them to do? Our national politicians are no better, spending money we don’t have to grow government, paralyze private industry and abandon national security issues like controlling the border.
How did we get in such a mess? Whatever makes us reelect politicians who blatantly refuse to do what we pay them to do? Why are we so trusting? And so forgiving?
I think the simple answer is that when it comes to politics we are all fools. We will buy into any story that a politician is willing to spin. And when we don’t know, we are willing to assume that the incumbent deserves to stay. That was my excuse and I am learning that it is a piss poor electron strategy because it is based upon assumptions that give the incumbent advantages without requiring him to earn them. Most of the time I don’t have a clue what my representatives have been up to in Sacramento or Washington. They don’t tell me and I don’t ask. Come election day, I assume that they have been behaving themselves and give them a thumbs up. Look what that kind of thinking has produced – total dysfunction.
I’m not giving anyone the benefit of the doubt any more. If I don’t absolutely know that politician has done something good during their term, then they don’t get my vote. If everybody would take that position, I think we would have a whole new class of accountable politicians. How do you know what they have done? Not my problem. If I don’t know what they have done, they don’t get my vote. Instead of candidates trying to convince me whey they should replace the incumbent, the burden is on the incumbent to prove that they should stay. Voting made easy. Vote the incumbent out!
