It's Time For A Political Reboot

O

h I am sooooo very sick of politics. So, this installment of Reboot America themed articles ( the first is here) will talk about the character of the people we elect. It is time, past time, to demand that our elected leaders be men and women of character. It is time to differentiate Statesmen from mere politicians. This will be a long read. So, gather your beverages, take a deep breath, and read on please.

In the sixties, I was a kid and we all wanted to be one of three things. We wanted to be President, an Astronaut, or a Marine. I got the best of the three deals. Today, I know kids who still idolize Astronauts and people in all kinds of uniform. I don’t know a kid that wants to be President. That’s pretty sad. I can’t prove it, but I think the stench of political corruption has finally permeated down to the point that even grade schoolers know that “politician” isn’t a word that inspires images of trust and selfless service.

The first thing I would propose is a Constitutional Amendment that mandates integrity and honorable character be demanded of our federally elected officials. I don’t mean something vague like “High Crimes and Misdemeanors” either. I mean an amendment along the lines of “Any elected Member of the United States Government, or Member of an Appointed Federal Judiciary suspected of violations of the current code of ethical conduct will be removed of his or her official duties during the duration of an investigation of said allegation. If said allegation is substantiated, the member shall be removed from office and where applicable referred to appropriate judicial proceedings for prosecution.”

The next thing we must lobby for is the complete revision of the rules used in each house of Congress to define and investigate ethics complaints. Like the Constitution itself, if you get to make the rules, you should at least try to live by them. Currently, the process of identification and investigation takes entirely too long. The Office of Congressional Ethics, for the 2nd Qtr of 2012, conducted 32 preliminary reviews. Of those 32, 10 were sent on to the actual House Ethics Committee for further review. The OCE was a great idea by Pelosi in order to drain the swamp as it were. But it is a ‘civilian’ committee with nothing more than the authority to tell the HEC that they should or should not pursue an investigation. So, what happened to those ten cases sent from OCE to HEC?

The House Ethics Committee has swallowed them up. There is no easy to find information of what or who the allegations pertained to or progress of investigations. The best I could easily find were three press releases on the HEC website. I read one of them and noted that Rep Waters was personally cleared of violating house rules. One of her employees was issued a “Letter of Reproof”. More on that later.

Finally, even in cases of egregious misconduct, House Members are rarely hit with more than a “Sanction”. For all it’s ominous sounds, a sanction is nothing more than a public slap on the wrist. From there it is up to the Justice Department to determine if they wish to pursue a criminal action.

For brevities sake I omitted the Senate. I strongly feel that we need an amendment to remove the self-policing action of either house, the judiciary, or the executive branch. The process needs to be brutally swift, decisive, and draconian on those who violate the peoples special trust and confidence.

Remember Rep. Waters employee who received a “letter of reproof”? I’d say that the wrong person was punished. I’d say that as a Leader, Rep Waters is responsible for everything done or not done in her name. I’d say that her employee is accountable to her, and to the law when required, but that she and she alone should bear the official blame.

To be a Leader, one must strive to be unique in that matters of character do not surface. Each of the uniformed services clearly sets a standard for every leader from the most junior (Corporals, Petty Officers) to the most senior (Generals, Admirals). Amazingly the standard is the same. If we can expect such a high level of performance from our 19 year old Corporals, we damn sure should expect it from our elected officials. Leadership Traits for Congress as well as Leadership Principles for Congress explores the military leadership standard and how it can translate to better elected leaders. I submit that if we are people of integrity we will want to hold our elected leaders as close to these standards as humanly possible regardless of party affiliation. I actually dare you to read the two articles, then do a mental matchup and see how your current Presidential favorite stacks up. If he or she doesn’t measure up; do you have the moral courage to not vote for him or her? Remember, voting in the lesser of two evils is still supporting evil.

The final part of this reboot involves the President of the United States personally. He or She really isn’t the long term leader of the nation. That is Congress. He or She cannot really influence the law. That is the Judiciary. But, He or She has their finger on the button. The POTUS is the person who determines when, where, and how your friends and neighbors die all over the globe. The POTUS determines when, where, and how our enemies and the noncombatants they hide behind die all over the globe. The POTUS has the power to unconditionally pardon mass murderers if he so chooses. Someone with that much immediate power must be held to an even higher standard than those under his command.

I propose another Constitutional Amendment. This time it is for a vote of no confidence and removal from office to be initiated by the States themselves. I envision any state drafting a letter of no-confidence. Then the letter is sent to all the other state legislatures via the senior of the two Senators. Why? Because per the Constitution, the Senate is the voice of the States as opposed to the people.

Once this letter is received, each state legislature and Governor will debate it and either approve, ignore, or reject it. If a supermajority of States approve the letter of no confidence then it is delivered to the Congress stating that the President has been declared unfit for continued service. At that point the Amendment would grant the House of Representatives the option of drafting Articles of Impeachment. If the House declined or ignored the States declaration (silence equaling contempt or consent), then the States themselves would convene its’ own version of the Senate court to try the President with the ultimate penalty being removal from office. It would require a three-fourths majority to convict. And, as in the case of impeachment trials now, would not be subject to judicial review.

There’s a point to the alternate impeachment amendment, or simply revising the relevant parts of Article I, II, and III. It’s purpose would be to ensure that a partisan Congress could not ignore egregious violations from the executive by virtue of numbers in office and political party affiliation.

I would leave you with one last thought. It is often said we get the government we deserve. It is said that the government is a reflection of the people and the times. If this is true; what does it say about us?

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Technorati Tags: character ethics integrity politics
 

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WikiLeaks Is An Enemy Combatant

WikiLeaks has done it again. This time Wikileaks posted classified diplomatic cables. I'd say that this is obviously another front in the war on terror. WikiLeaks should be reclassified as an enemy combatant and the NSA needs to do a full on assault on them wherever they are.

First it was Iraq and Afghanistan operational information. A terrorist now has all the information needed to set up a "court" and behead a captured American Soldier live on the web.

Write your Congressional Representative and urge them to classify WikiLeaks as an enemy combatant or terrorist organization.

FTFGIMAD Technorati Tags: wikileaks

Beware of Labels

One of the resources I post discussion on is Whitehouse2. I do it mainly because arguments don't normally degenerate into tirades of "you liberal pig" or "you conservative swine". One of the posters over there is Recluse. He or She is bright and can carry on a discussion by actually making his points as well as his point of view.

WH2 is based on the premise of Priorities for the nation. Each "thread" is written in a manner that makes it an action item. The members support it or oppose it. They post talking points, documents, statistics, and discussions. It is linked to HelloCongress.org. By entering your zip code information you are linked to the pages of your federally elected officials. That means that Senator Umptyfratz of the great state of confusion can go to his page on HC and see which WH2 members are actually his constituents in the real world and what thier priorities for the nation are.

Anyway, Recluse posted "Thank a Liberal" as a document under the priority Restore, Uphold, and Defend the Constitution.

It falls in line with other famous posts on the net such as "thank a
soldier, thank a teacher, thank a dog-catcher. It is designed to make
you think. And it succeeds in several areas. For me, it makes me think
about how politics is consumed with labels. You are pigeon holed and
stereotyped and may God in his heaven pity you if you don't follow the
party line.

Joe’s bacon is safe to eat because some girly-man liberal fought for laws to regulate the meat packing industry

If you have not died in a heat wave, drought, hurricane, flood, wildfire, or other climate change disaster, and like the idea of your children and grandchildren not living in desert wastelands, thank a liberal.

Personally, I choose the label of Realist. I have plenty of opinion and philosophical differences with our system, but I consciously try to add a reality check to keep me honest. I don't see most of those improvements or changes in Recluses' post as what we label "liberal" in nature. In my opinion they more accurately fit the definition of the word "Radical". And, like most causes there is a time that the cause is fixed and needs to be honorably retired.

Some of the referenced programs in the post include Unions, the Rural Electrification Administration, and the FDA to name three. Do you notice that each has either outlived their useful lifespan or has morphed into a huge lumbering bureaucracy? I don't have a problem with progress. I like indoor plumbing and light switches. What I don't like is non-productive government agencies that suck our tax dollars into a black hole that Captain Kirk couldn't escape from. I'm also not too thrilled with organizations that would force a worker into their ranks, and force him to pay into their campaign coffers whether he supports their causes or not.

Right now the cause of the day is Health Care Reform. Eventually I hope that no one actually writes "If you enjoy waiting in line twelve months for an ultrasound..." or "If you enjoyed being told that you are too old for a lifesaving drug....." and they end it with "Thank a Liberal".

Here's the reality check. Beware of labels unless you apply them to yourself. Any label another puts on you is designed to force you into their mold. Thanks for reading.

FTFGIMAD

If We Can Put A Man On The Moon

Forty Years ago today man walked on the moon. All over the nation people are celebrating that achievement. I'm not. Instead I am mad as hell. Click the read more link to learn why.

If I've heard it once I have heard it a million times, "We can put a man on the moon... but we can't (insert gripe here)". For me, that gripe just about sums it up. I grew up on playgrounds where we were astronauts. No one doubted that by 2000 we'd have cities in space and a base on the moon.

In the world of tomorrow power was cheap and beamed from satellites. Everyone understood basic science. Air cars (remember the Jetsons?) were the norm and vacations to the moon were routine. Instead we are in yet another energy hostage situation and our kids are not exactly breaking records in the math and science literacy category.

Who's to blame for this mess? Folks it's a 50/50 deal. The .gov gets half the blame for not pursuing a government/industrial partnership which could have lowered the infrastructure costs enough to allow private enterprise into the picture without taxpayer subsidies. By now, such a system would have paid for itself and free enterprise use of space would be a given. We shouldn't be mining coal. We should have the united mine workers gutting the asteroid belt.

The other half of the anger goes to you, me, and our parents for not pushing space flight and exploration to the point that the .gov had to listen. If Congress really wanted a balanced budget, we'd have one. If Congress really wanted to get the big government out of the space business in favor of private enterprise, we would have. Instead Uncle Sugar has a lock and NASA has no budget to speak of.

So yeah, instead of celebrating the achievement I am pissed off that we in fact didn't take it any further.

States Rights Revisited

There is a growing movement afoot called the Patrick Henry Caucus. If you read my blog with any kind of regularity then you know I advocate a smaller fed and a more independent state. And, within my state of Texas I like our state government and it's general relationship with the local government. Nothings perfect, but it is a dang sight better than the Fed/State relationship.

A group of State Legislators appeared on Mike Church's talk radio show and advocated getting together and creating "Tenth Amendment Resolutions". One of his guests, a Dr. Kevin Gutzman, author of Who Killed the Constitution? suggested that ten or fifteen states band together and simultaneously introduce legislation to say "We are not taking any Federal funding related to the No Child Left Behind law."

I like the idea. But something was nagging at me. So, I double checked my own trusty Constitution. Look at Art I, Sec 10. I think that Dr. Gutzmans' idea would be invalidated by the courts. Check it out and tell me what you think.

Section 10 - Powers prohibited of States

No State shall enter into any Treaty, Alliance, or Confederation; grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal; coin Money; emit Bills of Credit; make any Thing but gold and silver Coin a Tender in Payment of Debts; pass any Bill of Attainder, ex post facto Law, or Law impairing the Obligation of Contracts, or grant any Title of Nobility.

No State shall, without the Consent of the Congress, lay any Imposts or Duties on Imports or Exports, except what may be absolutely necessary for executing it's inspection Laws: and the net Produce of all Duties and Imposts, laid by any State on Imports or Exports, shall be for the Use of the Treasury of the United States; and all such Laws shall be subject to the Revision and Controul of the Congress.

No State shall, without the Consent of Congress, lay any duty of Tonnage, keep Troops, or Ships of War in time of Peace, enter into any Agreement or Compact with another State, or with a foreign Power, or engage in War, unless actually invaded, or in such imminent Danger as will not admit of delay.

The part I am concerned with is the "No State shall, without the Consent of Congress,...enter into any Agreement or Compact with another State".

I'm a literal minded guy. So I read that exactly as written. No one can tell me that it is to be interpreted to apply to military actions either since the "lay any duty..." is in there. But since I am not (don't tell my wife) perfect all opinions would be welcomed.

Tuesday's Spy Report

Today's free time is limited so I have three things to ask and share. Comments are always welcomed since you just can't tell if anyone is reading this stuff. Here goes.

Thing One: Why aren't the constituents of Madame Speaker calling for her head on a platter? Or if not her head, her resignation? I don't get it. There is no way for citizens to recall a Member of the House of Representatives. And, if you think she will be impeached for lying, then you are not a Practicing Realist. What I don't get is why her district at least isn't up in arms. I guess being a sheep is better than being a sheep dog. One thing we need in this country are more statesmen and less politicians. Which leads to thing two...

Thing Two: Sent to me via email by Secret Agent Jimmy the Greek (not his real name of course) knowing full well that the internet is covered in monitors and Big Gubmint Stoolies. But, you can't keep a good citizen down. JTG risked life and broadband to help remind us all of how things ought to and can be. The Patrick Henry Caucus.

Thing Three: My good friend Jimmy Margarita of Buffetville noted in an email sent under the guise of a mild mannered message that our new AG still doesn't get it. The part of the quote is "shall not be infringed". Excerpted from the highly classified email:

This takes literally 2 clicks to complete. Please vote on this gun issue question with USA Today. It will only take a few seconds of your time. Then pass the link on to all the pro gun folks you know. Hopefully these results will be published later this month.. This upcoming year will become critical for gun owners with the Supreme Court accepting the District of Columbia case against the right for individuals to bear arms.

First - vote on this one. Second - send it to other folks and ask them to VOTE! - then we will see if the results get published. Vote in the USA Today poll - click on the link below. The Question is: Does the Second Amendment give individuals the right to bear arms ?

Http://www.usatoday.com/news/quickquestion/2007/November/popup5895.htm

In all seriousness, both of the emails were real and the senders names remain private property, theirs. But, if we are not vigilant, private property and privacy may well go the way of small gubmint and fiscally sane policy. Shortly thereafter we may also lose out on the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Specter and UAW Coming Out of the Closet

It's Official Folks. The right honorable Senator Arlen Specter has stopped wearing a disguise and gone public with his secret. He's a democrat. And, of course, it's been all over the news stations today.

So, freakin what? He was a democrat once before and switched to being a republican. The reality is that Specter switched sides because he was going to lose in the R-Primary in PA. As a (D-PA) he will likely win reelection for the sixth time. Any other platitudes are simply noise designed to distract you from the central theme in personal politics today. SEMPER ME.

Realists the world over know that the politicians single soul consuming mission is to get re-elected. Realists understand that timing is everything. It doesn't matter what party is in power we will always get the government we deserve even when it obviously isn't the one we need.

At least now, with the magical 60 votes within spastic clutching reach, there is no way the guys with (R - ??) can be blamed. The Republican party blew it, got spanked, and today was properly neutered.

RIP

And in other news today in spite of being overshadowed by the Specter saga...... The Fed now owns or will own 50% of General Motors. And..... as an added bonus the UAW gets 38% of GM and 55% of Chrysler.

Does anyone remember when Bill Gates was the bad guy because he was able to run Microsoft in an efficient and profitable manner?

Anyone?

Anyone?

Technorati Tags: UAW, GM, Chrysler, Treasury

More Catching Up

   I am optimistic. Things will get better even if it is a slow road instead of a direct route. Now that the election is in the bag I am going to advocate for the basics again just to keep my Senators/Representative honest.

•    No bailout
  
•    Restructure the Regulatory System to be incentive driven. If we are going to regulate and throw money at things then we might as well make it graduated and pay the folks who get into compliance the quickest. The CAFE standards right now are unworkable from what I have read. Instead let's say to them.... The first company to show us a 40 mpg average SUV that is affordable to the average buyer gets a billion dollar bonus.
  
•    Enact the fairtax. It is past time to blow up the outhouse and put indoor plumbing in place.
  
•    Enact the Enumerated Powers Act. If you are going to stretch the Constitution, then at least put it into words in the front end of the law.
  
•    Either enact a balanced budget amendment or a line item veto for the President.

Since windmills are all the rage, I will play the part of Don Quixote.

Conundrums?

A few questions that are bouncing about in my overactive brain housing group. Maybe y'all can help me out. IF nothing else it'll make for an interesting day of cogitation. Please click the link just below to read on...

On the 16th of May...

SAN FRANCISCO -- -- The California Supreme Court struck down the state's ban on same-sex marriage Thursday in a broadly worded decision that would invalidate virtually any law that discriminates on the basis of sexual orientation.

The 4-3 ruling declared that the state Constitution protects a fundamental "right to marry" that extends equally to same-sex couples. It tossed a highly emotional issue into the election year while opening the way for tens of thousands of gay people to wed in California, starting as early as mid-June. -- Source

And with that the nation began to debate the issue again. And so, the conundrum for this issue is: If, as the California Supreme court asserts, Gay Marriage is a fundamental right: How can Polygamy be any different? After all both states of marriage are addressed in the same portion of the Constitution.