Simple Solution that's Difficult to Implement.

[Mo_Gearhead]

Charley Reese has been a journalist for 49 years, reporting on everything from sports to politics. From 1969-71, he worked as a campaign staffer for gubernatorial, senatorial and congressional races in several states. He was an editor, assistant to the publisher, and columnist for the Orlando Sentinel from 1971 to 2001. He now writes a syndicated column three times a week for King Features.

THE 545 PEOPLE RESPONSIBLE FOR AMERICA'S WOES BY CHARLEY REESE:

Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems 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 - 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.

A CONFIDENCE CONSPIRACY. Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this commoncon regardless of party. What separates a politician from a normal humanbeing is an excessive amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of a SPEAKER, who stood up and criticized G.W. BUSH 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? She is the leader of the majority
party. She and fellow Democrats, not the president, can approve any
budget they want. If the president vetoes it, they can pass it over his
veto.

REPLACE THE SCOUNDRELS 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, from an unfair tax code to defense overruns,
that is not traceable directly to those 545 people. When you fully grasp
the plain truth that 545 people exercise 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
Marines are in IRAQ, it's because they want them in IRAQ.

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
exist 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.

[id10t]

"You have 4 boxes - soap, ballot, jury, and ammo. Use 'em in that order"

[onewhippedpuppy]

Very nice, I concur. The problems we face are not due to the Republicans or Democrats, it's due to the politicians, all of them.

[id10t]

Yup, I think that below city level (read: HOA) and above state house level (read: congress critters, senate, pres, etc) anyone that wants to be in office probably shouldn't be allowed to be in office.