Posted by
The Fowler Report on Thursday, May 29, 2008 8:28:05 PM
What ever happened to our representative democracy? Do you feel represented? I certainly don’t. I, like many other conservatives with whom I interact, feel like my representatives pandered to me and mine just sufficiently enough to get elected and sent on their merry way to Washington D.C. where they promptly checked their shared values – and in many cases their common sense - at the door.
Perhaps I’ve grown cynical, but I only hear any concern for constituents’ views when an elected official is defending his or her use of earmarks. Do they even care what we, the constituents, want? No. The truth of the matter is that they do not represent us or our values. Rather they begin the endless re-election campaign as soon as they gain office at the expense of the tax-paying public who sent them to D.C. to begin with.
What is the solution? How can we fix the broken system? Simply put, we must have term limits. While it seems unlikely that the House or Senate will ever see great value in voting themselves out of the gigs they hold, we, as a collective whole, still do have a voice - albeit a stifled, fading voice.
We must issue a call for one hundred percent turnover in Washington D.C.! A new generation of true representatives who would rise up and contract with conservative Americans to go to Washington on our behalf could win back the hearts of a disheartened electorate! Part of that contract must be a concerted effort towards term limits. Perhaps, with a defined window of time during which they could seek the will of their constituents and fight on their behalf, they could remain focused on the true work at hand rather than their own political ambitions. Congress should not be a lifetime appointment! Firmly ensconced institutions on the hill cannot be effective representatives of the people who elected them. By virtue of the fact that they are in Washington D.C., they lose touch with their electorate. They maintain offices in their home districts and they welcome the input of the voters, but if they hear, they certainly do not listen.
Have you ever called your congressman or senator? If so, have you spoken with him or her? I dare say that precious few of you have. Rather, you talk with a pleasant enough voice that promises to pass on your concerns but informs you that “the Senator is not available by phone.” Are you kidding me? I pay the taxes that pay your way but you can’t take the time to talk to me on the phone? I understand the impracticality of a these folks spending their days with their ears to a telephone, but I want to be heard. I want more than a form letter in response to my e-mail and letters. I want representation!