posted March 18, 2014
3- The Political Process
1984 was a sad year for me not because I was starving to survive, but because my favored commercial went off the air courtesy of the Federal Government that said: “The System is the Solution”. At that year, I believe, Ma Bell broke up into Baby Bells.
It has been said “It’s the Economy Stupid” and I like to add “The System is the Solution Stupid”. If we keep the same system and keep doing the same thing but expect different results, a very wise man called it “insanity”. So, if the risks are systemic we need to calibrate, change, alter or improve the system.
I have stated in my previous blog that our Political Process has become unbearably expensive, divisive and at times viscous. I believe we need to change the System under which the Political Process is running by implementing a number of Constitutional Amendments. We need to take the professional politician out of politics. The longer they stay in Federal Government the greater the probability that they will develop an ideological atherosclerosis, thus the intransigence we witness in Washington.
I propose the first Constitutional Amendment: The President should run only for one Term of six years. The Senator should run only for one Term of eight years. The Congressman should run only for two Terms of four years each. We need to get off this process of perpetual campaigning.
The Constitution envisioned a volunteer citizen legislator, not a perpetual politician. It would be nice and beneficial if they found a company in the productive economy and see for themselves how “easy” it is to survive. They will be appalled by the number of silly rules and regulations they helped impose on the productive economy while they were in office. George McGovern wanted to found a motel and was appalled by the bureaucratic nightmare he had to go through. We need to semi-privatize the Government and shrink it down to five Departments. Most of us think the Government is getting too big, but I have not heard so far anyone to offer a specific plan as to how to do it. Well America you don’t have to wait any longer.
The five Departments in order of importance: Treasury, Defense, Justice, Interior and State.
Part of the problem we are facing is that politicians legislate too much and bureaucrats run the country. Bureaucrats think they are God’s gift, they think they know best, and they are telling the productive economy “do it our way or else”. In some respects, they force the productive economy to run inefficiently.
Constitutional Amendment number two: We need to criminalize, forbid, outlaw and designate with capital letters as a NO-NO political contributions of any amount, at any time, by anyone. Political contributions warp and distort the fabric of efficiency and fairness. We need to take the big money out of politics. I know many people will disagree. To have a seat at the table, to be heard, to have access to the decision makers it is your inalienable right America, you shouldn’t have to buy it. The Supreme Court made a terrible mistake for allowing big money to flow, to flood the political process. Big money hijacks the democratic political process, it fans the flames of negativity, division and the urge to win at all costs. Politicians tend to do the bidding of big money interests. In a democracy we witness the “tyranny” of the majority and majority can be expressed in votes, decibels and big money. Big money trump decibels, and decibels often trump votes. We need to reverse this trend where votes ring supreme.
The above reflects only half of the story. Political contributions take money out of the productive economy and that is the real damage political contributions make. I will expand on that when I’ll get to the economy. Also encourages the political process to run inefficiently because, politicians use our money to fund their legitimate projects, use our money to fund their pork barrel projects, and use our money to get elected so, where is the incentive to be efficient? Money that are not yours are going to be inefficiently used, thus the need to semi-privatize the Federal Government.
Don’t despair America, you have been blessed with unbelievable brain power, immense resources and a “can do attitude” by far second to none. How can we put all these blessings to work for us? I have an idea that I will share with you on my next blog.
I wish everyone a hopeful day,
Paul P. Rachmanides