If We Do This Won't the Good Ones In Congress Will Be Booted As Well?
The best way to look at the whole election process and the form of government we are supposed to have is with a comment that Jefferson said to someone who was concerned about how to elect only good people to office:
“Speak to me not of good men. Rather let us bind men down with the chains of the Constitution.”
In other words, it’s impossible to ensure that we only elect good men and women. The founding fathers knew this full well so they wrote the Constitution, not to ensure we only elect good people, but to make sure no matter what kind of person is elected, they have very limited power and therefore can do very little harm. If we actually had a fully functional Constitutional Republic that adhered to the guidelines of the Constitution it wouldn’t make any difference who served because their ability to tax and regulate would be severely restricted.
It seems to me we should be much more concerned about the larger picture, about changing the massive imbalance between bad to good. The truth of the matter is this small handful of people we think we need in Congress working for our welfare can't get anything done. So it's really a false perception that we need them. Everything they try to do meets massive opposition so nothing ever actually gets accomplished. We just keep clinging to this tiny handful of decent people as if they are somehow critical and yet we leave them to fend for themselves amongst the wolves, knowing full well they most likely will not have any real success at anything they try to do. Seems pretty cruel if you ask me.
The main problem with worrying about losing a few good ones is that it keeps many people from really embracing the fact that our country is in critical condition. There is more than enough evidence posted on this site to demonstrate that our country is in deep, deep trouble and may not survive if we don't take some decisive action fast. We may not even have the right to vote much longer the way things are going.
Just consider how you would act if you were terminally ill, and the doctor told you that you have to take some extreme treatment in order to stop the disease that ravages your body. Would you be concerned that certain parts of your body that don’t show any signs of disease would be adversely affected? For example, if you had to take some very toxic remedy, and your beautiful hair was going to fall out if you did so, would keeping your beautiful hair be a big concern for you? Worrying about keeping your hair is a bit like worrying about losing a few good people in Congress. You willingly give up your hair for a time because it's a necessary consequence of saving your entire body. Your hair will grow back if your body is saved. Good people that loose their seats, can run for them again and they will stand a much greater chance of having more good ones to work with in Congress when they do.
The stark reality is, perception of who the “good ones” are is purely subjective. I know a person that is an incredible representative, based on everything I value. But I’ve heard many people describe him as a total nut job, insane. I’m sure you know people that feel you’re nuts for supporting the people you do. You may think your representative is stellar, the best of the best. But I guarantee you that there will be plenty of other people that will eagerly disagree with you.
I think the main point is most people don’t really have a clue whether or not their representative is a good one or not. Very few people actually take the time to research it. Most people don't even know the names of their representatives.
