Washington has a long history as a culture of corruption that reaches back prominently further than post bellum times. The best known example in recent times is probably Jack Abramaoff. If you don’t know about him, look up Jack Abramaoff on Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. If your eyes have been shut to the corruption possible in Washington, read the article for an eye-opener.
If you don’t want to read about it, you can see it at the movies in the film “Casino Jack”. Remember his is just one case exposed. Just how many cases have gone on and are now going on are not known. There’s probably more unknown cases going on. ( In a casual interview on “Sixty Minutes” in November 2011, after Abramoff got out of prison, he said he guessed one hundred might have been capable of being influenced.. But that was just his guess of course ! )
However, the way they got me was how some bought political crooks ( congressional staffers or congresspersons themselves ) would write in a few meaningful changing words or phrases in those long 1000 or so page bills the politicians speak to us in. ( Do you remember that Congresswoman who said that congress would have pass the Thousands of pages long bill to see to see what was really in it.) Good Grief ! I hope this makes clearer for you that some of those passing bills we, the people, now live by haven’t even read them. Do you as a citizen really feel the American people should have to put up with a political system like this? Get serious !
Let us remember the Abramhoff case was a rare lifting of the curtain on what seems to be going on often and secretly in Washington D.C. But don’t get mad at those doing wrong. Just be thankful we have had the curtain lifted briefly.
I don’t intend to argue over the amount of corruption there is in Washington D.C. or the character of the politicians there. No, not all politicians are careless or criminal. But why do we even put up with an elective system that opens decisions to this type of corruption? We could simply have the people at home as individuals do a quick ten second vote on major issues so the nation could know in 24 hours what the voters on major issues.
Why assign the major issues of our future to a government environment where the bills aren’t sometimes even read and the crooked lobbyists line up like fence post’s, vultures waiting for the moral death and collapse of yet another politician?
There is little moral or practical sanity in the present system. This system was necessary once two hundred years ago, but technology has changed that. Some decisions can be made better and more quickly by the people at home than by their electing amoral decision makers to go to a possible culture of corruption where unbalanced and sometimes corrupt decisions seem often made.
What will the politicians of Washington do in response? Oh, they will just pass some more meaningless but looks good on paper reform bills, they already have a ton of them. And what will that mean? It will just mean, as always, there will be different laws and rules for the politicians to work around. They will. Devious politicians and corrupting moneyed lobbyists will soon rise to that challenge. Washington corruption will go marching on ! But the people will note how the politicians are snails who do little.
But I think there will be one difference: now the people are learning and waking up, yes, slowly, but really waking up, thank God, and learning that more power must be taken and shaken from the devious politicians and lobbyists of Washington. More power must and will be given back to the people as democracy originally intended. There is now the means to do it: the people may vote quickly through modern technological communications.
Times are changing ! More direct democracy is coming ! Everywhere the people now may and should vote directly on the big issues through the blessings of modern technology. REDUCE THE POWER OF THE POLITICIANS AND MOVE BIGGER DECISION MAKING TO THE PEOPLE WHO ARE OUTSIDE OF WASHINGTON ! ( If this be treason, let those everywhere, anywhere against more democracy, make the most of it ! )