North Florida Writer
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Life Around Us
  • Contact
  • MY BOOK PAGE

What's Missing From Congress?  Accountability

1/14/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
When our Founding Fathers established our Democratic Republic, they designed a fascinating system of interacting components designed to keep any one body from turning itself into a dictatorial entity.  But to do so, it was incumbent on all of the different groups, be it the President, the bicameral legislature and the judiciary to first have a basic respect for our form of government.  And as servants in place to operate that very government, they were expected to be held accountable to the laws of the land as established under the Constitution for what they do, the very something that is so missing in government today. After all, the President, the Congress and the Judiciary all have taken an oath to follow that document yet most don't seem to think it's very important anymore.

Sadly today the constitutional process has been weakened by an overzealous and ideological President who has decided to take the law into his own hands and go it alone whenever he desires.  And while the Congress in both houses, the Senate and the House of Representatives, bemoan and wail about his actions, they at the same time choose to support what he is doing by their cowardice and unwillingness to take strong action.  In no such area is it seen more clearly than the Federal Budget.

How about this?  Change the way Congress is paid to a base salary plus commission.  That's right, give them a small stipend and then make the remainder of their pay a commission for accomplishing what they say the will do.  And nothing would be more important to jump start the program than a balanced budget.  While a balanced budget amendment would be nice, let's face it, Congress is just as bad as the President for tripping around the edges of what they are committed by the Constitution to do.  But if their money was tied to it, voila, they'd jump to it so fast it would make your head swim.  All it would require is a set of firm goals for the budget for the next session, goals which the voters played a part in developing through input, as a basis for what the leadership put into the budget which would be required to be balanced (i.e., it could not exceed tax revenue).

The rules could be quite easy.  Give them two years to get to a balanced budget in place and then force them to have an annual budget prepared and in place no later than the last day of the prior fiscal year for the year ahead.  Now I know this would be difficult, but that's what we send them to Washington to do: solve difficult problems.  And if they accomplished it using zero based not baseline budgeting they would be worthy of a nice commission.  We would just have to hold them to it year after year.  Gee whiz, it would be worth giving them a nice raise if they could do it.

And, of course, as time went on other ambitious projects could be added to the list and this would insure that Congress was working for what they should do not what they wanted to do.  I'll bet many wouldn't want to spend their career in Washington under such a concept which would have the advantage of bringing in fresh new blood with new ideas regularly.

Think about the problem we have today. The nation is over eighteen trillion dollars in debt and has unfunded liabilities of somewhere in the neighborhood of one hundred twenty trillion dollars.   Instead of grappling with this Congress just talks and talks, goes on junket after junket and works ever shorter workweeks.  Madness is alive and well in Washington, D.C.

Look, folks, I get it that my idea is nothing more than a pipe dream, maybe its even a little bit of satire and that since Congress determines its own pay and perks it will never happen.  But something has got to give soon in the United States of America because the printing presses are about ready to run out of ink.  Somehow, someway we Americans have to put on the heat to make sure that the problems of America are dealt with, not kicked down the road year after year by a Congress that is afraid of a President who has no experience for the job he holds.  Right now the only thing they are good at is naming post offices and other federal buildings for themselves.

I'm sure some of you have your own good ideas.  Put them on paper for what is today's dream can become tomorrow's reality but only if we have the ability to come up with new ideas for old problems.  In any event, it will make you think about the reality that we face today and it's one that must be faced sooner rather than later.

Have a great day, keep dreaming of what can be and God bless you and America.  Let's keep this conversation alive and growing.


0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    ABOUT ME

    Hi, I'm James, a writer who studies nature,  animals and all things created by God. I also write from time to time about what I think God expects of us.  I would love to hear your thoughts on these subjects. I hope you enjoy my comments.

    Archive

    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012

    Picture

    Categories

    All
    America
    American Sports
    Animals
    Armed Forces Day
    Conservatism
    Doctorpatient0717615167
    Elections-2016
    Florida
    Florida-politics
    Freedom
    Freedom-of-speech
    Geese
    God
    Gods Glory0546cd6883
    Health Care
    Honor
    Integrity
    Jesus Christ
    Koch-brothers
    Leisure-time
    Love
    Military
    Nature
    Primaries
    Proverbs
    Safety
    Savior
    The Future
    Top-political-donors-list
    Tyrannical-government

    RSS Feed

Thanks for contacting northfloridawriter.com.
Photos used under Creative Commons from Arian Zwegers, trvlto, thomas pix, taberandrew, Justin A. Wilcox, Glyn Lowe Photoworks, ckay, phalinn, curtis palmer, bnpositive, oddsock, HooLengSiong, jespahjoy, illustir, ljlphotography, Out at Bob's, The Labour Party, ljlphotography, Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com, eli.pousson, JasonParis, Fibonacci Blue, wht_wolf9653, bsabarnowl, ` TheDreamSky, Ken_Hoffman, dsearls, NCinDC, James Byrum, DonkeyHotey, Waiting For The Word, cliff1066™, possan, dpape, David Holt London, akeg, Waiting For The Word, Glyn Lowe Photoworks, MilitaryHealth, yukali, infomatique, goforchris, cliff1066™, Wootang01, dctim1, Donald Lee Pardue, LizMarie_AK, campdarby, CedarBendDrive, bill85704, faeparsons, TMAB2003, cliff1066™, Rennett Stowe, KOMUnews, cliff1066™, chris.huggins, USDAgov, mat_walker, gruntzooki, DonkeyHotey, ljlphotography, Elvert Barnes, Paulsasleepwalker, facebook.com/snapshotsofthepast, foto3116, Miller_Center, digitonin, BostonCatholic, Watt_Dabney, jepoirrier, EpicFireworks, derekskey, cletch, DonkeyHotey, KOMUnews, DonkeyHotey, ravensong75, Alan Cleaver, Francisco Diez, hermmermferm, cod_gabriel, Marxchivist, Fibonacci Blue, dbgg1979, “Caveman Chuck” Coker, David Barrie, rjs1322, Just Another Wretch, Keith Laverack, Waiting For The Word, whoohoo120, AFS-USA Intercultural Programs, Brett Jordan, yisris, Michael Hodge, Waiting For The Word, MilitaryHealth, doceggman, AlmazUK, taberandrew, cliff1066™, krossbow, shinya, The Jewish Agency for Israel, kudumomo, “Caveman Chuck” Coker, cliff1066™, johntrainor, emilio labrador, cliff1066™, EraPhernalia Vintage . . . (playin' hook-y ;o), **emmar**, Mrs. Gemstone, Andrea Westmoreland, Jeff Kern, Waiting For The Word, Abdulsalam Haykal, Donald Lee Pardue, roberthuffstutter, Dougtone, b1mbo, DonkeyHotey, paularps, kaatjevervoort, Simon Davison, BONGURI, Marion Doss, ex_magician, Bergfels, Brett Jordan, Tim Evanson, Art4TheGlryOfGod, Jeff Kubina, sskennel, DonkeyHotey, VirtKitty, Rodrigo_Soldon, resistealeau, MilitaryHealth, edalisse, Mervi Eskelinen aka tasselflower, Kaz Andrew, nitram242, Andrew Aliferis, uitdragerij, Paul J Everett, Joe Shlabotnik, Jeffrey, Harry Thomas Photography, Tim Evanson, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Northeast Region, Ron Cogswell, Nationalmuseet, escapedtowisconsin, Michael Cory, DonkeyHotey, timsamoff, mrbillt6, bnilsen, themonnie, dichohecho, Waiting For The Word, technochick, cliff1066™, RTD Photography, Randy Wick, Enokson, Rising Damp, DonkeyHotey, Waiting For The Word, SteveNakatani, Fovea Centralis, Dru Bloomfield - At Home in Scottsdale, lisaclarke, Mulad, Roswell_UMC, Bengt Nyman, U.S. Embassy New Delhi, FreedomHouse2, SuperFantastic, Rory Finneren, Alaskan Dude, Larry1732, Mr. T in DC, ikewinski, Ivy Dawned, RLHyde, Waiting For The Word, heartajack, dyogi, dailymatador, David Paul Ohmer, Pleuntje, Leonard Bentley, midwestnerd, Donald Lee Pardue, DonkeyHotey, Oli-Oviyan, PatrikWalde, flamesworddragon, The U.S. Army, Zach Heller Photography, DonkeyHotey, EvinDC, Marine Corps Archives & Special Collections, Ronnie Macdonald, Gerry Dincher, The U.S. Army, Jeff Belmonte, DonkeyHotey, Texas Military Forces, jim.greenhill, Ben Sutherland, the Original Jeff Martin, Loz Flowers, CBP Photography, spbpda, OCVA, Hot Rod Homepage, brianholsclaw, dozodomo, quinn.anya, KOMUnews, wtstoffs, Leo Newball, Jr., lilli2de, dmott9, Justin A. Wilcox, sören2013, boboroshi, newagecrap, CoreBurn, simminch, ninahale, EvinDC, Mister Awesome, HeyRocker, beggs, Donald Lee Pardue