Lawmakers Usually Get it All Wrong

 

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart

There are no guidelines, no requirements to offer proof of experience or expertise when any individual files for the right to run for the House or Senate. The truth is, the regulations for becoming a Representative or Senator are minimal.

[To serve in the U.S. House of Representatives, you must be 25+, a U.S. citizen for 7+ years, and a resident of your state; for the Senate, you must be 30+, a U.S. citizen for 9+ years, and a resident of your state, with both offices requiring you to be an inhabitant (resident) of the state you represent at the time of election.]

In common language, “nearly anyone can become an American lawmaker.”

Writing, presenting, and passing legislation intended to serve the American people should be just as simple. However, this is far from the truth. History proves that most of America’s elected officials have been incompetent and uninformed.

I am positive that most voters are just as uninformed as the men and women who receive their votes. I am certain that most Americans believe that our 535 legislators actually read every bill requiring a vote on the floor of the Capitol Building. The truth is that all 535 of these men and women have aides who read the bills and submit a synopsis to their bosses.

I have suspicions, based on their own actions and words, that many of our legislators are incapable of reading and comprehending the bills they are intended to read and analyze.

Now, for the important facts.

Attached to nearly every bill submitted for a vote by our legislators has other interests attached. These are always issues which will aid the Representative or Senator in their next reelection attempt in their district or state.

Therefore, a large number of pieces of critical legislation never survive the process because the added provisions are rejected for a multitude of reasons.

This takes me to the many mistakes made by our Founding Fathers between 1787 and 1789. Remember, the United States was a dream and an experiment. Our first leaders were fully aware that what they had accomplished was imperfect. This form of governance had never existed before. The principal idea was a nation controlled by the people: all of the people, regardless of sex, their level of income, their origin of birth, or their religious affiliation. Not every attendee at the Constitutional Convention shared such lofty ambitions.

I believe that their most destructive mistakes were the result of a lack of awareness for the base desires of all mankind: great wealth and power. If they had established term limits for all three branches of our Democratic Republic, we would not have the most corrupt government in the world in the 21^st century. If they had not attempted to appease the leaders of less-populated states, the unconstitutional Electoral College would not exist. The people, not the states would select the man or woman who leads us over the next four years, and every vote would count. There would be no “red” or “blue” states, there would only be the United States.

Here are a couple of examples of how the members of our federal government failed the people.

After the cowardly attacks on 9/11, our government, eager to prove their competence and courage, passed the Patriot Act. This entire law is unconstitutional. It repeals the First, Fourth, Fifth, and 14^th Amendments, voiding the individual human rights contained within those amendments. They also created the Department of Homeland Security, and ICE. Every time our government adds a department, the more likely nothing of value is accomplished. It is nearly impossible to achieve a consensus in Washington about anything. The only importance addressed by our legislators is winning elections. Pandering has replaced an hones exchange of ideas based on facts and reality.

In 2000, the Supreme Court of the United States abused its power by forcing an end to the recount in Florida. The result was the second worst president in American history.

In 2016, our entire government was aware of Vladimir Putin’s intention to secure a victory for Trump. The election was rigged. However, Trump was allowed to become America’s 45^th and worst president. His fascist beliefs began to destroy the very fabric of our nation.

Today, our government continues to allow the Trump administration to violate the Constitution every day. The SCOTUS declared that Trump has total immunity and allowed him to become a dictator. A plutocracy cannot exist for long in a democracy.

The intention of our Founding Fathers was the creation of a government which would serve all of our nation’s people. However, their failures have allowed them to rule over us and ignore the needs and wishes of the majority.

I admit that my confidence in the United States is in decline. Given the level of corruption and incompetence in Washington, and the growing number of American voters who choose ignorance over fact, I’m not sure that the dream or our Founding Fathers is worth saving.

Op-ed by James Turnage

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Source: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/12/16/2358727/-Welcome-to-hell-The-worst-people-you-know-are-getting-married?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=top_news_slot_7&pm_medium=web