Checks and Balances

The election cycle has not helped the American consumer. It rarely does. We jump behind a candidate thinking that things will be better with their promises of change. We are almost always disappointed. Although their promises are often based in the hopes and desires of their targeted constituencies, when they hit the political realities of Washington, those promises usually die. They crumble within the halls of Congress and join the cumulative dust of the thousands of preceding good ideas that met the withering fire of big money and big power.

The checks and balances of our system of government are wonderful. The Executive is checked by the Legislative which is checked by the Judicial. The Democrats are checked by the Republicans. The American public is check-mated by the powerful elite that hold the reins of government. It is all done at our expense. It is done on the backs of the hard-working people of this country.

Sometimes we become disillusioned by the sense of powerlessness that has gripped us. The sense that it doesn't matter what we do, we are at the mercy of Washington. It doesn't matter who we vote into office, they all fall to the corruption of power and the influence of the lobbyists. It is a sense that once we send them to Washington, they forget that they are there to represent our interests, they instead develop the attitude that they know what is best for us and we are too ignorant of the "real" picture to have properly informed opinions.

There are a few good men and women in Washington. They rarely rise to the highest positions of power because they don't "play by the rules." We don't hear much about them for that very reason. After a couple of terms they usually resign out of frustration or they begin to compromise in order to get things done. The first few times they compromise it is likely with the thought that they are achieving a higher good by caving on something minor. The trouble is that compromise leads to compromise leads to compromise. Eventually they succumb to the "ways" of the halls of power.

Generally the people talk of "throwing the bums out" because they see results of measures which pass being detrimental to themselves or antithetical to their personal beliefs. Such talk usually refers to "the other guy's" representative. Not their own. We tend to stick with the known. We tend to vote for the incumbent. But we remain frustrated because "our agenda" never seems to happen. Maybe that's why polls indicate the approval rating of Congress, the President and all of Washington to be so dismally low.

Along comes a candidate of change. He must be good because we see that the way things are going is not what we desire. Surely if he can accomplish changes it will be better than what we have. He is articulate, young and attractive. He represents the melting pot of open opportunity that is the best of America. He claims to represent the down-trodden, the common, the average person. He has little of the "taint" of the Washington establishment. He reminds us of another candidate that took the stage many years ago. He represents a shining light on the hill to many who have felt powerless. They rally about him and worship at his feet.

What does he really believe? What will be the effects of his social and economic agenda? Are the really hard questions being asked? Even more importantly, are they being answered?

We compare him to his opponent that sometimes appears old and grumpy. He has been part of the Washington establishment for years although often he has appeared to be something of a maverick. He doesn't exactly represent our interests. In fact, he's a mix of many interest groups but doesn't fit neatly into any particular one. It's hard to say he's in "the middle" of the political spectrum because on some issues he is to the right and others he is to the left. He's a veteran and a former POW. He isn't known for his flowery speeches or his ability to draw buckets of money from the pockets of the wealthy. He's been accused of being short-tempered and difficult. We don't understand him but we can see his record and know what he's done.

How do we vote? It seems easy on the surface. It isn't. We have to look down the road to the likely consequences of the agendas of each of the candidates. What will be the impact of their victory on me personally?

I want to be left alone to live my life in peace, quietly building for my family and eventually my retirement. I don't want someone else running my life. I do want security. I want to spend my own money the way I see fit -- not hand it over to someone else to spend for me. I want to see innocent people protected and I want there to be opportunity for everyone to succeed without special treatment -- just a "fair shake."

So, how do I vote? I vote for balance. I want to see Congress closely balanced so that the legislation that passes will pass on merit, not because one party or the other can shove their agenda through because they have the power. I vote for the man that most closely fits my values yet also will maintain the balance between the Executive, the Legislative and the Judiciary. Let me ask: What would happen to our country if there was an overwhelming majority of Democrats in the House and Senate, a liberal Democrat as President, and the appointment of two or more liberal judges to the Supreme Court? Consider carefully -- Comrade.