Thought this article answers the question.


Charley Reese has been a journalist for 49 years.

THE 545 PEOPLE RESPONSIBLE FOR AMERICA'S WOES BY CHARLEY REESE: Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them. Have you ever wondered why,if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, we have deficits? Have you ever wondered why, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, we have inflation and high taxes? You and I don't propose a federal budget. The president does. You and I don't have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of Representatives does. You and I don't write the tax code. Congress does. You and I don't set fiscal policy. Congress does. You and I don't control monetary policy. The Federal Reserve Bank does. One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one president and nine Supreme Court justices - 545 human beings out of the 300 million - are directly, legally, morally and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country. I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered but private central bak I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason, they have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman or a president to do one cotton- picking thing. I don't care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash. The politician has the power to accept or reject it. No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator's responsibility to determine how he votes.

A CONFIDENCE CONSPIRACY
Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party. What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of a SPEAKER, who stood up and criticized G.W. BUSH for creating deficits. The president can only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept it. The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for orginating and approving appropriations and taxes. Who is the Speaker of the House? She is the leader of the majority party. She and fellow Democrats, not the president, can approve any budget they want. If the president vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto.

REPLACE THE SCOUNDRELS
It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million cannot replace 545 people who stand convicted -- by present facts - of incompetence and irresponsibility. I can't think of a single domestic problem, from an unfair tax code to defense overruns, that is not traceable directly to those 545 people. When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise power of the federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist. If the tax code is unfair, it's because they want it unfair. If the budget is in the red, it's because they want it in the red. If the Marines are in IRAQ, it's because they want them in IRAQ. There are no insoluble government problems. Do not let these 545 people shift the bame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they can take this power. Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exist disembodied mystical forces like 'the economy,' 'inflation' or 'politics' that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do. Those 545 people, and they alone, are responsible. They, and they alone, have the power. They, and they alone, should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses - provided the voters have the gumption to manage their own employees. We should vote all of them out of office and clean up their mess.

I agree with everything in this article, but as President Truman said, "The buck stops here."

As long as the 525 never hear from most of the 300 million they do what they please that pleases those that please them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! With little regard for what should be done...is needed....or right.
Even if only those who voted wrote and pressured the 525 a difference could be made.
The silent majority is basically responsible for the "mess".

Hint: why are there special interest groups in Washington DC and why do they get so much of their agenda accomplished????

We have drifted from we the people to if it is not in my back yard why bother....where's the remote?

BTK :edit:

The "525' are an interesting bunch.

The House of Representatives started out as a two-year part-time job and has now found itself as a full-time career spot (providing you can keep getting rehired every two years, and most do) with a retirement package the envy of Major League Baseball.

The Senate - the "select 100" - is the more elitist of the herd. It's amazing how many of them consider themselves qualified to head a 2.5+ million person executive branch when for the most of them the biggest group they have ever "led" is their own staff of approx 25 persons (and they have an office manager for that!).

The Supreme Court - They just happen to sit at the top of a judicial system with 13 appeals courts under them, and below them 97 District Courts and a slew of special-purpose courts (Veterans Claims, Tax, etc).

And then there's the 8,500 folk who are 'political appointees' filling spopnts ranging from Secretary of the ____ to gopher. Just google up "Plum Book" and see how many departments, independent agencies and commissions there are - the number is staggering.

Come January 2009 and for the next 6 months the "Plum Book" will get completely flushed, and then we get to experience "amateur hour" all over again within the Executive Branch." That's when we are at our most vulnerable.

The Buck may stop at the very top, but there's a lot of change-making going on within the pyramid.

Originally Posted by SteveZ

The Buck may stop at the very top, but there's a lot of change-making going on within the pyramid.

Sadly we have learned too late that the person in the Oval Office once elected, does not have the brains, experience or judgement needed to run this complicated country and must rely on Cabinet and other Advisors. I believe that Lee Iococca suggested in his recent book titled Where Have All the Leaders Gone. that it be helpful if all of the candidates were required to announce during their campaign who they would select as his/her VP, Secretaries of State, Defense and Attorney General? This would be more helpful, in my opinion, in helping us decide who to vote for, than all of the sound bites and media circus we are being exposed to.

For once Hancle:

Definitely agree to the above...

Unfortunately, to many folk the Presidential election is more like the coronation of a 4-year king and messiah.

Great article, Hancle.

Originally Posted by Hancle704

Sadly we have learned too late that the person in the Oval Office once elected, does not have the brains, experience or judgement needed to run this complicated country and must rely on Cabinet and other Advisors. I believe that Lee Iococca suggested in his recent book titled Where Have All the Leaders Gone. that it be helpful if all of the candidates were required to announce during their campaign who they would select as his/her VP, Secretaries of State, Defense and Attorney General? This would be more helpful, in my opinion, in helping us decide who to vote for, than all of the sound bites and media circus we are being exposed to.

Good post, Hancle. Not sure if they would have a really firm idea of this at the primary stage though where we do the actual voting for the various candidates or at least the votes seem to count somewhat. The party machines start taking over though as party candidates become clear. Now, you sort of pick what party you think will do a better job of running the country by the time each party has its nominees. Each party seems to have a lot of influence on who gets those various slots of Attorney General, and Secretaries of Defense, State, etc.

Bump. This thread needs to be read by all.

Great post --I agree totally with the article. Unfortunately most of the 3 million people that can vote will never be organized enough to do anything about the politicians they elect. However with all of our problems its still the best system in existence right now. Steve ;D ;D