This is my first blog, although I've read several, and I wanted to take some time to post a few thoughts about some things that are on my mind lately. 

A thought keeps running through my mind in light of what's been going on in Washington.  THESE PEOPLE WORK FOR US!  Remember?  When it comes right down to it, THEY are OUR EMPLOYEES.  But neither they nor we ACT LIKE IT.  For years, we have towed their line.  Oh, we gripe and moan when they don't do something we want them to do or, on the other hand, do something we don't want them to do.  But, when it comes right down to it, we don't really do anything.  And I think it is well past time that the people in Washington, from the President on down, are reminded of that simple fact.

Let me ask you something.  When was the last time you were able to VOTE yourself a pay raise even though your employer thought you were doing a terrible job?  How about this one?  When was the last time you got away with doing something, contrary to your employer's wishes - sometimes expressed - and experienced no repercussions?  

But, that's exactly what goes on in Washington!  Is anyone but me angry over this? 

There are laws - think immigration - that are on the books for the safety of this nation and it's people (remember that's the primary purpose of this government) that are simply IGNORED!  Why!?  Well, let's think about that for a minute.  Because the politicians want votes?  Because they are paid to by lobby groups?  Because they prefer to see, not the United States of America, but the United Countries of North America?

Now they want to socialize medicine.  Do none of them listen to what has happened in other countries that have socialized medicine - i.e. universal healthcare?  Taxes are sky-high - in some cases 50%, although it isn't necessarily all for healthcare.  People have to wait, sometimes for months, to get the kind of care I can walk into my doctor's office for and get immediately.  Oh, I know there are uninsured.  But, if you look at the data, the people who are involuntarily uninsured actually make up a small percentage of the MILLIONS figure that keeps getting thrown at us.  The pols won't be honest and tell us that, though.  Politicians are experts at telling us enough of the truth that they WANT us to know (so they can't be accused of lying), leaving out the exculpatory information that just might change our minds on the subject.  Don't get me wrong.  I'm not interested in denying anyone health care.  But the very people these pols keep throwing at us, namely seniors and children, do or can get regular healthcare, either free or pro-rated in most cases.  Nor do I have a problem helping people who are in short-term dire circumstances.  

Taxes - oh there's a good one.  I'm fed up with them.  If I honestly thought that the amount of taxes I paid were needed and used honestly, I wouldn't have a problem.  But, the fact is that THEY ARE NOT.  "We're going to raise your taxes X% because we need it for - pick something."  Now, tell me how much of that X% tax increase is used for "pick something"?  And why should the ENTIRE tax-paying populace be forced to pay for something that does not benefit the ENTIRE country?  Let's use a recent well-known example - the bridge in Alaska.  If the people in Alaska want, or need, a bridge - to nowhere if I remember the story correctly - fine.  But unless it, in some way, benefits the entire country to build that bridge, the entire country SHOULD NOT BE PAYING FOR IT!    In other words, if the bridge is so badly needed for the benefit of that state then that state should pay for it.

These are just a few examples of some of the things that I'm upset about.  And, I want to do something about them.  My problem is that I don't know exactly what I can do and even if I did know, I couldn't do it alone.  For instance,  contacting my representatives and voting is a very good start.  Unfortunately, I don't believe it's enough anymore.  I think the American people MUST take stronger action.  And, no, I am not talking about a violent revolt.  I am talking about a revolt, however.  But the American citizenry MUST come together to make that work.  We can't let our relatively minor differences of opinion about this subject or that allow the politicians in Washington to take over our very existence with little more than a whimper from us.  WE need to start taking some action. 

Here are a couple of things that have crossed my mind of late. 

1)  Term limits - does anybody really think that the career politicians are going to VOTE themselves out of office?  I'm not even talking 1 term.  How about a 2 term limit?  That would give a new Congressman/Senator a chance to get his feet on the ground and show whether he was going to toe OUR line for a change.  We could even allow extra terms IF the Representative got enough votes in the next election - which, presumably, would show that his constituents were happy with the job he was doing.  I know that this subject has been raised before but I don't believe that the American people were as disillusioned with the pols in Washington as they are today.

2)  Congressional pay raises - why aren't WE deciding when our representatives deserve a pay raise?  I think that the people of each state should be deciding if THEIR representatives deserve a pay raise.

3)  In the past, the Senators that went to Washington were APPOINTED by their State Legislatures, not elected.  Likewise, the President served ONE term.  Maybe it's time to go back to that.

These are just a couple of things I've thought of that we might be able to accomplish to take our country back from the politicians.  Listen, if we don't do something, and soon, we can kiss our whole way of life good-bye and I don't like that idea - not for myself, but, especially, not for my children and grandchildren.  I love this country.  I think it's a great country, not perfect, but great.  But, unless A LOT of us start actually doing something together, we may as well just close our eyes and hope that the ride doesn't get too rough.  Let's put our ideological differences aside, as we've done before in times of crisis - and make no mistake it IS a time of crisis when the government decides to go it's own way regardless of what the electorate wants.  Let's pull together and make some changes.  In some cases, we may have to campaign, and get passed, Constitutional Amendments to make changes - it's been done before.  In others, just making everyone aware and getting everyone to act, as with the recent immigration bill, will accomplish it.  BUT WE MUST ACT NOW AND WE CANNOT STOP UNTIL CHANGE HAS COME.  This is not a one-issue problem and we cannot stop when one issue is resolved.  We have to keep-on-keepin'-on until the tide has changed - until the people in Washington consistently listen to and abide by the will of the American people.  That is what this country was founded for.  And, that is what we have lost.