Make Congress less remote by implementing remote working methods

That Americans disapprove of the job Congress is doing is beyond debate. A set of polls from five different polling organizations running from June 1 through July 1 show an approval rate ranging from 9 percent to 17 percent, an indictment of current members and what they are doing if ever there was one.

There is little agreement between Democrats and Republicans in both houses on any subject, and Congress stooped to using the most devious process in recent years to ram through the highly partisan Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare, which was opposed by a majority of the American people when it was being considered, and is even more strongly opposed today. Congress acted in opposition to the will of the people, a serious breach of trust.

It has long been the practice for Members of Congress to essentially become residents of the DC area when they are elected and spend scant time in their home states and districts, and despite their best intentions cannot avoid becoming Washington insiders to some degree, and thus residents of their home states in name only.

Furthermore, many members of Congress fancy themselves as "special," part of an elite group, and all of them benefit from job-related perks the rest of us don't have access to, like gold-plated health and retirement programs that ought to be illegal, a big salary and staff, being treated like queens and kings, and who often make decisions that are aimed at satisfying special interests rather than making the best decisions for their constituents and for the nation.

What we see today is a fulfilling of Thomas Jefferson's prophecy: "The natural progress of things is for liberty to yeild (Jefferson's spelling), and government to gain ground," which he wrote in a letter to Edward Carrington in 1788.

Power corrupts, they say, and the lure of power partially accounts for the increasing domination of the federal government over the citizens. Another reason is that it is much easier for special interests to access our Senators and Representatives than for the voters that elected them. That statement is not necessarily a slam at elected officials or their staffs, who may work diligently to serve the citizenry, but a criticism of the geographic distance from the official's home state or district and the small amount of time available to spend back home.

A popular concept about responsive government is that the most responsive leaders are those that can most easily be reached; it's easier to communicate your ideas to members of the city council and county supervisors than to your Congressional representatives. A trip across the street, downtown or to the next town is far more satisfactory than a trip to Washington.

In the beginning, those serving in Congress spent a few weeks in Washington each year and the rest of the time at home working at their jobs as farmers, business owners, doctors and lawyers. Perhaps despite its strong appeal it isn't realistic to return completely to that arrangement, but two Congressmen have suggested a change to the way the House of Representatives works that is a step in that direction.

California Democrat Representative Eric Swalwell recently introduced a proposal to amend House rules to enable lawmakers to take care of business from their district offices, instead of having to be in Washington so much of the time. His idea involves using the latest technologies like video conferencing for hearings, committee meetings and the like, and a secure remote voting system. As of last weekend, two others had signed on as cosponsors, Republicans Cynthia Lummis from Wyoming and New Mexico’s Steve Pearce, who had previously introduced a similar measure that would require representatives to appear in person for certain required or essential House activities.

This idea has great appeal. Wouldn't it be terrific for our elected representatives to be able to attend local events regularly? Wouldn't it be great to find yourself in line at the grocery store in front of your senator or representative, or to run into him or her at a sporting event or a restaurant, and when you visited one of the district offices to find them working there?

Undoubtedly, our officials would have a much better sense of what their constituents think about the pressing issues of the day when they interact with them on a daily basis than when they rarely see them face to face. And it would make more difficult the special interest lobbying that now poisons the legislative process.

Currently, Congress meets only three or four days a week for most of the year, due to holidays and allowances for members to travel to and from home to spend a little time with their families and constituents. Such an arrangement might also result in lower spending for Congressional operations, given the need for fewer flights home and back, and in this day of repeated trillion-dollar budget deficits, that would be a plus, even if the savings were relatively small.

It can't be a bad thing for elected officials to be more available for contact by their constituents. Both accountability and performance would improve.

Conservative Government America’s Only Hope

Conservative Government America’s Only Hope

Hold The House. Take back the Senate and the White House

A Commentary by J. D. Longstreet

If you like what’s going on in Washington, DC these days, you’re going to love the next 16 months, or so.

What we are seeing are the differences between the two major political parties in America laid bare for all to see.  The factions within each party are also coming to the fore, all with bared fangs.

Politics in America is not some kid’s game.  This IS a blood sport.  It is as old as the country itself.

Americans have revolted twice.  Once against Great Britain.  The second was the “War for Southern Independence,” commonly referred to as the “Civil War.”  We didn’t LIKE either.  Had we been able to settle our differences, in both cases, in the nation’s government neither war would have happened.  Americans are deeply aware of that fact.

So, we fight like cats and dogs in the houses of our government with words and phrases – along, of course, with strutting and preening before the cameras and microphones of what passes for the news media in this country -- and yes, even the world press.  

Understand, dear reader, we do this rather than go at each other as we did at, oh, say Manassas, Antietam, Shiloh, Gettysburg and other well known fields that ran with American blood -- simply because we could not settle our dispute in the nation’s government.

It is clear to all that an extremely great struggle is going on in Washington today.  The battle over the debt ceiling and spending cuts is only a sideshow.  The fight is over whether America will continue on the socialist path, which is destroying the nation, and impoverishing its people, or, will America return to its rightful place as a constitutional “representative republic” as the founders of the nation intended. 

The bottom line is this:  America either lives or dies as a result of the death struggle going on in Washington today.  Either freedom dies – or socialism dies.  They cannot co-exist.  One must terminate the other.  No quarter can be allowed.

For freedom to have even a chance at survival in America, we must have a conservative government.

It is clear what socialism can and will do -- and HAS already done -- to this country.  There should no longer be any doubt.  It must be defeated.

Conservatives need to target the US Senate in the 2012 elections.  Democrats will have some 23 seats up for reelection.  Conservatives must see that those seats go to conservative candidates.

At the same time, conservatives must maintain control of the US House of Representatives AND replace a goodly portion of the so-called “establishment” Republicans with rock solid conservative republicans.  It is plain to see that today’s House does not have the spine it needs to buck the socialist agenda of the democrats.

And Obama MUST GO!   He has been the most divisive president since Lincoln.  The man is a socialist, plain and simple.  He and his socialist agenda have driven America so far down the path to Third-World status that it will take us at least a generation to climb back to where we were in 2008.

Do not underestimate Obama’s chances to win in 2012.  With his campaign organization, his money, his shock troops (The Labor Unions), his propaganda machine (The Mainstream Media) and every minority group in America supporting him, he will be a formidable candidate -- no matter what the polls say about his popularity.

Taking America back from the socialists will be a humongous task.  But the alternative is unthinkable. 

Obama’s disengagement of America from its leadership role in the world has lead to nothing but chaos.  The Mediterranean states, and a goodly portion of the European states, are in various states of division and chaos.   And it will only get worse until America shows the leadership the world is waiting for and counting on.

It will not come as long as Obama is in the Oval Office.  In fact, the mess America, herself, is in will not be resolved as long as Obama remains President of the USA.

So.  We have a three-step solution to take back America from the socialists.  Replace “establishment republicans” with conservative republicans in the US House, replace 23 democrat senators with conservative senators in the US Senate – and – toss Obama and his minions out of the Oval Office and replace HIM with a conservative. 

Like any plan that looks good on paper it is immensely more difficult to implement. But – it IS the solution.

Conservatives have less than a year and a half to get this done. Hadn’t we ought to be about it?

J. D. Longstreet