Tim’s Topics: Elections & Campaigns

“Those who have been bred in the school of politics fail now and always to face the facts.” (Henry David Thoreau 1854)

Politicians: Love’em or Hate’em?

This sentence has echoed in my brain for the past several years. Politicians fail their constituents most of the time. They say things to get elected and then to get reelected again and again. Because it becomes a lifetime job, the act of being honest and a person of integrity takes the backseat to winning elections.

I find this abominable! Add to this the fact that we call elected officials the “honorable so and so” and that the folks in Washington have become an elitist class is truly absurd. They also destroy any semblance of being a servant to the people, as they should be, by giving themselves raises and better healthcare than the general population is egregious. It happens at the state, county, and city levels too!

My “shaking my head in amazement and disbelief” brain tells me that we are chasing the almighty dollar and power fueling the decision making rather than principled behavior.  Who is making the best decisions for our country and its locales? Those who get elected owe favors to the folks who fund them. Through research we have uncovered the large donations given to our mayor and city councilmembers. Does this mean that there will never be a level playing field for all? Probably not.

Finances of the Wealthy

In Washington, the number of elected officials who get more than they should are outlined in Peter Schweizer’s book, Secret Empires. He has written myriad examples dealing with the finances of various powerful politicians, from Kamala Harris to Eric Garcetti, including Joe Biden. Even though the politicians have questionable financial dealings with foreign countries, they still have their positions whether they should or not. It is time to start a discussion about how to change this travesty. As Harry Truman said “Public office is a privilege, not a right, and people who accept the privilege of holding office in the Government must of necessity accept that their entire conduct should be open to inspection by people they are serving.”

I wish the next idea were mine, but it is not. An associate of mine, Angela, stated the idea in a conversation we had. The only way to change the system going forward is to change the way we elect our officials. If we set a certain amount for funding for each position and then split that number equally between those who made the ballot, wouldn’t the playing field be more equal?

I do not give a rip about what other people might say about this! Show me YOUR idea about how to change this broken system. We might start to elect people by the ideas they have rather than by who gets bought by the wealthy.

At a minimum it is time for a discussion about stopping the insanity. I believe even more is needed than just a discussion. Thanks, Angela!

Crazy Election Ideas

Along those same lines, here are some more crazy ideas that would fix our elections and get politicians to work instead of campaigning for the next election:

ELECTION PACKETS/VETTING PROCESS:

• CV/Resume
• Birth Certificate
• Tax Returns
• Financial Disclosure Statement
• Views / Campaign Platform
• Background Checks

CAMPAIGNS / FINANCES:

• Funds come from DNC/RNC/Independent only – no personal funds, donations, fundraising by candidate, etc.
• Onle get an initial amount shared by all candidates
• Account for all monies to the respective committees
• Run election campaigns for 90 days only

WHILE IN OFFICE (FIRST TERM):

• Campaign promises evaluated in your first term – required to complete 80% to run again

TERM LIMITS:

• All offices limited to 2 terms
• Stagger the elections across the country so we do not turn over the House or Senate at one time

PROS:

• Vetting candidates before campaigning starts
• Gets rid of “dead wood” in office
• Promotes healthy, new ideas to flourish instead of “we’ve always done it this way”
• Provides a sense of urgency to honor campaign promises before end of two terms
• Holds accountable to do their job instead of fundraising for the next election
• Gets rid of the stranglehold of donor favors

CONS:

• No visible support from government or the folks we elect – why change a good thing!

The Maverick Observer, or “The Moe” as we affectionately call it, is an online free-thinking publication interested in the happenings in our town. We launched in February 2020 to hold our politicians and businesses accountable. We hope to educate, inform, entertain, and infuse you with a sense of community.