545 People

[mtmynd]

I received this in my em today and thought it worthy enough to share with you:

This is the simplest, most understandable and truest explanation of the woes of the nation and who caused them, as well as how to cure them. This should be sent to every person in the U.S., including the '545'.


545 People

by Charlie 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 bank.

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.

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 the President 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 originating and approving appropriations and taxes.

Who is the speaker of the House?

She is the leader of the majority party.

She and fellow House members, not the president, can approve any budget they want.

If the president vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto if they agree to.

It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million can not replace 545 people who stand convicted -- by present facts - of incompetence and irresponsibility.

I can't think of a single domestic problem that is not traceable directly to those 545 people.

When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise the 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.

If they do not receive social security but are on an elite retirement plan not available to the people, it's because they want it that way.

There are no insoluble government problems.

Do not let these 545 people shift the blame 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 exists 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!




Charlie Reese is a former columnist of the Orlando Sentinel

(What he leaves out is that we are responsible for believing them and being distracted by those meaningless issues where we, the voters, try and control someone elses life thru our 'elected officials'. Like magicians one hand distracts while the other does the 'trick', and we let it go unnoticed. The right is distracted by thinking Jesus would be ok with hunger or torture but wouldn't approve of abortion or gay marriage. The left is distracted by a president that is an easy target. Both are equally guilty, as am I. Nothing changes until we take back responsibility.)

[mnaz]

I like it.

Of course, if you were to press them on the point, they might just say that they were only trying to give us what we wanted (and make a reasonably fat dollar for their effort). It was our fault, you see...

[e_dog]

blah blah blAH, we re al responsible not jus a few trhe BUSH is killer. end trhe EMPIRE. WITHDRAW ALL TROOPS NOW. FUCK BUSH FUCK BUSH FUCK CHENEY.


SEND THE CROOKS TO THA HAGUE.

[stilltrucking]

Where will the next 545 people come from? State senators, govenors, what political pool will they come out of and where will they get the millions of dollars to run for office?

Sorry Cecil I think something has happened to my brain. That article was obviously some kind of political fantascy and I am taking it too literaly. As if supreme court justices could be voted out of office. As if the next five hundred and thirty six politicians would be different.

There are worse things than a decadent democracy.

[stilltrucking]

Cecil wrote?

(What he leaves out is that we are responsible for believing them and being distracted by those meaningless issues where we, the voters, try and control someone elses life thru our 'elected officials'. Like magicians one hand distracts while the other does the 'trick', and we let it go unnoticed. The right is distracted by thinking Jesus would be ok with hunger or torture but wouldn't approve of abortion or gay marriage. The left is distracted by a president that is an easy target. Both are equally guilty, as am I. Nothing changes until we take back responsibility.)

You included that in the quote but I believe those are your words?

Well said Cecil.

[e_dog]

Sure, a decadent bushocracy.


frontier of learning is to learning not be fascists.

-- Sacko Vendetti, the great anarchist from Lil Italy

[mnaz]

Tiz true, the 5-4-5 make decisions and execute policy, but those actions flow from the "realpolitik" (I just love that word- did I use it correctly?) and kulture of the Amerikan Kapitalistik system. It seems "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" has come to mean "pursuit of consumption and privatized profit above all else". Profit is God. God is profit. We the people bought into this franchise, or at least didn't protest loudly enough en masse against its rise, and why should we? The red ink champagne and petrol and credit was flowing freely and the economy was booming. Crisis? What crisis? We the people wanted to drive four ton SUV's with ten-cylinder engines. We the people wanted to kick some Middle Eastern ass-- any vaguely recognizable Middle Eastern ass-- and look the other way when Bu$h gave bazillion-dollar no-bid contrakkts to Halliburton, Bekktel, KBR, and a slew of lesser quasi-slimeball outfits with advertised good intentions on the neo-CON corporate dole. Methinks we doth not protest loudly enough, if you know what I mean.

"The 5-4-5"... Yeah. I should send an e-mail to Chuck D (former Public Enemy front man). That's a Chuck D rage-rap just waitin' to happen...

[hester_prynne]

Wow, great read and for my money, it's the simple microscopic and empowering truth.
Vote for Obama

H

[stilltrucking]

Sure, a decadent bushocracy

ah shit e-dog
eight more years

McCain/Rice in 2008.

I don't have a clue what is happening in the world anymore. I keep remembering the past and try to make comparisons, my worse nightmare is the Weimar Republic.