Whats really wrong with our system

I must recount a personal experience of a friend of mine .

Names are left out . Out of respect . I will refer to him as John . John built a family business from a little shop to 6 large stores in different cities opened a second line a office furniture rental program computers phones the works . While still going to church volunteering at civic groups soup kitchens all manners of charitable endeavors . He came to the decision in the last 35 years I went from broke and barely making it to I wont ever have to work again . He sold his stores and rental companies for a tidy profit . The most honest businessman I have ever known .

He decided to run for House of Representatives . He thought his 35 years of business and love of helping his neighbors out and his love of this country , it would be a perfect . Do some real good in his retirement . He won the office on issues . I was ecstatic for him . He was also . He held his office for 8 years .

He always had hope strived to make things better , in the 40 years I have known him.

One evening sitting around talking politics shortly after being elected . I asked him how did he like being a representative . He said , I love it I really think I can do some good in this world I can make a difference .

Over the next 8 years I didn’t see him really smile the deep down real smile just the painted on one . We still talked politics sports and fishing .. But not with the same vigor and conviction he had before .

The end of his last term . He let his guard down and talked to me like the friends we use to be . He said this is a crazy mans game . If you don’t lie you get no ware . I have to support Joes bill regardless how stupid or how much waste it is just to get the needed votes to pass needed bills in our district for schools hospital and roads (which is against the rules ) . I had to take 35 years worth of knowledge convictions morals ethics and business know how and Leave then at the door and learn a whole new set of rules and ethics by walking in to the political arena and most of them can be bent and broken out of convenience .

You would be surprised the bill to regulate herbal medicines 90 % of the lobbyists that came into my office for the restrictions had some backing from the pharmacy industry regardless of their name . When the bills came up to lessen the penalties for petty possession of marijuana most of the lobbyists who were against it had some connection with the prison industry or the police it wasn’t from mothers sister brothers or relatives who were hooked on drugs it was from people who make the money from enforcement . When ever a bill came up to realign sentencing to lessen low grade crime penalties and increase the high end penalties the same folks were all for the increase but venomously opposed lessening for low grade things. Even opposing the option for diverting some for drug treatment or drug courts to lessen the burden on the prison system . The biggest proponents for the seat belt laws and the helmet laws were the insurance companies and their lobbyists not Doctors or health professionals . When bills came up for increased EPA or USDA regulations for environment or food safety my office was flooded with lobbyist for the companies who would lose some profit but the ones for the increased enforcement were out numbered 10 to 1 .

When we see something isn’t working do we reevaluate the program and redesign it no we just throw more money at it . If I ran my business like we run the government I would have been bankrupt in the fist year and lost my butt . The common man has very little say in what goes on he cant afford the lobbyists they don’t have access to our offices like the paid lobbyists do . Until they do its just a rich mans game money talks . Even when the average Joe does get to see representatives or gets a PAC going they don’t have the money or the power to really sway a representative . Nor do they have the money to throw perks around . Its all about money power and reelections instead of doing what’s right for the people the state or the United States .

I don like playing their Monopoly game any more . I am just going to watch my grand children grow up . And enjoy life while I can .

This has been a few years ago . To me this rant of his totally expresses what’s wrong with our system no matter what the public wants we are trumped by the lobbyists . We Cant offer a representative a season pass to the Lakers or send them on a trip to Hawaii to tour a plant . We just don’t have the stroke lobbyists do . When we elect a candidate and they don’t do what they said they would do is it any wonder . We don’t flood their offices with lobbyists or line their pockets with perks . If we remember it by next election we vote for some one else if we don’t we just reelect them . John thought it was a lost cause till these are changed I agree .

i think the first thing one's taught about a political career...
is that politics is The Art of Compromise,
be it tit-for-tat voting arrangements
or bills glazed with the Lobbyists patina....


it all ammounts to compromise and not some altruistic moral pedestal
that decides ones legislative vote.,


[edit on 5-7-2008 by St Udio]

compromise yes... but the lobbying stories are quite ridiculous. also a main point is that nothing at all ever improves..

reply to post by Lostinthedarkness


Well, I have to say this is nothing unusual as it's how Washington D.C. works, the politicians make too much money from lobbyist, legal bribery in essence, and kickbacks and collusion in order to make more money and more power and influence. This isn't even including the voting where pultiple bills are attached to each other, so if you vote yes on one issue, you are voting no on another issue you wanted to support.

This is politics as usual in Washington D.C., where they collude and conspire to collapse America as a nation through N.A.F.T.A., and the soon to be new North American "Amero" when they combine Mexico, Canada, and America.

You would probably like this thread I wrote on the political situation as I see it :

Political Collusion of a President and Congress in Collapsing America, The Fall of the New Rome

Of course also feel free to go to My profile at the bottom of this post and or U2U if you want to share ideas about the corruption in politics as I see it.


[edit on 8-7-2008 by SpartanKingLeonidas]