Citizen Legislature

I am going to delay my 3rd post on personal Conservative finances for a day to interject this post. I want to get this said before the election is cold in our memories.

A lot has been said about the fact that the original framers of the constitution meant for the congress to be filled with citizens that came to serve for a few years and then went home to be replaced by another citizen. The idea was that no one would be there long enough to get into real trouble, or learn how to steal.

In a recent discussion with our "new" congressman from my district I felt a little uneasy when I asked him how long term limits should be and he said 16 years. I asked why so long, and he said, "You need to be there for a while to learn how to work the system (steal...in my book)." I responded that that was the whole problem, "we don't want them to be there long enough to learn how to steal." Then he said, "But you need seniority to get anything done," To which I responded, "Seniority would mean nothing if we had term limits because no one would have it."

He has also said, "I will have to learn how to compromise and help others so they will help me." To which I say Bull Shit. We should never compromise and vote for what we know is wrong to buy a vote on something we know is right. The wrong vote pollutes the good intentions. Each time it is done it is easier to do. That is what we are fighting in government today.

The real problem is that we have gotten away from the concept of a "Citizen Legislature". But whose fault is it? It is OUR fault. Most of us are not willing to serve. We are not willing to run for office. We have defaulted to the "professional legislature". We can only turn it around if we are willing to accept some of the responsibility for running for office.

I am making my commitment here and now. If my congressman doesn't stick the the conservative values he ran on, he better be looking in the rear view mirror, because I will be there. If he stumbles, I will be there to run against him in 2014. I don't want to run for office so I hope he sticks to his promises. He gave me an 8 point "Contract" which he personally signed and told me to hold him to it. I will.

You should commit to run for office if someone you elected does NOT live up to his campaign promises.

I will.

Jim Isbell
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