Thursday, September 6, 2018

Things Need to Change



Does anyone think that the Anonymous Op-Ed coming from the WhiteHouse is anything other than a pathetic attempt to soothe someone’s conscience?
How can I express the disgust I have for those surrounding the President, who despise what he’s doing but don’t have the spine to do anything about it? 
And then there’s our flaccid Congress, (a critical check on the presidency provided for in our Constitution) which should have stepped in months ago to begin Impeachment Proceedings within the House.  But of course the one to begin such proceedings would be the Speaker who somewhere along the way (along with McConnell and Graham and numerous others) has dumped his patriotism into the trash bin and covered it up with a sycophantic eagerness to allow this president to get away with anything.  
Why? 
It doesn’t make sense to me.  They know Trump cannot continue in office and will eventually resign or be removed. Where does that leave them in the annals of history once he’s gone?
And then there’s Kavanaugh. Do they think that confirming him for the Courts will not only save Trump but them too?
Let’s talk about Kavanaugh: on the second day of confirmation hearings, he refused to answer the question that we are all concerned about:  should the president be allowed to self-pardon?  It was a hypothetical question, he said, that he was not prepared to answer.  
Hello? Hypothetical today, perhaps, but reality likely tomorrow.
Where are our Nathan Hales?  Where are our Thomas Paines? Our JFKs:  “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.”
These men and women in Congress are supposed to represent us. We are supposed to be their constituents.  But no, it doesn’t work that way anymore.  They do not represent us.  They do not work for us.  They work for themselves and that is their main purpose for running for office – to enrich themselves and their families and to stay in power. 
Some things need to be changed, like term limits. One term only extended, perhaps, for House and Senate.  Come in, do your job and go back home. It is an honor to serve one’s country. Perhaps, this would remind them that it is a privilege not a payoff.
Things need to change.
And soon.