Argument for a Convention of States- Part 4 of 4 - Pigs at the Trough

By Chuck Marshall 

                                                        "Mad King George"- Hard at Work 

     So, what's to be done ?    Hopefully the previous three parts of this blog have outlined the problem of federal government that's out of control and the many consequences of such power.  The 50 states have the ability to remove a lot of that power,  especially the power to spend but also the power to legislate within each state according to the tastes and customs of each state.    Why do we have laws preferred in California applied to the citizens of Georgia if the people of Georgia are offended by that law ?   We're 50 separate states for a reason.   In fact, the advantages of spending and laws springing from the state level would be an opportunity to truly visualize what works and what doesn't work for the governing of our people.   A convention of states would allow the most peaceful and effective way to drive power out of Washington, DC and back closer to the American people.  Best of all,  there's no work to be done to set up this "day of jubilee".    There's  no need for revolution,  or civil war,  or riots in the streets until our leaders hear our demands.  It's already in the constitution under Article 5.  

      There are many ideas for Amendments to hold power in check at the federal level.  An organization exists for moving forward on the Convention of States and they have a list of tentative objectives for the first Convention.    The link to their organization and it's list of objectives is at the end of this blog.  This is not the only idea 'nor the final decision because Article 5 is owned by the people not any one organization.  But we need a path to go, so if it be this particular one then so be it.   The COS Action has the most established track for what this blog is elaborating on.   It's a start.  As Winston Churchill famously said "It is not the end, it is not the beginning of the end, but it is perhaps the end of the beginning".  

     The "powers that be" at the federal level of government , corporate and special interest  (ie, "Mad King George") will argue all day against such a thing.  Indeed I'm sure they would love to delete Article 5 altogether.   Remember, it's not just our government leaders but all those who benefit from unlimited trillions of dollars.    The fact is,  our Congress is a tool of all the pigs that feed at the trough of American bounty.   This idea, the COS,  threatens the smooth path to legislation that the special interests (think litigation legislation, medical legislation, corporate, etc...) have become so wealthy and comfortable with.   Moreover, these multi- national corporate interests are owned and operated by people and groups who are not necessarily interested in American liberty and justice.   You see, the corporate multinationals would  no longer have an easy path to legislation that favors them.  Why not ?   Because our leaders are no longer "for sale" if reelection is limited to one or two terms.  Imagine, they can actually start doing their job !  The media detests this idea because the power will no longer be cradled in Washington, DC but will be as significant in the state capitals making their job much harder and of much less influence.  Importantly, remember, the media giants are all owned by large multinational corporations who are beholden to a lot of things, but not the American people.   They will shriek ; "This will ruin us".   It will ruin them,  is what they mean.  "Mad King George" fears for his head, and he should.  

     Take the time to glance at the COS website below and join or contribute if you feel strongly enough.  The people must get their power back and that will only happen if real decisions tend to be made at the local level not the federal level.  The future of our children, grandchildren and all of posterity depend on it.  

https://conventionofstates.com/

In My Humble Opinion.  CM 

Election Process Fails All of Us

    

      It's all a game.  That's what the problem is with our election process.   It has turned into a game- just like football or basketball- where we have the Left VS the Right and it all becomes about the game and not about the actual issues.  The ideas to fix our country are never the focus.  This is why nothing ever gets fixed and why we're in the middle off the most inept., incompetent, disgraceful government the United States has ever had.  It's all a game.  When the focus is the disagreement then the solutions become secondary.  When the focus is specific faults of the candidates' personalities that have nothing to do with leadership., then it's a game.   When it's about who can get the most attention due to outrageous comments,  then it's a game.   The citizens of the United States and the world deserve better than this !  I mention the world because we are the leaders of the world.  The world has little hope of stability and prosperity under the leadership of any other country.  We are it, and we've turned the entire process of Democracy into a game.

     Who's at fault for the game we call politics ?  We all are, because we'd rather watch the candidates at each other's throat than listen to plausible solutions.  We want the game because it's easier to lay back and be entertained rather than think hard about the issues and work to distinguish who can help move our country and the world towards solutions to the problems at hand,  The half-truths that the candidates feed the people are meant for the uninformed American public because it's easy to confuse an issue and disguise the truth from the people under such circumstances.   Political ads, at their core, are all lies.  We're so close to solving serious problems but the brass ring continues to elude us.  We still have wars and recessions and poverty and pollution and uneducated children because we refuse to cooperate and be smart and select leaders who will lead us and bring solidarity and progress    We refuse to do the work that needs to be done therefor we allow the political parties and the media and special interest to lead us by the nose down roads that lead to THEIR  prosperity and THEIR opportunity and THEIR power.  We are the enablers.

     What's the solution ?  1) Remove money from election process in totality. There was a time when elections were the candidates, the voters and a ballot box.   The problem is there's  money to be made, but why is that the obligation of the citizen to allow that ?   2)  Remove any and all advantages that the dominant political parties have in the election process AND in the governing process.  In the beginning of our republic there were no parties and things still "got done".  3)  Educate our children to understand and scrutinize their leaders and to participate in the government.so that they see the complexity of the issues not the "black and white" that we've all been brought up on;  the "left vs "right", "Democrat vs Republican", "conservative vs liberal"  bunk that the media has spoon fed us for so long.  It only behooves  them and their political cronies to maintain the status-quo.  There will always be disagreement, but that should not stop action to  minimize the struggles of the every-day citizen and to encourage liberty and the pursuit of happiness.  We have it in our power to do this.  We owe it to our children to fix this thing we call politics.