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In the 1920s, Charles Lindberg's father, then a U.S. congressman, told his son, "This country belongs to the people but they haven't learned how to run it yet. The trouble is that people don't have any way of getting the truth." (page 392, "The Spirit of St. Louis").
Eighty years later and it is still true. Who keeps us from getting the truth? I believe it is the politician who lies to us to ensure their power.
I have some questions that need to be asked. Congress reports to the president. Who does the president report to? The people? No way! It is either the national committee of the party or special interests.
The president's power is limited to a maximum of two terms. But party lines don't change, only the president does. To maintain control, D.C. sends money to candidates in local regions. Why? To get the best candidate or to get the candidate they can control? Why do certain special interest groups vote for one party all the time? It's not because they have such a sunny disposition.
Of course, we have such smart people in our national government. They can tell us what won't work when a suggestion is made. Strangely though, they can't resolve the situation and give us something that will work. Why? They don't want a resolution. A crisis serves them better. So nothing changes. The list of problems gets longer.
Even my horoscope tries harder than the politicians. To quote, "You know one way of solving your problem. Now think of 10 more and 10 more after that. The solutions don't have to be good or even logical, but they will lead you to a better idea."
So how do we get the truth? One way: Be wary of the millionaire Congress people who have gotten rich by legislating situations which they, or their families, used to get rich. Remember, the higher the person in government, the bigger the lies!
Also, they are not below villainizing their opponents whether true or not. We see that insider trading and character assassination are on the main menu of the "in crowd."
If Congress won't change, then we must. Faith must be earned and not just given. If you lose your faith in them, they should lose your vote and act in such a way as to earn it back.
Quit trying to determine what the candidates said and let their words stand on their own merit. In essence, this says quit voting a straight party line. What they did for you yesterday, has nothing to do with today.
George Koesters
Gainesville