Career Politicians

What is the goal of the career politician?  The answer is quite simply to get elected and grow the size of government.   Some people become career politicians initially because they want to serve the people, but the fact remains that they have to get elected and reelected to stay in office, so that becomes the primary objective.  Getting elected and reelected depends on raising campaign money, which means making deals and giving favors.

Many career politicians are narcissists and thrive on power.  In order to grow their power and wealth, they must grow the size of government.  There are some studies that show a career politician may not be a narcissist initially, but undergoes a personality change once elected to a high office. 

The career politician serves their political party.  They cater to the lobbyists and their campaign donors.  They bow down to big money and big business.  They lose sight of their duty to working America.

The career politician lives for the advancement of government and not the good of working middle class America.  I think America is beginning to realize this, and is fed up with the Washington D.C. political establishment.  This is definitely part of the reason for Donald Trump’s campaign success at this time.

In 1960 only 19 state legislatures met annually.  The others met biennially.  Today, 46 state legislatures meet annually and only Texas, Nevada, Montana, and North Dakota meet biennially.  In spite of a growing federal government taking away the rights and responsibilities of the states, we continue to increase the size of state governments.   The growth of government at both the state and federal level has to stop. 

Our founding fathers never expected the legislative branches of government to be a full-time career.  For years, I tired to defend the career politician.  I thought the experience and connections in Washington would prove useful.  Unfortunately, that has not proven to be the case.  There are good career politicians in Congress, but they are the exception and not the norm.  I can count them on one hand.  The rest serve big government, big money, and big business.

It is time for term limits for the U.S. Congress, and also time for campaign spending reform.  We must have elected officials who work for the people and the long-term good of the country.  The time to eliminate the career politician has come.  This has become a mandatory step to keep this country great. 

Donald Trump

Some people think Donald Trump’s Presidential campaign is a joke.  Many people thought he would just be a flash in the pan. 

At the very least his campaign has become a political phenomena.  Trump does not have the support of the Republican Party, big business, big money, the media, Washington insiders or the political elite, so why is he leading in the polls?  Maybe the reason is because he’s from outside the political establishment, and the working middle class in this country is fed up with the political elite and Washington partisan politics. 

President Obama was elected partially because of his promise of “Hope and Change.”  Obviously that turned out to be a joke, but people still have hope for the freedom that comes with a smaller federal government.  Some believe Trump can offer that change, and unlike Obama, he has executive experience.

The media does not promote Trump as a candidate, but he is news.  He is put in a negative light by the lame stream media and cable news, even including Fox.  The opening question of the Fox debate attempted to put him on the spot for saying he might run as an independent and might not support the Republican nominee.  Trump has been consistent with his position that he would run as an independent only if the Republican Party did not treat him fairly.  I would hate to see him run as an independent, because a strong third party candidate would probably elect Hilary Clinton, assuming she has felony indictments against her by then.

I commend him for saying he might not support the Republican nominee.  I would have a hard time supporting some of the Republican nominees if I had reasonable options.  I vote for the person and not the party.  If more people did this, we might have better candidates. 

I am not saying I support Trump for President at this time, but there are a couple things that I like about him.  I love his position that this country’s demand for political correctness is stupid and even dangerous.  How can we protect ourselves from radical Islam if we can’t recognize the problem and say the words?  The same is true of the social issues of the day.  All words have meanings and should be allowed if descriptive.  If we can’t have honest conversations without worrying about being politically correct, we will never solve the problems. 

I also like the fact that Trump is so rich that he is not dependant on large political donors.  Large political donors expect and receive a return on their investment.   Think how much more effective a negotiator Trump could be, both with domestic and foreign policy, without those obligations.

It will be interesting to see what happens.  I am happy with some of the issues Trump brings up, like the criminal element of some illegal immigrants.  This is an issue affecting the safety of our country, and partisan politicians find it politically incorrect to even mention it.

I think other Republican candidates for President better adopt some of Trump’s lack of political correctness and his gloves off criticism of the political establishment if they want the nomination.  The public is fed up with the federal government and wants REAL change. 

I can see why Trump scares big government, big money, the media, and the political elite.  The Washington insiders and lobbyists could lose their power.  Trump can be a game changer even if he does not get the Republican nomination or run as an independent.  He may force candidates to forget political correctness and actually address the issues facing our country.

I Will Know The Right Business When I See It.

In my book Business Fits, I have a chapter titled “Myths about Starting a Business.”  One of the myths is, “I will know the right business when I see it.”  This is how I address this prevalent myth.

        How?  Will it have flags and banners?  Will it have your name on it?  Your personal likes and dislikes for a product or service have very little to do with the demand for that product or service.

      People often just wait for the "right opportunity" to show up on their doorstep.  Opportunity doesn't knock on your door.  You're not going to see a building with your name on it as you drive down the street.  The business that you don't see, and may fill a need, will not come to mind as you drive down the street.

      This kind of thinking is totally based on personal perceptions and emotions.  I can't think of a more dangerous approach to selectiong a business. The right opportunity isn't going to jump out of your computer screen.  It's never going to happen.

      A lot of work and investigation is required to even determine if self-wmployment is right for you.  Finding the right business requires research, time, work, and sometimes-professional help.

Go to http://BusinessFits.com for more about business myths.

        Making decisions on which political candidate to vote for based on personal emotions are just as dangerous.   How a candidate looks, sounds, or acts during a speech has little to do with their experience, qualifications, record, or leadership ability.  Don’t be taken in by a lot of hype and a catchy slogan with no substance. 

        We also must set our priorities on which issues are most important.  Social issues are not the most critical ones at this time.  We must address:

·       The size of the federal government and government debt

·       Jobs, the economy, and government regulations

·       Military security and the war with radical Islam

·       Securing our borders

We must resolve these issues and stop the unproductive political correctness that is strangling this country, or everything else becomes irrelevant.  Do you think a Muslim extremist cares about women’s rights or gay rights?  We better get our priorities right. 

The 6%

       Presidential candidate Mitt Romney made an off-the-record statement that 47% of the voters would never vote for him.  He got a lot of bad press when a live mike picked up this statement.  I find this interesting, because it is just a statement of fact.  Nothing should have been read into it. 

       Every Presidential candidate faces this reality.  People loyal to the Republican Party or the Democratic Party both vote for the their party’s candidate.  Others vote based on a candidate’s race, sex, or religion, and it has nothing to do with the candidate’s qualifications.  

       There are also people who vote because of the promise of free stuff, or a government job.  Special interest groups of all kinds promote a candidate because they want special considerations of some kind from the government.   Big Money and corporations fund a candidate’s campaign because they expect a sizable return on their investment though tax breaks, grants, loans, subsidies, and more.

Some people vote based on what their parents, educators, celebrities, movie stars, musicians, sports stars, or their peer group thinks.  They want to fit in with their peer group or associate with the people they admire.  

      Others are just more susceptible to propaganda. These people are sometimes referred to as “Useful Idiots.”  There seem to be more useful idiots among the young, but this makes sense as they have less experience and are more naive. 

Political propaganda is spread through advertising and the media.  There seem to be no repercussions from running political ads that stretch the truth or are outright lies.  I wish we could stop untrue political ads and negative ads, but the fact is they work, and will continue to work until the public gets smart enough to recognize them.  

The media plays a big role in promoting this injustice.  If a candidate makes a misstatement, it becomes big news.  They would much rather run with a story like this than actually tell if the candidate is qualified and ethical.  That story would be just too boring. 

The political elite will continue to divide our voters. The sad fact is that this has nothing to do with the candidate’s qualifications, experience, agenda, ethics, or leadership.  Every candidate will promise they are for jobs, the economy, the working middle class, but this promise usually lasts only until they get to Washington.  Then it is big government as usual. 

For all these reasons, a Presidential candidate from either party will have 47% of the voters that will never vote for him or her regardless of how qualified he or she might be.  Combined, that makes 94% of the voters.  That means only 6% of the voters determine our next President.  That 6% is responsible for the future of our great country and our children.  I hope the readers of this blog are in that 6%. 

Let’s be realistic for a moment.  President Obama would have lost both elections by a large margin if he had not carried over 90% of both the black and Muslim vote.  Race and religion were the determining factors in these two elections. 

Some say it is not polite to talk religion or politics.  But, if you are one of the responsible 6%, you better start talking, and don’t wait until the general election.  That may be too late.  We have to take back our country now.  Be vocal, get involved today.