Skin in The Game

How many times are we going to sit and listen to politicians from both party claims their interests lie with “the good of the American people” before the American people are completely fed up?  Night after night the Democrats fall back into their comfortable, ergonomically designed chairs at their friendly cable channel at MSNBC and assign the responsibility to their Republican counterparts who are sitting comfortably on the set of FOX news doing the exact same thing. However this particular wound appears to most Americans to have been created exclusively by the far right Republicans.  I find it insulting and disgraceful that almost to a person they can claim they are trying to work for the American people when it’s obvious that they are doing no such thing.  They sit in a bunker, draped in Kevlar while firing shots at the American economy. If it can help them avoid a primary and secure their own political ambitions, why not?  They have no skin in the game!

  There is actually an amendment to the constitution that provides pay and benefits for members of congress in the event of a government shutdown.  Can you believe that?  They cause a shutdown due to their own selfish political goals and they still get paid.  What do you think the consequences would be if their productivity was this low in the private sector?  My guess is that they would be searching the help wanted ads, hoping to find something with a job description that offers great pay, great benefits and expects nothing to be accomplished. Fortunately for them it works differently in Washington D.C., they all know that regardless of how ineffective they may be as members of congress, regardless of the damage they have caused countless American families, when they leave office they will be firmly on the path of financial security.  Speaking fees will be pouring in and lobbying firms will be knocking on the door.  I am sure there are measures we could enact to prevent this type of self serving, childish behavior; term limits, production evaluations, campaign finance reform, responsible lobbying laws, to name a few, but it would never make it through the congress.  It seems that anything that makes even the slightest bit of sense has little or no chance of being signed into law.

So here are the choices confronting republican leaders in the house and senate; stand fast on their extreme ideology, which every economist claims will completely tank the economy or make a deal and risk the dreaded primary from the far right wing.  Career first or Country first?  Some of these so called leaders will hide behind their conveniently gerrymandered districts, but just maybe a few of them will take their job title seriously and actually lead.  We Americans aren’t merely hoping you solve this self inflicted crisis, we expect it. Earn your money!