TEA'D off? Vote them out!!!

Yesterday was a significant day in the U.S. First, it was filing day for federal income taxes. This used to be more significant, back in the days where we wrote a check for the taxes due, generally a large one. Estimated tax payments were not all that necessary because we saved money and we had the money put back. Regardless, it was a day of reckoning, paying up for your share of the tax burden. The second significance of yesterday was the Tea Parties held all over the country. They had reenactments of the Boston Tea Party, protesting runaway government spending and mortgaging the future of our children and grandchildren. Estimates of crowds attending varied widely, depending who you listened to, but they were large. Politicians and wannabes gave speeches and droned on about the wastefulness of the government and and how they are running us into the ground. It was truly an impressive undertaking.

The question I will pose is did it do any good? Was anything accomplished that will result in true government reform or was it just a bunch of angry white guys venting their spleens? The answer is only time will tell. If we wake up on the day after election day in November 2010 and the same worthless politicians have been re-elected, then we will know that either those that want change didn't work hard enough or that those who support these thieves running our government really outnumber us, and we are S.O.L.

You will note that I have not mentioned a political party above, and with good reason. There are responsible individuals in most of the recognized parties and they each have their maggots. Unfortunately the maggots have a willing electorate that can be counted on to re-elect them by telling them what they are going to do for them, not what the maggot will do for the future of our country. Each time they get re-elected and go about feathering their own nest to the detriment of the rest of the country. Talk about Ground Hog Day. We must break this cycle of ignorance!

So there is about a year and a half to get something going. Does it mean a new political party? Maybe. Historically that takes a long time to establish and I really don't think we have that long. Here are a few ideas I have that might make it work if we vote the bums out:

1. Return to the days of a citizen legislature. Pay a minimal salary (Texas pays theirs $7,200 per year and they have people fighting for the jobs), no retirement, and term limits.

2. Outlaw lobbyists and place a bounty on the heads of those who dare to circumvent the law.

3. Limit taxpayer funded staff to one secretary, with a maximum salary of $25,000.

4. Pass a balanced budget amendment and enforce it. NO ACCOUNTING TRICKS (I'm watching!)

5. Have public floggings for politicians that tell lies. I'm sure Youtube will eat it up.

Seriously, I think we should do our best to make them wish for their term to end early by some act of God. Anybody that puts up with the abuse more than one term should be adjudged incompetent by reason of insanity.

Do I think any of the above will happen? No. I full well expect to see the same maggots being sworn in January 2011. I hope someone will prove me wrong.