Scammers & Politicians
Yesterday, my phone rang and a mechanical voice informed me, “Due to unusual activity, your social security account had been frozen and you will not receive future deposits. To correct this issue stay on the line and speak with a representative.” I slammed the phone down.
Usually, I push these recurring scams from my mind, but this time I couldn’t. I thought about all the people who are conned out of thousands of dollars by this and other scams. Why can’t someone, like the Federal Communications Commission or Congress, fix this problem? As I grumbled, it occurred to me then that there are similarities between these con artists and politicians.
When I was young, I looked up to elected officials. These statesmen (they were usually men when I was young) ran the city, state, and even the entire country. I thought they must be really smart and dedicated to working for the common good. I wondered why so many of my elders had a low view of these important individuals. As I got older, I realized that many were just politicians seeking money and power from voters.
Scammers seek to gain power over you by trickery. Then they take your money. We ask politicians to fix problems like crime, bad schools, homelessness, and the flow of illegal drugs. They promise to do so if we pay more taxes. We pay but, instead, we get defunding the police, Critical Race Theory, and more drugs crossing an open border. Nothing improves and the politicians get richer. How is that different from a scam artist?
If politicians actually solved problems, we wouldn’t need as many bureaucrats. Our bloated government and trillions in debt should be proof of that. Most politicians seem to have an inflated sense of self-importance and a strong need to be admired. I would put both Bill Clinton and Joe Biden in this category. This drives them to win elections term after term. As they become more entrenched in government many discover ways, both legal and illegal, to make money. For them, power and cash become the measure of their self-importance.
At this point, they don’t need to solve problems; they have what they need. They are wealthy and affirmed by the voters around them.
So what’s the solution?
Solving problems is the hard work of politics and it takes more than slogans, smiles, and kissing babies. But, how do we find problem solvers? Since people come with their own unique characteristics there probably isn’t a single solution.
Perhaps the best way to eliminate self-serving politicians is to ensure that being elected isn’t a long-term career choice. Fifteen states have some form of term limits for governors, legislatures, and other statewide offices. Hopefully, in the coming years, this number grows. On the federal level, term limits would require a constitutional amendment. A significant number of our current political class would oppose such a measure.
Currently, members of congress are fully vested after five years and can draw up to eighty percent of their salary depending on when they were first elected, how old they are when they get out and which pension option they choose. The Founding Fathers envisioned a citizen legislature where those elected would serve a term or two and then go home and resume their previous career. If they didn’t receive a pension then the nation might return to that ideal.
Another possible option is for a part-time Congress. In my home state of Washington, the legislature meets for 60 or 105 days, depending upon the year. The first federal Congress met for a total of 210 days over two years. Recent congressional sessions have stretched to twice that length. Yes, the world is more complex today but, if congress met less often it would probably pass fewer bills, taxes might be lower, and government would be less bloated.
These reforms may not solve my issue with phone scammers, but they might help solve the problem of a congress detached from the lives and problems of ordinary Americans.
