Hello and welcome back to the wonderful world of the Dogpound. The mid-term election is right around the corner, and the voters need to step up and make their voices heard. Do we vote red or blue, some other color, or do we really look at the candidate and the issues? Probably some of each, but the real problem seems to filter all the way to Washington, where it appears that once they get there, everyone goes to his or her individual corners and refuses to come out to play. I understand the role of party affiliation, but how many bills, resolutions, appointments, etc. wind up with pretty much no votes from the opposing party? Can everything be that bad that neither party can find something worthwhile in a bill, or at least find a compromise position? Not sure our Founding Fathers really saw this coming, which brings up the old subject of term limits for Congressmen. If you don’t think that is needed or really impacts you, consider the following facts. The AARP reported that the Social Security trust fund will fall short by 2034, and if nothing changes, the benefits will drop by 20 percent, while the Medicare trust fund will fall short by 2026. That may seem a long way off, but in reality it is just around the corner. Let’s not forget the U.S. Post Office that has struggled for years to be profitable; they just announced that they want to increase postage stamps by a full nickel and that may not be enough to right their ship. What is in common with all of these? Big government involvement. Many of those in Congressional leadership positions have been around a long time and have earned ownership of these problems even though they do everything they can to avoid taking that responsibility. Limited terms would help change the equation from always running to be re-elected to spending more time working on solving the issues we sent them to Congress to fix. So for fun, if you get the chance, ask your House member or senator where he stands on term limits, and if elected, would he sponsor/support such a proposal? I am sure it will be interesting to see their reactions and hear their thoughts on that particular topic. If you do so, please share.
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK
“You can lead a man to Congress, but you cannot make him think.”
– Milton Berle
SMILES
Visiting the modern art museum, a lady turned to an attendant standing nearby. “This,” she said, “I supposek is one of those hideous representations you call modern art?” “No, madam,” replied the attendant. “That one’s called a mirror!!”
A young man hired by at a supermarket reported for his first day of work. The manager greeted him with a warm handshake and a smile, gave him a broom and said, “Your first job will be to sweep out the store.” “But I’m a college graduate,” the young man replied indignantly. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t know that,” said the manager. “Here, give me the broom – I’ll show you how.”
Got to go. As always, be good, do good, play safe, and remember, your vote is a right and a privilege. Use it wisely.
– JR
