Sunday, September 19, 2010

Is it stupid to keep doing the same thing and expecting a different result?

The founding fathers devised a plan to encourage regular citizens to rule our land by and for the people. They feared the "ruling elite" which only served the interests of themselves first and the king or queen next. There was little if any room left for the interests of the people and that is why the revolution worked.

Unfortunately, this wise and well planned effort of our founders has been circumvented by the new ruling class, which hangs onto power and their seats for a lifetime. There are even some examples of the governing elite becoming a family business, handed down from father to son for generations in some cities, states and even the nation.

This is not how it was meant to be. It is time to get back to the checks and balances of electing the common folk, not the “ruling elite”. No one should serve more than two terms, nor be allowed too much power in our system. Some might claim that the people are just electing well qualified people, but that claim does not ring true as we have seen in how our entire country is being run into the ground. The claim of too many of these long serving "elitists" is that the people are just picking the best qualified. Well, we all know that is not the case. Voters just lazily ignore thinking about what should be done, or even accept some level of obligation to keep "their councilman, congressman, or whomever" in office, because they either do not vote or just pull levers like a robot...

We are now at a real crossroads, where being a lazy voter is no longer tolerable. Our county, state, and community can no longer just allow the "ruling elite" to keep their seats as usual. We must understand and act upon the plan of the founding fathers and vote for your neighbor or business associate for office, rather than the same old folks making the same old mistakes. They have proven that they will rule in their own interests and have a long standing vested interest to do so.

I respectfully implore my fellow citizens to ask themselves before they support any candidate: Why are you voting for this person who has failed to deliver on so many promises? Why vote for the same person if you believe as most of us do that our country, state and community is on the wrong path? Why not vote for hope and install a new face with fresh ideas and at least some new solutions? Do you really owe it to that incumbent your vote, when so many issues have gone wrong or plans failed, or worse? I say the answer is NO!

Please consider this seriously as you vote in this election cycle. Is it really proper to maintain the status-quo? Is it in our collective interest to assume that those who have lead for year, are really going to get a new answer if they have another term? It would seem that answer is clearly, NO! I will vote for only fresh ideas and new faces at each election that I can exercise my right to vote in and ask that you do the same. Make our country, state and community stronger by infusing it with new leadership and hope for the future... I see no reason to believe that making the same mistake, by voting in incumbents again and again, will somehow result in a new solution. Do you?

Roger A. Leonard
Suffolk...

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

I propose the following response to the questions and commentary of Roger Lenorad.
Those who are in power at present and before including those who have been sucking the oxygen out of DC, Richmond and here is Suffolk for years and years are the ruling eliets. They thrive on power, they have never had a job in their life. They have sucked the system to the point now that the system is almost dried up and left it empty now they are looking for avenues to replenish it with taxes, known and unknown hidden is some bill or bill that has already been passed. Locally they use the word fees.
They, politicans, remind me of the ones who show up at some type of a community event where others charitable acts are providing a give away of a service, product or even food. They are there to take from those who actually need the charitable act.Many times you see that the public is no different from the carrer politican.
This country since 2006 has become divided along the lines of color, class, and moral relativity and political correctness are like worms, eating away at the substance of what America stands for. People understand worms so this example should by broadcast far and wide. The career politican and the wards of the nany state have become the worms.With that being said there is another process that is destroying our political process. I will call it the ME theory.It's all about ME, ME.Is this what it has become? A case of ones survival? I will say this I have done well only because of "my" hard work and now I am starting to ask, will I survive?, Will my family survive after I am not here to provide for them? Will they survive due to the hard work that they will perform during their lifetimes? My kids I think will but will the next generations survive?
What every voter who votes at the local, the state and especially at the federal level need to ask them selves the following question.Does the politican and to those who want to become a politican (aka once known as a public servant) is he or she "out of alignment with "my" values.?"
The more we scream they refuse to listen to us because if they do, he or she will not be true to their values. This is how all eliets and dictators think.

Anonymous said...

Many incumbents are the ones who know how to use the system to ones advantage.When one has served year after year has anyone ever really questioned how a politician who serves as a full time "public servant" is paid a set figure with it's KNOWN perks that are a part of the financial package, please explain how they can justify their personal wealth growing by 15 to 40% each and every year they "serve".Not all serving politicans have multi million dollar book contracts.Not all politicans are using the system to their advantage. One example would be Joe Biden. This man appears to be happy with his status.What Americans are having problem with are his liberal policies and his support of Obama's socialist agenda.
The one serious fault with our system is our inability to hold our political leaders accountable to the voters for the "mistakes" they make almost daily and you never hear an apology, they don't care. WE have seen how some representives of the BPC have funneld scholarships to their own family members and friends.Look at what is going on with Maxine Waters and Charlie Rangel, apparently they broke the ethical rules of Congress and perhaps the laws of the USA. Where is Congress in pushing for the upholding of it's rules? Where is the DOJ to see if any laws were broken? What a sham on the American people. Rangel just won his primary again, what is wrong with the people who elect these people? The cesspool exists beacause many of the voters come from the cesspool of society who actually think that the minority voter is going to benefit from those who actually hold them down with promises and who believe in class warfare and reparrations.The black elites are the new plantation owners and have become that with the help of other liberal (democrats) history verfies that.Still it's about the money being stolen for private use.
It's all about the money for the states. Since the 17th Amendment changed the Constitution by changing the way Senators became Senators; money flows more to the Feds and the Feds in turn bribe and threaten the States into being submissive with what was formerly the States own money. Education is a perfect example: if the States adopt the Feds new dumbed down Education program they will get Federal money to help them do it if the States refuse to conform, they get no Federal Education funds the same goes for 100s of other Federal programs. There is only one way to stop the Feds from tyranical rule over the states and by proxy the people: cut off the money going to the Feds.
Roger asks what is wrong with the people who reelect politicians like Rangel and Waters. I believe that the answer is that many of his and her constituents "are on the take" just as Rangel and Waters are. I would venture to say that a high percentage of Rangel's and Water's constituents are receiving welfare, or some other form of government goodies, taken from the paychecks of the producers and given to the non-producers. Their "taking" may be "legal" and Rangel's and Water's "taking" may be on a bigger scale and not "legal" but they are all taking, they are birds of a feather, seeking something for nothing.
When we hear the lberal elites both black and white say things With bizarre words to describe free Americans, voting in a free election as a "conspiracy".
WHY the haste to institutionalise, enact laws to fix their programs over the vocal objections of many Americans?
They call their bills insurance . Insurance For whom and against what? The awakening of Americans from our long sleep?
We the People are the guarantors of our Constitutional government and We the People must act at the ballot box to throw the garbage out. I believe that Frederick Douglass said: "The price of liberty is eternal vigilance."
See you at the polls in November.

Anonymous said...

Any of you long worded individuals going to vote Randy Forbes out of office? How about Bobby Scott or any other long toothed incumbent? Words speak loud, actions speak louder. So before you close the curtain and vote, how about telling us whom will you vote out this year.

Anonymous said...

This year we hear bold voices and chest thumping from concerned citizens demanding accountability and change. But when it comes to their member of the House of Representatives it's a different story. Most of DC's cast of elected characters will return after November because very few voters are willing to send them a message regardless of their record. The electorate have been conditioned to believe it's always the other guy, their's is just fine bringing home tax dollar pork projects and stimulus dollars to their district. Well it's not fine, our country is nearly bankrupt because of their inflated egoes. There always seems to be an excuse to vote for the incumbent and not the challenger. After more than a decade in DC, don't you think it's time they should move on and let others fill their shoes? Randy Forbes like all the others on Capital Hill cannot and will not yield his power and that is reason enough to vote him out. He has joined the ruling elite hungry for committee chairmanships, power and influence so now it's time for him to go.

Called your bluff said...

Hypocrite is such an ugly word, but applicable to those saying they want to end career political incumbents while endorsing their established staid platforms. IS appears to want change but quietly supports Forbes. Is there no Conservative in the forth district worthy of consideration?

rpock said...

Well, who is better qualified? "IS" will surely consider endorsing that person.

Anonymous said...

As of right now all of them are on the fence. With the announcemnt of Boeing closing, my bet is they knew and have known that the JFCO is gone. None of our reps are worth their weight in spit. They are like the UN. Write a letter and have a meeting, Write another letter and have another meeting to discuss the first meeting etc etc.

Claude Pepper said...

Pock this is exactly the problem with candidates from either side. The local Republican Party has their boy and the purse strings. So while this Post inspires change (Note the last two lines)from the status quo, there lacks the initiative to seek that person out. The other concern is Mr. Forbes intends to make being a member of the House of Representatives a lifetime job just like his predessesor Norman Sissisky. Would you say that's a fair assumption?

So do not ask me for my choise. There are many contenders for the nomination that have been bullied by this incumbent's party and his political machine. The best candidate could very well be sitting right there in your chair. But Mr. Forbes must be made to understand it's time to go.

Anonymous said...

It's never the best person nor the most popular that is elected. It is the one that has the most connections and money. Once they're in they stay until they are wheeled out on a gurney at room temperature. Is that the government we deserve? The next time you see Mr. Forbes ask him how long he plans on staying in office? You'll see how well a member of the ruling elite can dodge a question.

Anonymous said...

Well I must agree with you and what a timely article idea. Mr. Forbes has a strangle hold on his position there is no doubt, but he is not the only one. Just look ast how long many of the createns on our local council have been there. Nuff said!

Anonymous said...

If popularity isnt a driving force, then please explain why 96% of blacks voted for this post racial manchild?

Anonymous said...

A president and governor has term limits. Once the have served the full term they have to move on. A senator or house member on the other hand can be there forever.

It's not just about party majority, chairmanships, power or buying votes with tax dollars. It's about being elected, doing the job they were elected to do, then make room for someone else. If an incumbent like Randy Forbes doesn't understand that then he isn't serving us, we are serving him.

Anonymous said...

Blacks voted for Obama first because of his color, second because of his income redistribution programs and third because they always vote democrat regardless of how badly they have been represented. Chicago style thug politics helped him get to the House and Senate. But he will be gone in two to six years.

Forbes however will still be warming a seat in the House well after 2016, unless he and his fellow politicians on Capital Hill are made to understand that it's not a job for life.

Anonymous said...

November 2 is National Take Out the Trash Day! Don't forget to vote! And the last time I looked, Randy Forbes hadn't bothered to sign on to the TEA Party grassroots initiative, Contract From America promising to commit themselves to smaller government, lower taxes, and more individual freedom. So as far as I am concerned, he's made himself fair game in November too! But when his declared opponent supports socialism, wealth redistribution, and everything else Pelosi and Obama have thought up so far to destroy our economy, at least Forbes pretends to believe the right things. He just won't make a commitment. Of course, the Democrat on the ticket is also an avowed atheist also, so who choses to trust anybody who acknowledges no moral authority above what he looks at every morning when he's shaving? So Loser Number 2 probably is worse than Loser Number 1. What a choice--again!

Anonymous said...

So we have a choise between Satan the Socialist or Randy Forbes the perpetual. The problem lies not in the finalists it's in the process of nominating a candidate by a party, in term limits and in voter apathy. It appears tha latter for the time being has been addressed however this November we enter the voting booth holding our nose over our choise of candidates. With my vote I intend to send a message to Mr. Forbes to retire and/or seek higher office.

Anonymous said...

I asked Congressman Forbes a very simple question; How long does he plan to remain our Congressman? It's been 15 days and still I am waiting for his response. However I have received about eight emails from his office asking for contributions while touting his achievements. I asked the same question to Senator Webb and have received basicaly the same treatment. After all that has been said and done by the Tea Party activists, why aren't you fed up being treated as their b-tch.

Anonymous said...

What ever happened to VOAI? Has there been a change of heart or were you not serious when it comes to Republican incumbents. Those suffering from selective memory loss should read again their earlier comments.

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