Constituents Activated – Now What?

Lawmakers, used to a silent constituency, are having a hard time dealing with what was thought to be an apathetic and uninvolved electorate. Because the USA is a republic, our elected officials may vote as they see fit while they are in office. Unfortunately, as their constituents become involved, the lawmakers are building up walls to protect themselves from the people who elected them. Voters are not without fault in this chaos, but neither are Congressmen and Senators.

In the past, voters have forgotten what their elected officials have done by the time that the next vote has taken place. The result is that lawmakers know that unless they are up for re-election in the near future, they are free to do as they wish.

As Americans, we also have a problem with clear understanding of bills and reasoning behind votes. We often hear the rhetoric of the opposing party with poor understanding of all the issues handled in the particular bill. Often bills are filled with many amendments pertaining to many separate issues, but the bills are named for a high profile proposal within the bill. As a result, our representatives are in the lamentable position that they need to vote for a bill that is full of earmarks (additions to legislation to direct funds toward specific projects) and pork barrel projects (additions to legislation to spending added to a bill for constituents – often thought to be in return for favors) because of the appearance of voting against a popular issue.

Congress and the Senate have been an elite group with a posh living style and little understanding for the plight of their constituents. I am very disappointed in what I am hearing from the Congressmen in the meetings being held on the healthcare issue. I have seen some of the town hall meetings where attendees did not allow the elected official to answer questions which is obviously not very productive. In defense of the voters, they are very frustrated because they can see that their own representative is merely biding their time until the meeting is over and intend to do as they wish having very little thought for what their constituents might want.

This wall built by Representatives and Senators is demeaning to the electorate and is inciting further protest. Our elected officials have hidden behind long drawn out bills which are difficult, if not impossible, to read so that the voters depend upon rhetoric for decisions on bills. Rhetoric comes from both parties and has come from elected officials, their minions, interest groups, and unfortunately, on our public airwaves, from the media. The situation is a perfect storm for an uninformed electorate and an aristocratic government who do as they please with often disastrous results. I have heard much clamoring about a desire for short bills in plain English so that voters can assess the bills for themselves.

The question is “Now what?” Will the voter go back to his corner and give in to a possible socialized government? Will the 2010 election bring big change in the House and the Senate? Will our electorate mobilize and make the USA a country where our elected officials will act to the benefit of their constituents and where an open dialog with our representatives must happen so that we can understand why they voted as they did on each vote? In short, will we take our country back?