Make Way For New Blood

This Guest Opinion appeared in the Bucks County Courier Times last Monday 9/25 (there are a couple of items I’ve been a bit slow to get around to, and this is one of them). It was written by Joe Martinez of Langhorne Manor, Pa., a retired Air Force master sergeant (married with two adult sons and 11 grandchildren – Patrick Murphy is mentioned at the end).

Finally the American public is beginning to wake up to the political nightmare that has been allowed to permeate this country. It was appalling to read that the Wright family has held power in Middletown Township, PA for 41 years. First James Wright, followed by his son, Matt.

Matt Wright, by the way, is one of the PA state senators who voted for the unvouchered-expense pay raise as part of that fiasco in the summer of 2005 (at least one other is the departing Joe Conti).

As I noted on a separate post at the time…

Republican State Rep. Matthew Wright justified the 16 to 34 percent pay raise the legislature authorized about a week ago, saying it took “courage” for him to vote for it. He partly used as justification the fact that he “has to be on call for his constituents on a 24/7 basis.”

Wright, however, had no comment on the fact that PA legislators receive the following perks: $129 in expense money for every day they’re in Harrisburg; up to $650 a month or $7,800 a year to lease a car; fully paid health insurance valued at $13,000 a year; and a fully paid pension.

As the Bucks County Courier Times noted, “The increasing cost of health insurance alone has wiped out the salary increases most people have seen in recent years. In all likelihood, millions of Pennsylvanians are taking home less than they were a few years ago.”

Back to Mr. Martinez…

Assuredly, these long tenures exemplify what has gone wrong with our nation’s political system. Lawmakers are permitted to stay in office long beyond their capacity to remain focused on their constituents’ and the national interest. After a prolonged period, they run out of new ideas, boredom sets in, and they become unproductive.

Laws must be established to permit only two four-year terms to prevent politicians from staying in power and becoming stagnant, corrupt and power hungry. We criticize politicians in other countries for staying in power for life, yet some of our politicians do the same thing.

You often observe lawmakers being carried by their aides. Are we to believe these individuals are still capable of formulating policies? Indeed, they rely on their aides to arbitrate and to wake them up for photo opportunities. Let’s stop fooling ourselves!

Long-tenured politicians become entrenched in a web of power and influence, so self-absorbed in planning re-election strategies, that they neglect their primary duties. They become dictatorial, arrogant and imperialistic. One of the longest serving politicians in Washington, Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska, held the country hostage for $450 million for two bridges, including the “bridge to nowhere.”

This is just one example of the national resources being bled by lawmakers to protect their political positions. This is obviously the result of not having “checks and balances.” Bipartisan cooperation is non-existent. The political doctrine has become malicious, cutthroat and leveraged and supported by lobbyists. The exposure of Jack Abramoff revealed corruption that is destroying the fiber of our democratic principles.

Lifetime politicians must be replaced with younger individuals not groomed by political operatives dictating the continuation of their agendas. We need new individuals with integrity that are up-to-date in today’s world – energetic, intelligent, with visionary minds focused on a better future.

Installing more experienced politicians is clearly not advantageous. They are the corruptible as witnessed by the seasoned Cheney, Rumsfeld and Rice. They were specifically chosen to advise a less experienced man, President Bush. The state of our country, lack of leadership, and the disastrous world events are ample evidence that this philosophy does not work.

We have newcomers with 21st-century minds in the political arena. Worthy of mention is candidate Chris King. Chris has been working in the halls of Harrisburg since he graduated from college and has demonstrated the positive attributes mentioned above. He has hands-on experience on Harrisburg’s inner workings. It is chilling to hear him, as an insider, describe the waste that transpires without accountability. This is one of the reasons that inspired him to seek election as our state representative to stop the waste of taxpayers’ money.

Another man who has experience in what really is happening in the Middle East today is Patrick Murphy. He seeks the office of U.S. Congressman. Patrick served his country honorably in Iraq in spite of the deception. He preserved and remained loyal to his country until he was discharged from the Army. He now seeks to effect changes and a way to sort out a new and honorable path for our country.

These are the types of men that we must elect to office. They have clear minds uncorrupted by political operatives and lobbyists. They are working tirelessly for the opportunity to serve in our behalf to make a difference. I urge you to look beyond your political affiliation. Set aside what you hear and read in the media and listen to these individuals.

These are visionary young men dedicated, highly intelligent and obviously fed up with the status quo of the long-term incumbents’ failures to lead this country in the right direction.

And as always, to help Patrick, click here.