BY MICHAEL BUSLERNEWJERSEYNEWSROOMThere are a number of recent scandals that seem to have something in common. While the details regarding the specifics are not yet available, there seems to be a common theme. A difference exists between what we believe to be happening and what is actually happening. And it is occurring in areas of great concern.It started with the deaths of four Americans in Libya. We believe that all American diplomats and other non-military employees of the US government will be protected and reasonably safe in any area of the world where they are assigned. Our state department insures this and has congressional oversight.We also believe that journalists have a right and a duty to provide accurate information to the public. We believe that their privacy and their ability to perform their functions are protected by law, which means the justice department enforces the law, with congressional oversight.We believe that the IRS collects just the amount of data that they need to accurately determine tax liability and that this information is private and secure. We further believe that the IRS is an unbiased, non-political agency. We believe that the Treasury Secretary monitors IRS activity, with congressional oversight.We believe that the National Security Agency is collecting data on suspected terrorists. We understand that that we have to be inconvenienced at airports and give up some of our rights to privacy in order to strike a balance. But we believe that the NSA will respect our rights and not collect any more personal information than is absolutely necessary to insure safety. We also believe that this information will be kept confidential and safe. The President monitors this for us, with congressional oversight.The problem is that there seems to be a big difference between reality and what we believe to be reality. The truth is that the programs go further than we believe and that there seems to be no one looking out for our interests. So what do we do?As a result of these incidents, we have lost trust in government. Even the ever popular and eloquently spoken President Obama, has lost credibility. During his first term in office, his speeches were inspiring. Even if you disagreed with what he was saying, he said it in such a manner that you knew he truly believed his words and he was being completely forthright. Now things are different. The administration is either not properly monitoring the agencies to insure our trust or they simply are not being truthful with us. Either way, we have lost trust.How about Congress?Congress is supposed to oversee the administration’s actions to insure that the laws are followed and that the American people are aware. They have failed us miserably. Some members of Congress assure us of competent oversight while others claim there is no oversight at all. The result is that we have lost trust in Congress as well. So how do we fix this?The answer is relatively simple: remove all incumbents. For the next four years, make sure we vote in every election. Then, in order to clean house, we simply take the position that we will not vote for any incumbent in either a primary or general election. That is, we will not vote for anyone currently holding an elected position with the federal government.Every politician in virtually every election tells us that when they get to Washington things will change. Yet once there, things change very little, mostly because they are influenced by the incumbent members of Congress. The only way to insure that this does not happen is to remove all incumbents. That way, every member of Congress is new and cannot be influenced by the “old establishment”.I understand that there will be some strong temptations to vote for an incumbent whom you believe does represent your views and whom you personally like. Just keep in mind, that they are currently part of the establishment that has taken actions to destroy our trust. As such they should not be placed back in that position. Rather we should simply clean house.So, don’t vote for any federal incumbents in any primary or general election. After all, I doubt a whole new Congress could do a worse job and maybe they can restore the trust.
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