See Allan Jeffreys’ Opinion Column in the Feb 28, 2010 edition of the Pilot newspaper.
http://www.thepilot.com/news/2010/mar/01/uphill-battle-save-our-country/

by Bob Hansen; ABTL Director

As a true American, I am disheartened and alarmed to see the direction our leadership is taking this great nation.  It is clear that the path we are being led…no….forced to accept, is destroying America.

It appears that the repetitive terms held by all members of Congress have numbed them to their primary responsibility to serve the American electorate.  Instead, they ALL have become corrupted by the very power that was granted them by the citizens of this great Nation.  Imagine that at one time, before gaining a national seat in Congress, many of these figures were trustworthy people….clear thinking and rational.  Look what the pursuit of power and seeking the financial backing they need for re-election has turned them into. It should be clear to every American.  They have become the most corrupt group to ever disgrace this Nation.  And we do not need Czars that are not reviewed and approved, and are unaccountable.

In 2010, the entire House of Representatives will stand for re-election.  At the same time,one third of the Senate will also seek to be re-seated.  Vote every single one of them out !

We can’t expect them to fix the corruption problem…they benefit from the corruption problem !  They have become the problem. It should not matter what party affiliation they represent. This Nation deserves a fresh start, without the influence of special interests, Wall Street, or deeply entrenched politicos that hide in the dark and pull strings. Let’s start over with 435 people with no experience in corruption and deal-making. There are highly experienced people that would run if the circumstances of the institution were free of corruption. Who with a clear mind wants to knowingly enter a system so filled with lies, double-dealing, and intentional misrepresentation?

And, let’s send a message to the Senate that the game has changed. One third is a good start.In 2012, we can get another third out…replace them with honest men and women.  We need real leaders…not comedians and talk-show hosts.  By 2014, great people will be seeking the next third…and our job is complete

These people need to know that they work for the American citizens FIRST. We need to take our Country back, and do it peacefully.  It is our constitutional responsibility and right.

To do so, we need to have strict term limits for each member of Congress. It is reasonable that any dedicated, truly honest American willing to serve this Nation, would back his or her words with a simple pledge;  to bond their promise to serve no more than 6 years in the Senate or House.  This cash bond, from their own net worth, places great value on their words and actions; and, creates the need for accountability. It’s called BONDED TERM LIMITS.

Spread the word TODAY.  IT”$  YOUR  FUTURE !   America still has a chance. Only Americans can change America…politicians will not !

Back in 1961, a composer named Pete Seeger wrote a protest song performed most notably by folk singers Peter, Paul and Mary, entitled “Where Have All the Flowers Gone”? Today in 2009 maybe ole Pete should attempt a rewrite, but this time call it “Why Have All the Jobs Gone”?

Our omniscient politicians, always seeking easy cover, would have you believe that American job loss is primarily a function of lower wages in far away places. As easy cover this assertion is partially correct. But as the adage goes, “a half-truth is a whole lie.” How is it that Toyota, Honda and Nissan are able to manufacture automobiles profitably in the U.S. while paying the same labor rates as GM, Chrysler and Ford? Do politicians consider the cost of shipping a product to the U.S. as part of the total cost equation? Doesn’t the increased cost of transportation effectively increase a lower labor rate?

The state of North Carolina is an excellent case study. Once a manufacturing powerhouse, North Carolina had one of the lowest unemployment rates in the United States. Today it has the 5th highest. From North Carolina came brilliantly manufactured furniture and textiles which were shipped to locations around the world. Tobacco was North Carolina’s largest agricultural crop, and superior banking and construction industries provided capital and literally “built” the economy. Added to these economic drivers is a truly visionary phenomenon called the Research Triangle Park (RTP). Nestled among a variety of colleges and universities in the central region of the state, the RTP produces hi-tech and medical innovations; a continuing supply of new products to be manufactured. Today these North Carolina economic engines have either disappeared, or are dramatically reduced in size. Government run health care will knell the death of the RTP. Medical innovation will become virtually non¬existent, as is the case in Europe and the rest of the world which relies almost entirely on the United States for such development.

Historically, when North Carolina’s economy went into recession, a rebound was ultimately available. This availability existed because manufacturing jobs of sufficient quantity were present to affect such a rebound. Manufacturing is the only non-¬government sector which can produce jobs in sufficient quantity to actually put large numbers of people back to work quickly. The massive decline in North Carolina’s traditional manufacturing employment has unfortunately been masked over the last ten years as the result of the artificially created housing construction bubble. A bubble created by politicians, which by some estimates affected 40% of the nation’s employment rolls.

The often stated assertion that the United States is becoming a service economy misdirects the core issue: “Shall I trade my legal services for your accounting services–while we both stand naked and hungry?” Not a pretty visual. The unstated and missing component to this ploy is that in order to be a service provider of any value, high levels of education are required. Yet for decades only about 27% of the American population has earned a bachelor’s degree or higher. If the term “service economy” is defined as the much maligned “hamburger flipper”, then certainly America qualifies. But if America is to pretend that a dominant service economy is its solution, then superior levels of educational achievement are imperative. Somehow and most unfortunately, we just do not seem motivated enough as a country to rectify our educational dilemma. What happens then to the 73% of the population without college degrees? As Americans will continue to discover, millions are going to remain unemployed.

Why the job exodus? It’s quite simple–politicians. The growth of government regulation has become the proverbial straw that has broken the back of America’s ability to produce. The governmental regulatory burdens have so increased the cost of making anything, the exodus to foreign shores has been horrific. Just try to count the intervening governmental agencies with their ever ¬increasing rules, regulations, guidelines, independent (and conflicting) interpretations, inspectors and requirements. The IRS, the DOE, the EPA, the DWQ, OSHA, SHIPO, CAMMA and the EEOC–just to name a very few. Environmental regulation is in and of itself sufficient to make every existing company or potential project economically unfeasible. The regulatory environment just grows on itself without ever being reviewed for efficacy. Regulatory bureaucrats thrive with no connection to or understanding of the simple fact that it is only private sector initiatives which pay for and justify their existence. But as for bureaucratic operations, no discernable economic hierarchy or priority exists between or among them. In the wealth creating (private) sector, economic priority must focus on the most important to the least important, and costs are allocated accordingly. But in the world of government, all regulatory bureaucrats are created equal. Each pays egotistical homage to the other, with the least relevant and most unnecessary having identical “project killing” capability.
The U.S. Department of Energy is an excellent example of such bureaucratic nonsense. Originated in 1977 under the Carter administration, this Department was specifically created to reduce America’s 30% dependency on foreign oil. Thirty-two years later, this agency has 16,000 direct employees, retains an additional 100,000 contract employees, has a budget of $24.2 billion, and America is now only 70% dependent on foreign oil. Conversely, nuclear power has been proven to be the most environmentally friendly form of energy as well as the most efficient. Nuclear technology has advanced dramatically in cost effectiveness and safety. Nuclear plants are now smaller and the need to store waste material has been virtually eliminated. Most importantly, there has never been a nuclear catastrophic event on U.S. soil. Why then have no nuclear plants been constructed in the United States in more than 30 years? Why such absurdity? Because our elected leaders have lost the courage to do what is obviously a right thing for America. Politicians are so busy placating every divergent interest in fear of losing their “spot in the palace” that they will sacrifice the overall good of America for personal gain today. Politicians have become careerists. It’s no longer public service; it’s self service. It’s the business of growing their own business of government, under the guise of compassion, creating the end result of irrational outcomes. It’s taking money from those who earn and produce, in order to buy votes from those who do not or who curry special favor, under rules they themselves make. Of themselves, by themselves, and unfortunately, for themselves.
Wouldn’t it be nice just once to see the U.S. Congress make a decision based on the good of our country and not in any way based on how a position might affect their prospects for re-election? The one thing for certain is that we would have a much better and more common sensical world, and Pete Seeger could stick to writing songs about flowers.