Our Political System is Broken!

I feel Trump's administration has shed a huge light on how self-centered our representatives really are. Let's face it, the way our 2 party system is set-up is like having 2 opposing football fans. Neither one will agree with each other nor call out their own team when they do something wrong. To be honest if the shoe was on the other foot, republicans would be outraged and yelling for impeachment if Trump was a democrat, and rightly so! Both parties have shown their hypocrisy during this current and past impeachment trials. These politicians are in office for the money and the benefits that go along with it. It's not about doing the right thing or protecting our country's basic values. It's all about having power and influence, and preserving their jobs. You know it and I know it, to deny it is not being honest.

Sometimes I wonder what our founding fathers were thinking when they instituted Presidential pardons? Do American citizens have the right to pardon a friend if they're convicted of a crime? I'm sure our founding father's didn't expect Presidential Pardons to be used this way, but it was used by President Ford to pardon Nixon of his crimes. President Trump has already issued 11 pardons!

Something else surprises me, allowing the House and the Senate decide if they will have witnesses in a trial? Really? How can you get at the truth of anything without witnesses? What ever happened to this country's main right of being Innocent unless proven guilty? How can you deny the proof at a trial without any witnesses or evidence to the fact? I can't believe the system is rigged this way. It sure seems like laws and the court system is different for the elite and the President than it is for the average American. The President seems like he's protected and above the law then the average American citizen. How can we have a true democracy when such powers are granted to protect the President and a political party?

I believe with the current division this country is seeing, the U.S. will become so divided our country will fall. So the saying goes...United we Stand, Divided we Fall. A simple saying, but true.

Personally I feel parts of our constitution have become outdated. Our founding fathers could have never foreseen the age of computers, cell phones and social media. The protection granted by the 4th amendment of the constitution and the right to privacy is being trampled upon! Edward Snowden tried to warn of this, and look what happened to him. The use of the Electoral College has also become outdated. Majority rule has always been the deciding factor in decision making everywhere except in dictatorships. So why do we allow a select number of conservative or liberal states decide an election?

To have a true democracy, this is what I personally feel needs to be done:

1. Get rid of the 2-Party system. There should be no political labels, period. Let candidates run on the issues without any political affiliation or
platform. This would allow candidates to speak their mind instead of following a political platform or being black listed by their affiliated party
for not doing so. This would also stop politically bias news. There would no longer be a "political majority" and representatives and the President
would no longer be able to point the finger at each other. They would have to negotiate in good faith on behalf of the American people without
political party stamped on their foreheads.

2. Candidates should be held to only (2) terms in office. This would prevent them from siding with particular issues just to hold onto their political
office. There would no-longer be "Career Politicians" who gain influence and power over other government representatives. This would give
them a set amount of time to push their agenda for change and then "get out". If they knew they only had two terms to make a change, they
would work much harder to do so. A political office would no-longer be looked upon as a lucrative career and a way to become a millionaire.
Siding on an issue would no longer be tied-in with being popular with their base since their terms are finite.

3. Take the money out of politics!! No more corporate and special interest donations. They should all become illegal. All candidates should be
given a capped equal amount of free campaign expenses. Any campaign expense in the form of advertising, travel or venue, should be a written-
off tax credit for those businesses that supply them. This should be looked upon as a civil duty to preserve an unbiased and level playing field for
all candidates. The field of candidates would have to be limited depending upon early polling numbers or another form of reducing the number
of candidates running for office.

4. A national spread sheet on a candidates stance on the issues should be posted and updated at the national, state and city level. It should be a
concise yes or no, along with a simple sentence on their perspective. This will benefit voters who really don't follow the candidates positions
closely and will help give them a clear perspective of where the candidate stands on issues that directly affects the voter.

5. Main issues that affect the majority of Americans such as healthcare, gun legislation, world conflicts and occupations that would put young men
and women in harms way should be voted on directly by the American citizens at the voting booths! These issues are just too great to
leave in the hand of a few politicians where many of them can't even relate to the average hard-working American.

6. The salary of these politicians should reflect the average wage of the majority of Americans. Their medical benefits should also reflect the
average of most Americans. How can Americans expect these representatives to feel our pain and frustrations when their salaries and benefits
are well above the average of most Americans?

7. A separate national public watch-dog group should be elected to keep tabs on our elected officials to make sure special interest and illegal
donations are not going on behind the scenes. They should also be a check and balance to make sure our elected officials are upholding their
oath of office and using office expenditures legally.

8. Remove presidential pardons, executive privileges, and vacationing travel expenses by Presidents. These Presidential privileges are being abused.
Private businesses don't pay for their executive's traveling expenses and so shouldn't the American people. We don't elect dictators, so they
shouldn't be abusing their office and using tax payers money for their own self-interests.

9. Create an age cap for candidates running for President. You're required to be 35 years-old to run for President so there should be an age cap of
maybe 62 to run for the office of president. The demands of the Presidency requires a sharp mind. We all know as the body ages, all our body
systems decline. I feel anyone who would be in charge of the world's largest nuclear arsenal and able to give a command to strike another
country, should be mentally fit. I'm 60, so it's not like I'm in my thirties just trying to attack the baby boomers. Just thinking realistically.

So what are your thoughts about our system?

First of all, President Trump did nothing wrong. This was a political freak show, intended to sway an election. With that out of the way...

The only way to clean up politics, is to throw out the lawyers.

Ban lawyers from running for office. That's the only real fix.

a reply to: WeRpeons

Check
Check
And Check

I nominate WeRpeons!

From your finger tips to "God's TADA"!

Actually, we need to simply decide as a country which side we want to be on:

1. The side where government stays out of your life.

2. The side where government runs your life.

Each side then amicably splits and goes their separate ways. It's the only way I think because you really cannot compromise over something like that.

What Nixon did was childs play in comparison to what the DNC has done. They all need to voted out and sued into poverty

a reply to: WeRpeons

First off, we are not a Democracy.

Just stop with that ####... read and learn how our Founding Fathers set this up.

Secondly, Obama should have rightfully been impeached by Republicans when he did his "Dreamer" EO, which he himself stated wasn't Constitutional and he couldn't just do that... but yet he did it anyways.

Third, All you really have to do is vote for the party that gives you more freedom as opposed to the party that gives you less.

Your choice and vote wisely.

I agree with the vast majority of your ideals.

It is the practical part of getting the laws changed where I see the problem.

1. People form parties etc. independent of the government. I don't see how restricting people from identifying with a party would work. After all, when I form the CobaltCPD party built around drunken, debaucherous sexscapades how dare you restrict my freedom jk. My parties line includes banning all guns....LEGALIZING ARTILLERY AND CHEMICAL WEAPONS, banning abortion, legalizing infanticide, banning gay marriage, also banning straight marriage, ban people from not smoking. this will be one hell of a party jk Also all illegal aliens will be legal, but legal aliens will be made illegal cuz why not?

2. Agreed. It would be nice to see this expanded to Senators, Governors and members of the House of Rep. etc. We just have to get the people voting for this law to agree to limit their terms....might be difficult.

3. Agree 100%. The issue is practical. How do we get the people in power to pass laws restricting their own powers. Especially given that the courts no longer "check" power like they used too. (Checks and Balances outta whack in our gov't yo!) Honestly the tight march of the executive branch and legislative branch has damn near broken checks and balances.

4. I think, but I am not sure, that many private organizations already do this. Also a list of stances is problematic because of insane detail levels required regarding certain issues. See the CobaltCPD party.

5. How often are votes held? What is the process for nominating an issue for this type of vote? Where are the lines drawn.


6. Agreed. Now if we could get them to vote for a giant pay cut...

7. Alot of private non-government organizations etc. (NGOs) and the press already do this. The quality of their work is a whole other question. Their technically is an organization within the government that does this already called the GAO I believe.

8. I'm for limiting the powers of the executive branch. However I don't wanna vote on every roll of toilet paper the government needs.

9. Agreed. I like 65 better. Now we gotta get a bunch of power hungry men over 60 to vote on that....

Honestly I agree with you on most of the ideals here. Unfortunately the structures of power and reality don't seem to line up. A fun exercise would be to come up with some big brain play to get these laws passed as I agree with your ideals quite wholeheartedly.

Let’s burn it down start over, feed the tree of liberty.. I’m tired of supporting the Berger’s and politicians, same thing I figure!

a reply to: WeRpeons

Didn't the Democrats already have 12 witnesses? Then when they failed to produce any evidence a crime had been committed by President Trump requested more?

Just chose a small part as it was part of the premise of your post.

Aside from.that some pretty decent points particularly 8 and 9. With 6 the problem already exists trying to attract the best talent to government but can't compete with private wages. Abolish that life long pension BS though.

a reply to: IAMALLYETALLIAM

The House Democrats didn't hold a trial. Why wouldn't the Senate want to cross examine the witnesses that the house offered up?

Then there's the question of why the Senate would turn a blind eye to "new" first hand witnesses and other relevant evidence. Since the Senate declined to hear new evidence, unless Republicans take the House and the Senate this year, prepare for "Benghazi 2.0".

a reply to: WeRpeons

If you conduct yourself like the democrats and try to eliminate the Electoral College, garner votes from illegals, dead and sock puppets, set fire to cities, smash question askers with bike locks, give zero flux about Ambassadors lives, delete evidence, infest intelligence agencies, are bankrolled by globalists......and STILL can't coup - then the system does indeed appear broken.

Thank # for the Electoral College otherwise Ol' Dodgy.

a reply to: WeRpeons

I think you do not understand something fundamental about politics. The people in power are NOT going to give up their power because you are ranting "this shouldn't be". The people in power like things exactly as they are.

All the Trump impeachment fiasco has shown is Republicans will put their own party before the Constitution, the rule-of-law, and their oath-of-office. Now that King Trump has free reign it's just going to get worse. I give in 60 days before he breaks some law that tops the quid-pro-quo with Ukraine by huge amount. And he will get away with without any consequence.

Our political system is broken. The Democrats and Republicans are more interested in their party having power than they are about the people they are supposed to serve. I won't take a side against a political party, but I will take a side against some of the party members, like Schiff and a few other Dems that are really power crazy and have the gavel of Thor.

I vote for the candidate and not the party, but lately the Democrats are controled by Deceivers and I do not like that so until they get their crap together I won't vote Democrat for any State or federal candidate.

a reply to: WeRpeons

President Trump has already issued 11 pardons!

Obama granted clemency to more people than any U.S. president in 64 years, a figure that includes 1,715 commutations and 212 pardons. Your bias is showing.

originally posted by: Lumenari
a reply to: WeRpeons

First off, we are not a Democracy.

Just stop with that ####... read and learn how our Founding Fathers set this up.

Secondly, Obama should have rightfully been impeached by Republicans when he did his "Dreamer" EO, which he himself stated wasn't Constitutional and he couldn't just do that... but yet he did it anyways.

Third, All you really have to do is vote for the party that gives you more freedom as opposed to the party that gives you less.

Your choice and vote wisely.

I am not sure that that Dreamer act thing actually was allowed to be used, I remember him signing that but I do not think it was an executive order. I never did figure out what way it was done for sure. It was not a good thing though.

I did not like some of the stuff he pushed through in the end of his second term though, but Trump did undo a lot of the worst stuff he shoved through in the end.

Please research , obtain facts and history , and learn about the US all BEFORE you start a thread....

originally posted by: Sookiechacha
a reply to: IAMALLYETALLIAM

The House Democrats didn't hold a trial. Why wouldn't the Senate want to cross examine the witnesses that the house offered up?

Then there's the question of why the Senate would turn a blind eye to "new" first hand witnesses and other relevant evidence. Since the Senate declined to hear new evidence, unless Republicans take the House and the Senate this year, prepare for "Benghazi 2.0".

Correct. They embarrassed themselves and their base with a farcical witch hunt that produced absolutely no evidence that President Trump had broken any law. Adults understand that facts and feelings are disparate and one of them do not belong in a legal proceeding.

What "new evidence"? Vague claims by a man with a book to sell?

Can you please expand on your last statement regarding Benghazi? I'm not sure I follow.

a reply to: WeRpeons

Begin with the congress then place the senators back to being elected by the state reps rather than by pop vote, end career bureaucrats in DC with limitation on how long they can be in their position. If it is illegal for me to profit off inside information then it should be illegal for them too. No more voting for their own benefits like pay raises and perks. I could go on and on and I'm sure I haven't covered it all so please add to my rant.

Carter Page would say It's being repaired.

All that would be nice and all, but the chances of that happening are pretty much zero.