Why not screen/test our government officials?

Like many of you I'm sure- I just sit back and watch everyday how corruption is spreading through this country like a disease. Just listening to the way these politicians speak makes me sick to my stomach. Treating the American public like pawns or trash. In this day and age of corruption (especially in congress) why is there absolutely no requirement for a drug test, lie detector test, and mental health screening or anything along those lines prior to putting these people in power and during their terms?..We're giving these people ultimate power based on the fact that they spent a few years as a lawyer, judge, or in government and went to college....How is that enough? It's ludicrous! We just assume everything's kosher. They test athletes for performance enhancing drugs in sports- Shouldn't we be testing our officials for lies, mental issues and drugs as well? It's kinda like giving someone a promotion before you know how they are going to do or giving someone a loaded gun that you don't know. These people get away with murder essentially (no pun inteded Ted Kennedy).

I give you an example of how ridiculous it really is...

A California lawmaker who resigned after he was caught on tape bragging about his sexual exploits with two women, one of them reportedly a lobbyist, denied on Thursday that he was having extramarital affairs.

Link

What was he bragging about then?

We live in a world where you can get arrested for downloading a movie illegally and thrown in jail for years or fined more than your house is worth...but these people betray the trust of the public, the same public that puts them in place and keeps them employed and then LIE about it, get to just slither away! The affair isn't the issue here- its the fact that clearly he's lying and who knows what else he's lying about. We just simply can't trust them anymore. They've failed us all. Not to mention that he was telling a fellow lawmaker about this whose mouth was probably salivating over it. These are the same people that chose how your life is going to be run. The same people that put the laws in place that you are forced to follow. These are the same people in charge of your childrens and your children's children's fate as well.

Another prime example...

On June 4, 2007, Rep. Jefferson was indicted on 16 criminal counts, including two counts of conspiracy to solicit bribes, two counts of solicitation of bribes by a public official, six counts of honest services fraud by wire, one count of violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, three counts of money laundering, one count of obstruction of justice and one count of racketeering.

Link

Clearly this didnt happen overnight. Yet this man held a position of power that the majority of people in this country wont even get a mile near. This is just the tip of the iceberg. There are literally pages and pages and article after article of just rampant corruption. Everyday theres more.

We have chronies all over Washington. People that have been there for far too long and thrived off of us for far too long. We acknowledge this on a daily basis, yet fail to do anything about it. Corruption is nothing new in this country and has been infested through state, local, and our national government...but when is enough enough already? How many more bribes and buy outs do we need to hear about government officials selling us out for? If we actually were responsible and took pre-cautionary measures prior to giving someone full access to our tax money, futures and fates, maybe we would see early on who they really are and we wouldn't be in the position we are today.

On a side note- Congressman and some officials start out at $165,200 WITH BENEFITS. Now I don't know about you but that seems awfully high for someone doing a horrific job. Maybe we ought to lay off some people in government rather than our own people. Imagine how many jobs we could save if these people weren't swimming in salaries.

reply to post by AceOfAces


Good ON you !!

I've waited years to see someone suggest this

Maybe the time is ripe


Great post ! Good job ! Hope your thread garners many of like-mind who in turn will crack the hard-nut that is the average person's brain, until an unstoppable movement DEMANDS that all candidates undergo psychiatric and other assessment as to suitability .. followed by DEMANDS that politicians deliver what they're PAID to, to the satisfaction of the majority


But first, Americans will need to get off the couch and actually VOTE (which is an ask of entirely different dimension)

reply to post by AceOfAces


S+F, I completely agree with you. The corruption runs deep through the veins of the US government. And for that matter the world!

I can only hope that someday we would be privy to such a right!

reply to post by AceOfAces


I have often asked that question over the years. People who work in factories and warehouses have to take a drug test to get and stay employed, so why not public elected officials?

reply to post by AceOfAces

Why not screen/test our government officials?

Simple answer! The legislature, ie. the Congress and the Senate make the laws.

Now if you were an influential, honerable, respected, highly paid, congressperson that was also doing drugs, doing your secretary and/ or aid, getting some money on the side plus all sorts of great benifits, would you vote for restrictions on yourself that would likely bring you down? No brainer.!

They make the laws for us not them!

You have a problem? How you going to change it? Vote them all out and start over? I don't think so!

Let's start with the liberals, the Democrats. They are there because they protect the interests of all the special interest groups. That would include all the crooks, the deviants, the wierdos, the every other group that has done something wrong and has something to hide and is keeping this fellow lawmaker who also is a crook in office. Do you think they will demand that their representative take a drug test, a lie detector test or any other test? Heck no they want to just keep him in office cause he lets them get by with their s**t and what the heck. They may want tests for the other side, the conservatives but not their hero, no way!

You can make the same argument for the conservatives but it is not so simple. Suffice to say that they want their man to stay in office also even if he stinks a little bit too.

You want to change the lawmakers? You first change the electorate, the voters but Obama appears to be increasing, not decreasing the number of special interest voters who don't care they just want their check!

Originally posted by St Vaast

But first, Americans will need to get off the couch and actually VOTE (which is an ask of entirely different dimension)

On a Diebold machine?? No thank you.

Good post

I have always believed that the best way to prevent corruption in the government is to introduce the DEATH SENTENCE for CORRUPT POLITICIANS.

Whilst not completely erradicating coruption, my-oh-my, we would rapidly see a clean up within a couple of presidential terms, non? :-)

Thanks

Bravo

The US government, like ours here in the UK, does indeed have oversight commitees and investigative officers. Trouble is, they too are run by political appointees and subject to cronyism and corruption.
Just look at the Bernie Madoff saga. Many years before he is arrested, the SEC are handed a file detailing the concerns by a private idividual. After 5 seperate investigations, nothing is found to warrant further action/ Mmmmmm.... does anyone else think this stinks?

The 9/11 investigation is launched, again run by political cronies, and given a fixed narrow avanue of investigation to follow leading, inevitably, to the predetermined conclusion. Mmmmmmm.... so another government investigation not worth the paper it's written on, and a little stinky too!

The list is endless.

If we truly did set up non-partisan investigative offices and oversight commitees, then government could not function as it does right now.... they'd ALL be in jail .

The leeches, criminals and sell-outs who govern us are never held up to the same scrutiny, accountability, ethics and laws that we serfs are subjected to, and often imprisoned for breaching.

[edit on 11-9-2009 by Britguy]

I can see a good deal of logistical problems with this despite the fact that I agree with it in premise. Clearly, it can't happen AFTER they've been elected or it will cause all sorts of representation issues. So it would be required before anyone could run for office. Vetting people's business and personal connections could be an expensive and complicated task although clearly one with merit.

How about instead we establish accountability laws and, instead of letting the elected officials deal with their own dirty laundry, we setup a citizen-based review board. If an elected official is suspected of impropriety, illegal activities or negligence they are brought before the review board.

These people need to not only be accountable for their actions but their failures to act as well. Our economy has been up-ended because government officials failed to provide the oversight that they are responsible to provide. The SEC was warned for 15yrs about Madoff but failed to do anything. And they just get to say 'Sorry, our bad' and walk away? And what about all the shenanigans going on with Wall Street that led to this catastrophe? Where is the accountability?

Campaign promises cannot be allowed to be shallow lies. They are, afterall, part of a quid pro quo. If you elect me (the quid) I will _____ (the quo). It is, in fact, a contract and needs to be viewed and enforced as such.


[edit on 11-9-2009 by jtma508]

reply to post by jtma508


I agree that it would be hard to implement...However, having yet another board or council could end up leading to the same problems. If it were mainly citizens without any government involvement, just the average joe shmoe off the street- maybe.

reply to post by AceOfAces

Like many of you I'm sure- I just sit back and watch everyday how corruption is spreading through this country like a disease.

The (liberal) politicians established and continue to support ACORN, the corrupt organization caught on tape advising a 13 year old girl how to establish a brothel and avoid the law.

ACORN continues without even being investigated! Where is there even a little outrage from the Democrats??

reply to post by plumranch


Too busy being paid off I suppose...ACORN is firing employees daily before SHTF and an investigation can ensue and are trying to cover their tracks by dismissing any wrong-doing by their employees. Unfortunately you can't blame the pawns, just the ones in charge upstairs. I believe ACORN is entitled to a few billion dollars in the tarp bill.

Thats a few billion we'll never see again or used for a beneficial purpose.

This actually is pretty interesting as well...on a global scale its a world map index of perception of corruption (based on 2008)- USA being in the yellow, rather than green. I think more and more people daily are realizing that the people that were sent to do right by the American public are simply selfish and doing whats best for themselves without any consideration or care for what the American public thinks and could care less about the success of this country or any freedoms/rights of the people.

Accountability is something that has sharply declined as there has and continues to be a lot of finger pointing whenever the spotlight is shown on them (Nancy pelosi with the CIA interrogation techniques anyone???) We're at an interesting point in history where we've been getting screwed over for a while but the tables may be turning little by little. Americans are protesting again and actually beginning to do things themselves, rather than waiting for the government to swoop in.

Corruption may not ever go away but at least now we're beginning to catch the criminals at work. Granted its at a much higher level but as I previously stated- I've realized this and so has the American public...They just dont care about us.

I don't know if something of this nature could ever be instituted but if we spent the time actually checking on our politicians and officials we could have a working system of accountability. It would be hard to deflect a polygraph test that shows someone's lying. You hear about the drugs and sex scandals all the time with these politicians and yet it continues on and on. Politicians shouldn't be criminals or bad influences- they should be role models....If those in charge of our lives aren't role models, then why even have them in office? If you can't look up to someone of such magnitude, then who can you? What kind of example are we setting for our kids? Its just wrong...