What's Really Wrong with the Congress

Congress has Exposed Itself

The answer is that Congress has exposed itself to bribery and has become corrupt by allowing it self to be lobbied directly by special interest groups. This form of corruption is the responsibility of every member of the Congress. The noisy political charade of Gingrich, Wright, Coehlo, and others (dubbed by Wright as "cannibalism") serves as a smoke screen to hide what is really wrong with the Congress.

1st Amendment Right?

Surely the American Congress is the only legislative body among the western democracies still allowing itself to be lobbied directly. How can it not be clear to members of Congress that while some lobbyists are exercising their constitutional right, (Amendment 1), "to petition the government for a redress of grievances," most are simply trying to obtain special favors by bribing members of the Congress with honoraria, "contributions," or votes.

What Form and How Many Bribes?

Wouldn't it be instructive if we the suffering taxpayers could find out the number and forms of the bribes offered to members of Congress by the S&L lobby to assure that Congress uses our money to pay for the theft, criminal mismanagement, bad judgement, and greed of their friends in the S&L industry. At the same time, isn't it a sad commentary on the morals of and ethics of the Congress that they devised and approved a catastrophic health insurance plan for the elderly paid for by the elderly?

Opening the Purse for Whom?

Those who hold the purse strings for all Americans, the Congress, have for years been opening the purse for the benefit of a special few Americans in return for special favors. This is a political disease that slowly but surely is destroying the democratic process most Americans have cherished for over 200 hundred years.

Immediate Reforms

Rather than continuing to swim happily in the cesspool of political corruption, the Congress should make some immediate reforms:

• Raise salaries to a level consistent with the merit of congressional output.

• Provide members with a separate expense account, on the public record (available to anyone anytime), to cover the costs of maintaining two residences and personal travel between.

• Approve legislation providing for open public financing of congressional election campaigns. (Absolutely no honoraria or PAC contributions.)

• Approve legislation providing that all lobbyists must present their case to an executive department or agency responsible for the subject matter for its evaluation in a report to the Congress.

Only then would Congress permit direct access by requesting an appearance of the lobbyist at a public hearing. Absent an invitation from Congress the lobbyist would have to continue to lobby the executive branch agency.

. . . Robert Sturgill . . .

Death in Tiananman Square

Democracy Lives

Democracy was not killed in Tiananman Square when troops of the Chinese 27th Army opened fire on a massed gathering of pro-democracy students. What the troops of the 27th Army killed was the Chinese communist government. The government of Deng Xiaphong has been completely discredited in the eyes of the world, free and communist alike. It is now only a matter of time until the present government is replaced with a government more representative of the people's wishes.

What did the students want? They wanted their movement to be described as patriotic and they wanted a curtailment of the corruption of the present regime. They wanted some sign that China would move towards democracy.

Too Many Have Been Touched

China will move to democracy. The students demonstration and death have touched too many Chinese. The official reprisals and propaganda cannot possibly quelle the stirring and the hope to which the peaceful demonstrations gave rise.

President Bush is wise not to over react to the student's death. It will serve no purpose to cause the present illegitimate leadership of China to go to further extremes to justify their position and their actions. The official propaganda is childish and naive and will serve no useful purpose. The more of it that is generated the more difficult it will be to recant when it becomes necessary to do so.

Let's not wait 33 Years

Let's not wait 33 years as we did from the Russian crushing of the democratic uprising in Hungary to the reburial of Imre Nagy as a hero. We should plan a reply that at once recognizes the heroism of the students, the longing of the Chinese people to 'breath free,' and the vicious, inhuman action of the Chinese government. I propose that the people of the United States commission a design and construct a Chinese Statue of Liberty, modeled on the students' design of the Tiananman Square — Miss Liberty, holding the torch with both hands.

Let Millions See It

A prominent place in the United States should be chosen and the statue erected full scale — fashioned in a manner similar to the Statue of Liberty in New York harbor. In the base of the statue should be spaces to engrave the names of the students and workers who were killed in the name of democracy — those shot in the square and those executed.

When democracy comes to China, the statue should be given as a gift from the people of the United States to the people of China.

. . . Ted Sudia . . .

© Copyright 1989
Institute for domestic Tranquility