Senators and Congress did not Understand

In an article this weekend int he Arkansas Democrat Gazette, it was reported - in a small article unfortunately - that both the Senate and the Congress voted themselves a substantial increase in their tax payer funded "expense accounts." These accounts ostensibly are used to fund their legislative activities, pay a staff to aid them in this endeavor. Such an action shows a complete and total lack of understanding of anything about the economic times in which we live.

First of all, these accounts are about one thing - incumbent officials keeping their jobs. Election rates of incumbent officials are ridiculously high and have been documented time and again, obviating any need to do so again. The reasons are simple. Beyond the obvious name recognition of an incumbent, the next greatest issue is money. Our senators and congressman have gerrymandered the election process by using our tax dollars to create huge budgets to use for the purpose of keeping their jobs. They travel around the state to increase their visibility and to campaign on a constant basis. They use tax dollars to contact/communicate on a regular basis.

They will claim this money is to create good governance by giving them the ability to serve their constituency. The amounts of these accounts belie that argument. It is about re-election and gives them a hugely unfair advantage. Moreover, it if was about good governance and was used to help them communicate and understand the needs and thoughts of the people, then they would know from communicating with their constituency that we are in financially difficult times. They would know we hate these on-going and growing deficits. They would know the last thing they should do is increase expenses more by the selfish act of padding their own nests even more!

Their actions are far from anything but rank selfishness and narcissism. It is incredible to think that they would even consider such a move given the hundreds of billions that they are wasting, knowing they are planning to spend even more. They are increasing our taxes at every turn and yet they will increase them more just to pad their nests and insure their own best opportunity for re-election using our money.

I do not want any more of my money to go to them. Moreover, I have never voted for either U.S. Senator and I have not ever voted for our U.S. Representative. I do not want them taking more of my money to further their own self-interests and re-election efforts. They have already mortgaged the future of my children. Now they are taking more money from their mouths, hands, and college funds to increase their own expense accounts to give them more resources to take more of my children's money.

The only answer is to defeat them at the ballot box so they cannot take more of my children's money.