Diapers aren't the only things that need changing...

It is increasingly obvious to me (as it should be to you) that "we the people" are caught between two political playground bullies and we need to do something (ANYTHING) to allow real change.

Although there are many problems that we need to solve, there is one in particular that would help in the solving of all of the others. That problem is the existence of "good ol' boy" networks in both political parties.

You've seen it, just like I have. The Republican and Democratic parties are like children. They blame one another for all of our woes, with neither having the intestinal fortitude to say "we screwed up" and fix their own mistakes.

They point fingers, leak memos, try and impeach the other teams quarterback and play political football with us - the people they are supposedly elected to help.

Not counting election seasons, how many times do you see the big 2 parties attacking each other and how many times do you see them attacking social problems? The only time you see a politician addressing real issues is during campaign season - and even then attack ads outnumber issues 100:1 it seems.

Didn't we vote these people in to look out after our best interests? Sure we did! So, what's the problem?

In my humble opinion, the problem lies with career politicians. I don't believe that the founding fathers ever intended for there to be such a beast. Most of our founding fathers had real jobs, real businesses that they ran while doing service for their country. But, not today's illustrious wunderkinds of the political realm.

No, whether they admit it or not, the job that they actually work on is staying in office...not curing social ills. Let's face it - they have no incentive to cure social ills. If they did actually fix the broken down tax system, fully funded healthcare, repaired social security and got really tough on crime, what platform would they run on next time?

You've seen and heard the same tired promises of tax reform and health care reform and "contracts with America" just like I have. Have they fixed any of them? Have they remedied our failing school system? Have they even done anything real about any one of them?

No. And they won't.

Instead of actually fixing problems, they maintain the "Us VS Them" mentality that has made the Republicans and Democrats COMPLETELY ineffectual at helping the American people. They are so concerned with politics that they have forgotten (or ignored) the real job of a politician - to solve problems for the people...to SERVE the people.

It's not that there aren't bright, hopeful, intelligent people that are being elected. It's that they are stopped dead in their tracks by the left and right "good ol' boy" networks that run this nation's political machinery.

The newly elected first-timers are quickly told to tow the party line. They are virtually threatened with censorship by their own party if they dare step out of line. And, they are baited with promises of office chairmanships, money for their constituents and pork barrel projects for their districts if they "just play along."

Truth be told, there is damned little difference in what the Democrats and Republicans do and what the mob has traditionally done. In fact, I think they hate the mob so much because they are afraid of the competition. The only real difference between the mob and the major political parties of our time is that the political parties fool people into electing them and the mob bosses simply take charge.

Want proof? How about Newt Gingrich? The Republican party had just signed a "Contract with America". Things were going to be different. There was going to be a new standard of ethics that the Republicans held themselves and the Democrats to...until Newt signed his own little piece of paper admitting to 22 different ethics violations.

When this happened, what did the Republicans do? Did they turn their backs on Newt and kick his ass to the curb? Nope, they actaully applauded him as he left, raised money to pay his $300,000+ fines and still seek after him for public speaking engagements as if he were the returning Messiah. It made me sick.

That's when I turned away from the Republican party.

The Democrats are no better. Instead of publicly chastising their own President (Clinton) for actions not fit for a man in his position, they defended him to the utmost. The same thing has happened with Bush Jr., Iraq and the Republican party now. Bush screwed this up - they should admit it and hold him accountable.

But, that's something that a politician concerned with you and this nation would do. It's not something you are likely to see come out of either of the two major parties - holding their own accountable. You see, they see admitting guilt or finding fault with someone in their own pary as weakness. And, weakness could cost them elections and power.

In fact, cleaning your own house publicly is one of the most difficult tasks that any of us could undertake. And, that takes men and women of uncharacteristic strength and moral fiber. Men and women that aren't afraid to stand up for what's right. Men and womemen that will stand up for the people - even when that means going against their own party. Something you rarely see in politics these days.

No, the old guards are more concerned with towing the political line...with elections and seats and blaming the other guy than they are with compromise and real change that helps real people.

They trash the dreams of change that young, newly elected politicians bring to Washington. They wreck any chance that we have for real social change through threats and intimidation of the bright young lawmakers that we send to Washington all for the sake of the party...not the people.

I beleieve that the only way to stop the "good ol' boys" on both sides from using us as political pawns in their bids for a career in politics is to place 2 term limits on EVERY elected office in the nation.

We currently limit any person from being elected President of the United States more than twice in his or her life. If this rule is good enough for our nation's president, this rule is certainly good enough for senators and congressmen - not to mention sheriffs, govenors, mayors and any other elected office.

Without such a law, we will continue to be ruled by politicians that have adopted politics as a way of life - not as a service to a nation.

By adopting such a law, we could ensure that new ideas, new partnerships and new ways of thinking would continually be brought to Washington. That's something that would benefit us all - no matter what party we may identify with.

Limiting every politician to 2 term limits would ensure that no one politician (or group of politicians) would hold power long enough to establish a "good ol' boy" network and stifle the newly elected polititcian's goals for real change. The people would actually hold more power than the politicians for a change.

There are other things that we need to change. But, in a time where our polititicians can vote themselves a raise during a recession, give themselves $26,000 in raises while not raising the minimum wage one red cent and attach riders of $20,000,000 Alaskan highways to nowhere that nobody wants to bills that we actually need to pass, we need new people with new ideas and the freedom to pursue those ideas in an effort to bring real change and real help to the American people.

We need 2 term limits for all elected officials and we need them now.

Question is...how do you get politicians to vote to end their own gravy train?