Vote incumbents out

EDITOR:

Nowhere does the Constitution charge the Democratic Party with instilling their liberal principles into our government. Nor, does the Constitution bind the Republican Party with implanting their conservative principles upon us. It's not the other party; it's both parties.

That is, the entire government is charged with providing for the general welfare.

In the last 80 years each party has in turn simultaneously held a majority of both houses for significant periods of time.

They blame the other party and proclaim themselves to be the solution to our difficulties, yet neither party has seriously reversed or prevented any of our ongoing problems.

In the last 80 years we have been in a recession 14 times for a total elapsed period of approximately 16 years 10 months. With the historical high unemployment that follows recessions that's more than one year out of every four in financial trouble. This does not present a shining example of providing for the general welfare.

Since 1930 the national debt has increased every year except for five and is now over 700 times greater than it was in 1930. This does not foretell of great things for the general welfare.

Over the last 70 years both parties have continually condoned spending essentially all excess social security taxes.

There are no funds in the social security trust fund, only securities backed solely on the government's ability to levy future taxes.

With calculated interest those securities are supposedly valued at over $2.2 trillion that will have to be paid by future wage earners. Again, this does not bode well for the general welfare.

Thirty years ago Congress exempted credit card companies from state usury laws. Our federal leaders now hypocritically bemoan the exorbitant rates that they themselves permitted.

The 1973 OPEC oil embargo on the United States created a huge financial crisis.

The now $24 billion a year Department of Energy was created in 1977 to supposedly, in part, remove our dependence on imported petroleum.

Today we import over 60 percent of our petroleum. By 2008 petroleum increased from some $20 a barrel to just over $140 a barrel in less than 10 years causing gasoline to rise above $4 a gallon. This was a major catalyst that started our current financial crisis.

The lessons of unregulated credit in the crash of the stock market in 1929 and the Congressional credit deregulation of Savings and Loans leading to the huge S&L crisis of the 1980s was lost on Congress.

The government's failure to regulate the "shadow banking system" is another significant cause of our current financial crisis.

It cannot be denied, in the past voting along political lines, regardless of party, has maintained the status quo.

The only way to change that status quo is to vote incumbents out.

If the new officials do not provide for the general welfare they should, in turn, be voted out. Hold the government responsible not a particular party.

Ben Justus

Gardnerville