Each of us is responsible for what our federal government is doing. We have allowed a bunch of selfserving politicians to gain control of our government while we sit back and ignore them.

Do you believe your representatives in Washington understand that they are ruining the strongest economy in the world by foolishly spending the earnings of generations to come? Do you believe your representatives in Washington have completely lost their minds by ignoring the real issues facing this nation while focusing on their own political power? Do you believe your representatives in Washington realize at this very moment there are hundreds if not thousands of people working tirelessly on ways to kill every person in this world who does not accept their faith?

Do you believe the problems with our representatives are the fault of the Democratic Party, or do you believe the problems are caused by the Republicans? Believe me, it is both parties that have failed us and continue to do so. If you believe it is time for someone to begin to pay attention to these problems and take action to straighten out our politicians before it is too late, then join with hundreds of thousands of likeminded people who believe as you do. Get off your couch and join a Tea Party organization in your neighborhood.

Support for a third party is not the solution. We must work to change the leadership and the direction of both parties. We are the people; we are the power. The government is owned by those of us who take the time and make the sacrifices to keep this nation free and strong. We can no longer allow those few politicians to destroy that which our ancestors fought and died for. We must now get involved in the election of our representatives and actively support whichever candidate will agree to truly represent our concerns and ignore the demands of their respective party leaders.

We no longer have a representative Congress that is controlled by the people. We have a Congress that is controlled by party leaders, many of whom are corrupt, that have the power to force our congressmen to follow their directives and ignore the wishes of the people back home who elected them.

Change is what 51 percent of the people voted for in the last presidential election. Unfortunately, the changes promised are not the changes we are getting. The change we need is a complete turnover of personnel in our legislative branch of government this year and the executive branch in 2012.

Both houses of Congress are controlled by professional lifetime politicians who have gained their positions by pandering to the demands of financial supporters to gain the exorbitant sums needed to conduct a campaign and by making impossible but feel-good promises to an unenlightened electorate to obtain their vote. The leadership of both houses continues to demonstrate their indifference to the will of the people or to the fiscal wellbeing of this country.

This battle cannot be accomplished overnight. We must first begin taking back control of our country by removing the congressional fat-cats and replacing them with newly elected statesmen who will pledge under oath that they will enact and support these 10 issues:

1. Congress will not vote to further expand the national debt and will reign in all expenditures not required to protect our country and provide for the wellbeing of our legal citizens.

2. No senator shall continue in office for more than two terms (12 years), and no congressman shall continue in office for more than five terms (10 years).

3. Congress will either amend or enact laws concerning its retirement pay structure whereby no member will receive retirement pay or continued benefits after serving in Congress.

4. Congress will either amend or enact a law whereby no federal funds will be paid for office space and/or payroll for support staff following that congressman’s departure from Congress.

5. Congress will immediately pursue legislation that will not only allow but encourage oil exploration in all regions of this country, including offshore in all coastal states and in arctic Alaska.

6. Congress will immediately pursue legislation that will not only allow but provide assistance for the construction and activation of nuclear power plants for the production of our energy needs.

7. Congress will immediately enact legislation that will require every candidate seeking office in either the legislative or executive branch of government to accept the parameters of the Campaign Finance Reform bill and conduct their campaigns within those expenditure limits.

8. Congress will immediately enact legislation to grant the president of the United States line-item veto power, thereby making the president fully accountable for his approval of any pork-barrel spending and/or legislative tack-on items.

9. Congress will immediately enact legislation to limit the number of czars that will be allowed for the president, require congressional appropriation of funds for their services, require advice and consent from Congress, and publish specifications regarding duties and limits of responsibility for each czar.

10. Congress will by record vote pledge to defend this country against Islamic extremists who have attacked this country and have threatened the destruction of both Israel and the United States.
Jerry King
Killeen