Equal Justice; The Real Confidence Problem

If there is a bright side to this credit crisis, it would be the exposure of the US political establishment's refusal to represent the electorate of the nation. The curtain has been drawn back, and the truth has been exposed. All of the "kooks" nod in confirmation, while those previously confident that their interests were adequately represented by elected officials are emptying their 401(k) accounts to prevent their life savings from being looted by a Wall Street apparently run amok with greed. Confidence can not be established in a system without equality under the law.

The American electorate is not in charge of its government. The controls put into place by the US Constitution have been short circuited by decades of loopholes, courtrooms, laws, and backroom deals. Bill Gross, of Pimco, can get on CNBC and make a demand that will be granted in less than a week. Joe Wurzelbacher, his name is not Joe the plumber, gets background checks and press attacks when he dares to bring up a concern. That is indicative of anyone who gets too close. The establishment allows us to rant as long as we are deemed ineffective, but look at what happens when citizens ask what the thoroughly compromised mainstream media refuse to address and they start to make a difference. Personal driving records and personal financial records are released for public scrutiny and possible legal action, anything that may even get the person fired from their employment. Their message is, "Know your place."

Hopefully, the electorate will remember their place, their duty, this November.

Getting Elected in Rural Virginia 101, for Anita Hartke

Ms. Anita Hartke is running against Congressman Eric Cantor in Virginia's 7th district, for the US House of Representatives. Since she seems to need some advice on political campaigns, some reasonable advice is available here.

It is best to not call voters names or insult their ethics. Spitting at people, nasty looks at babies and accusations about ignorance of the adults are also not ways to win people over. The use of words such as "inbred", "hick", "redneck", "bitter", and "wingnuts" will likely create ill feelings from many 7th district residents.

Suggesting a gun ban on certain rifles and stricter gun control laws in a district where gun ownership is about 95%, second only to ownership of bibles and pickup trucks, may not be the best strategy either. Ms. Hartke would be far more competitive if she just assumed that similar political positions are the reason the GOP has its death grip on that district in the first place. Making beer sales, cursing, laughing, and hound dogs illegal are also probably on the list of non-starters.

It is surprising that a person who supposedly makes a good living dealing with people doesn't have a better approach than what Ms. Hartke has demonstrated during her campaign. Perhaps more confusing, is that a significant portion of her appeal is supposed to the inheritance of her father's, former US Senator Vance Hartke, political savvy and her claim to the skill set of a natural politician.

If Ms. Hartke is from another planet, it may be wise to confirm her eligibility to run for elected office in the US Congress. Attempts by the DNC to actually find a viable candidate to replace someone who clearly does not represent the majority of his constituents would be very much appreciated.