New Congress?

I surely doubt we are out of the woods. That will take another 2 years, and then another 2, and then 2 and so on until we the people have replaced the do-nothings in public office.

Now, before you get all huffy, let’s take a step back and give this point a chance to be heard.

Public office is another term for public service. That’s my opinion. No, that’s my belief. I think I am in the majority on that point. Problem is elected officials, especially in Congress, appear to lose sight of that point and warp into wheeler/dealers for votes on specific actions and legislation. The details of that wheeling and dealing I think begin to cloud the congressmen’s minds and soon they are just wheeling and dealing. The primary point of their work gets lost.

In that environment they adopt short hand positions based usually on some sense of ideology. Then all hell breaks loose and nothing much of value gets accomplished. That’s where I think we are today.

There is only one way to fix it. And that is electing people who truly are wedded to the notion that public office is doing the public’s work, thus serving the long term interests of the public. Although that would be a great beginning, a fresh start, something else has to happen as well. Elected folks need to sit down and discuss what they think the end result of their work together ought to be.

I don’t want them to think how to achieve this, just what all their work together should achieve. Be measurable here please. Come up with these objectives or something like them:

            -Graduation rates from high school will be above 90% nationally

            -90% or more of 18-year olds will be enrolled in a vocational or college program

 that helps them discover what they want to do with their lives

            -Medical care will be accessible to 100% of the population

            -Preventive health behavior will be broadly enmeshed in our life styles

            -Mental health care research and service will be a priority to safeguard the

             Patient and public equally

            -Violent crimes will decline nationally to an acceptable rate established by

 professionals in the field of public safety

            -National economy will grow annually between 3 and 4 % in GNP

            -National unemployment will be between 3 and 4% annual average

            -Inflation will be between 1 and 2.5% average annually

            -Home foreclosures will be less than .5% average annually

            -Home ownership will be 70% or higher

            -Household incomes will grow 1% or more above the inflation rate

            -The national federal debt will be within a range of 50 to 100% of GNP

            -American energy resources will be totally independent of foreign sources by

 2020; we will be a net exporter of energy and energy technology by 2025

-International relations will be peaceful with one armed conflict occurring less

 Than once every decade

That’s the sort of objective definition I’m talking about. Objectives that indicate a standard of performance that is both achievable and capable of stability for the long term. No short term objectives are acceptable; only long-term ones. Short term goals are part of the process of how to achieve the long term goals.

Prioritizing the objectives is important as well. What is more important than another goal? And of course why? Is one goal a building block for another one? Then the building block has a higher priority. Educational achievement is such an objective of high priority. If our people are not educated or capable of working at emergent job requirements we will never be able to compete on a global basis. We have lost that edge among our populace. We need to regain national competence in this arena sooner rather than later.

This sort of work is called strategic planning and our national government needs to be engaged in it across the board. It is one thing to expect this at the White House level; evidently it has been skipped at the Congressional level. Need I say more?

America has been a nation of achievers for more than two centuries. Some eras we have shone our talents brightly. At other times we have demonstrated a rusty and dented face to the world. Now is such a time.

We can do better. We need to do better for the sake of ourselves and our grandchildren and their grandchildren. Else we will be like the ‘rise and fall of the Roman Empire’. I doubt we wish that to happen.

If so we have a lot of work to do. The President has asked for this work to be done. He alone cannot do it. A nation must respond. I think the people of our land know this and are willing. What I don’t see is a willingness among the nationally elected public servants. If I’m right then we have to replace them. Not an easy task but one that can be done over the next 6 to 8 years if we keep our wits and purpose clearly in mind.

Care to join this movement?

January 4, 2012