POLITICS
Why Are Our Elected Officials Not Doing Their Jobs?!
We put them in office, why are they not doing their job? We are!
We put them in office, why are they not doing their job? We are!
I am getting older, but being older doesn’t mean that I don’t have to have a job where I make a living. Yet, I see our elected officials who have a job too, not doing theirs — not saving the living!
OK, I am putting it into too basic of terms, I get that, but in the end, is it not one of their jobs? Isn’t it the government’s job to make sure that they protect us from evil, sickness and help us to protect ourselves?
Isn’t it the government’s job to make sure that we have the tools, information, education, and for them to give us the honesty to make informed decisions on how to protect ourselves and our families?
I have been watching in frustration, and sometimes horror these past months how the people we have put into office with few exceptions, have been neglecting their jobs. They have not been protecting us!
It had started innocently, perhaps, just not wanting to give us angst or worry, but as history has taught us, that doesn’t work very well over the long term.
No, you don’t have to be a vast connoisseur of history books to get that education.
History tells us it is far better, to be honest with your constituents than to deceive or, worse yet, try to get by with lying to them. We will always find out!
Over the past several days, with the numbers of those killed mounting, not only in COVID cases but also in the numerous wars, skirmishes, hunger, and poverty, we realize that our elected officials are NOT doing their jobs.
You and I wake up each morning (or evening depending on your shift) and head off to work. Sure we may be a stay-at-home Mom or Dad, but we still “work” to support and nurture our families.
Heck, those who are single even work to make ends meet, to contribute to our distant families, even if those are only our friends and our network.
We all do our part to make the world a bit easier and better each day.
Yet, they head off to work and do what they do in those we have put into power. We elected our leaders to get a job done, but what do they do for us? Do they do the jobs that we actually “hired” them for, or are they on their agendas?
From what we see each day, they don’t work to protect us. It seems most days, and most leaders (not all, there are exceptions) walk around with a mirror in hand, or perhaps held by a staffer where they see the only person that they are to work, themselves!
Another benefactor of their work may be their party or perhaps private enterprise, but whatever it is other than you and me, then they are not doing their jobs.
We elect these men and women, for one thing, to represent our interests. To answer each question with “is this right for my people, my constituents”? To do the right thing, if they can, every time!
Sure there may be bumps along the way where a decision made is not the best for those you serve Mr or Ms. Leader, but most days, you should get it right.
A leader may ask, “how do I get it right every time”? It’s pretty easy, ask!
Ask me and the others that you serve what we need, what we want, and what we have to survive. What do we need to live healthier and happier lives? What do we believe that we have to have a thriving community?
I don’t know, folks, what my 58+ plus years has shown me is that few who run for office, even so, small a position rarely do the right thing, listen, ask questions, and do what’s best for them they serve. I don’t know what changes them, but that is how it looks.
What if I ran for office? I ask myself that often, but believe me in saying that it will never happen.
The first reason I could not run for office is that I have no money to do so. As we have seen repeatedly, it takes a LOT of money to run for office. You have to spend money, use “time” that you cannot get back to run for office to be an elected official.
The second reason is that I am not “connected.” Connections allow access, and often “access” leads to money. See reason number one above.
The third reason that I would never run for office is that I would spend my day frustrated and alone in that I would always be saying to others, “why not”?
I would be asking other elected officials just like myself, why we can not watch out for those who elected us? Why can we not find the money that folks in our communities need to survive?
Yes, I would need to know why we rank so low in the Sciences when we are the wealthiest country in the world?
Why do we have so many folks living in poverty?
Why is our health system such a mess and so hard to navigate?
I would scoff at the concept that “it is what it is” related to the coronavirus.
I would scream crazy about my frustration and my constituents on our roads and bridges’ condition.
I would be determined to make sure that “usable” public transportation was available to all. It is not just at the convenience of the system but also when needed and wanted by the riders.
I think you get my point. I could never run for office because I would expect too much from myself and others that serve me.
Thinking about it reminds me of when I served on committees in my church. I LOVED that place and loved the people under its roof.
However, when I served on a committee, I found that I couldn’t make people think with their heads as often as I wanted.
Nor could I get my fellow committee members to act as fast I felt like we should. Nearly every decision was always put off to the next meeting. I was not too fond of that.
Solutions to today’s problems, no matter how small or big, should be done as soon as possible. Not the “next time we convene.”
I guess that is the reason for this post. My job as a constituent and a human being living in this great country and being part of the world’s people is to make a living.
No, not to make a living for me, hoarding the funds for my personal use, but rather so I can use some of it to help those less fortunate than myself.
Yet, with my job being to work and get the job done, I expect the same from those I go to the voting booth, place a ballot, and vote into office. I wish them to get their jobs done.
Instead, our elected officials’ job is not to work for themselves, though admittedly, they are a constituent. They are elected to serve us, you, and me.
If our elected officials don’t want to do the job, then they should get out of the way and let us select someone who does.
You and I have to work to make a living, yes. We have established that unless we win a lottery, and in that case, we go to plan two where we examine where those winnings can help others. That is a topic for another day.
Yet, our elected officials should be determining our needs and asking what we need? Trying to get us what we need to make the day more manageable, or our families healthier?
Our elected officials should be acting for the greater good, not just their constituents, but also others in our states, country, and the world.
“Be a good neighbor,” sort of like the saying, but not to sell car or home insurance.
It is your and my job to make a living. It is our leader’s job to save the “living.” You, me, our neighbors, our community, our friends, and even our foes.
To our elected officials, our leaders, do the right thing, you work for the living…the people.
In Closing
This topic has been “simmering” in me for some time. I get so agitated by the lack of responsiveness by our elected officials.
I will write one of my duly elected leaders about a topic. I get a form letter. I make a call, and I get an answering machine.
I watch what they are doing. And our politicians are not voting with their constituents’ polling, not even taking up topics and issues that we sent them to their elected office to take up.
As soon as an elected official wins her or his office, no matter the title from city leader to federal office, they take up tasks as soon as they get settled in their new office. The problem is they do not take up the jobs we sent them to handle.
What we see is that take up the task of their party, not their constituents. It is just so agitating, is it agitating to you too? If so, or if not, post your comments in the space provided.
About Michael
Michael Thacker is a not so young adult blogger, aspiring writer, and sometimes seller of real estate.
Michael tweets a LOT on Twitter. Posts every once in a while on Facebook. Occasionally lets his opinions be known to friends, family, and anyone else that will listen.
Connect with Michael
You can follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/MichaelThackerI.
If you want to connect on Facebook, the best place is https://www.facebook.com/RMichaelThacker/