Congressional Standards

The congressional district I live in will not have an incumbent running in 2010. Congressman Roy Blunt will be trying to claim the Senate seat being vacated by the retiring "Kit" Bond. So I am looking for some congressional standards from the potential candidates. So taking my own advice from "If I were President" I am thinking what I would do as the congressman from this district and comparing it to the actual candidates.

"Good afternoon everyone. Thank you for coming. Ladies and gentlemen, our government was set up by our founders as a Representative Republic. The People do not vote on every issue, they elect Representatives to go to Washington DC to speak for them. For too long "We the People" have had to endure Representatives who say whatever they need to to get elected and do what ever they need to to stay in office. Once in office they too often toe the party line at the expense of their people back home. We the People need a Representative From the People. I therefore am announcing my candidacy for the 7th district of the United States Congress. As a candidate From the People I am not beholden to any party. As a candidate From the People I feel I can represent you because I am one of you. I have been laid off. I have had too many bills to pay. I have had to work three jobs to get by. I have had to deal with private medical issues in my family. But you don't know me. You don't know how I will vote. So here is my pledge to you.

If I am elected and If my performance allows me the privilege of being re-elected I will not serve more than three terms. How can anyone say they are representing the people if they are not living the same lives? How can someone insulate themselves from the rest of the country by staying in Washington twenty or thirty years living on the government dole and know how We the People live? There should be no such thing as a "career politician". Six years in Gomorrah is enough.

I will vote NO on any bill I and my office have not had time to read. Non of us would buy a house or a car without knowing what's in the contract. So why should your Representatives rush a vote that will effect over 300 million Americans. You deserve better from the person you send to Washington to represent your interests.

I will vote NO on any bill that will raise your taxes. With two exceptions. One, unexpected defense of the country. Two, a true national disaster, not some trumped up political disaster. The American People are burdened with too many taxes and fees. Our ability to live our lives is starting to be affected by governments hand in our wallets.

I will vote NO on any bill that increases government spending unless the bill also includes an equal decrease in another area of government. We cannot continue to grow government. We don't need czars. We don't need more regulations. Everything the government does to grow itself increases the money it needs to sustain that growth. We cannot afford it. We do not need it.

I will also vote YES. Yes on reducing and simplifying taxes. I propose a flat tax rate and no deductions. At the end of the year you get a post card. You made X amount of money, you pay X amount of taxes. The complexities of the tax code are partly because of lawyers playing games to put in loop holes. A flat tax means everyone pays their share. Non more or non less.

I will vote YES on reducing the rules and regulations burdening our business. How can politicians who have been in Washington for thirty years tell you how best to run your business?

I will vote YES for people. I want clean air, I breathe the same air as you. I want clean water, I drink the same water as you. I want to save the animals and the birds and the flowers and the bees. But people come first!

I am seeking to be your Representative in Washington. As such I am not going there to see how much we can get from the piggy bank. In order for Washington to give out money for pork projects it first has to take money from us, We the People. The blessings of the government purse comes from the end of a barrel. I will therefore guard your tax money as best I can and do my best to limit government waste.

The job of the government is to promote the public welfare, to keep us safe. If I am granted the privilege of being elected your Representative I will keep my pledges to you with me at all times tucked in my copy of the Constitution. Both of which I will consult before every vote I make. In keeping my pledges I may at times vote no on a bill you support. But I will represent you best I can. That also means I will represent you best by hearing from you. Your job as voters does not end after your ballot is cast. Your job is also to keep your Congressman grounded in the values and will of the district. Your job will be to hold my feet to the fire of my pledge here today.

In years gone by two men would meet, discuss and agree. To seal their agreement they would shake hands. That was all that was needed, their word was their bond. I offer you my hand today. I ask you to accept it by voting for me. Thank you."