ImLogicallyRight

I went to lie down for an hour this afternoon. Didn't sleep, but got to thinking. Often do this while falling asleep at night or slowly waking up. This time it was about Washington. Is it obsolete?

We send Senators and Representatives to Washington to represent us and work with others to get the business of legislating the nations interests. But do they? They mostly don't talk with others, but at others. They only talk with party affiliates, or some weird caucuses that mostly exclude white males. There they conspire against all others for their self interests, or the self interests of their various groups. But, actually getting together doesn't really happen. They are probably like all to many people, looking at their cell phones and communicating there and through those.

Now, lets look at something else. Businesses. Many businesses are now doing a lot of remote working or working out of home. The Internet. Why not Washington?

Think about it. Working from there own office near their hometown or state capital with a real staff of their own constituents from their state instead of a bunch of Washington bureaucrats who leak everything and are a secret department of themselves working for their own power just beneath the surface.

Able to and required to show up at an office at least 48 weeks a year instead of taking long vacations away from Washington or going off on junkets around the world, supposedly in our interests. Actually working and communicating with all Congressmen and/or Senators throughout America on the business of America.

And available to their constituents through weekly town hall meetings or one on one meetings, required on a regular basis.

Open web sites, updated daily on what was worked on that day and who was contacted. Some contacts and business must be handled privately, but all through the Internet and recorded for posterity, but not necessarily available to just anyone. But recorded on Government controlled communications.

Contacting information, not just for constituents, but all Americans.

Washington exists because we didn't have phones or the Internet in the founding days. Would we create it today?

And isn't it time to move the other bureaucrats that infest our various departments to departments around the country, based on the populations of the various states and the number of the various states instead of this Democrat entrenched mob in Washington. Again, we have the Internet. Lets use it and get our government back to where the people live. Republicans, Democrats, etc,.

This isn't meant to be left or right, liberal or conservative, Republican or Democrat. Just about America. So, please, just a quick comment or two, or an added idea or two. Try adding one positive thought or idea and of course one negative idea or why it wouldn't work.

Just asking.

okie don

Modern communication techniques like Skype etc need to be used.

bggamers Loc: georgia

I think its a great idea would make them be accountable to their people and out of the lobbyist influence

Seth

That's an intriguing thought, telecommuting government, and given that even a lot of tech support, editing and other jobs are being done from home, it actually may not be long until something like that becomes a reality.

The only drawback I can see is the security angle -- when Congress is in session, it's much easier to protect them and their staffs from terrorism and so forth when you have a relatively limited perimeter to secure than to have to pay for individual security details scattered around the country, and then there's the IT angle, maintaining secure comms against Chinese, Russian, Iranian and other foreign government commissioned hackers, since most of our politicians' and other officials' "business" would be remotely interacted.

As if the above weren't challenging enough, there is some more material to think about, along similar technology lines, brought up in this column:

http://jewishworldreview.com/0719/VonDrehle072419.php3

If our "fearless leaders" are doing most of their communicating remotely, how, if what the linked article implies is a real possibility, could they even be sure with whom they're actually communicating?

More food for thought.

Peewee Loc: San Antonio, TX

It could work until someone figures how to hack the main computer. For every lock, there is a key.

lpnmajor Loc: Arkansas

Washington spends more time in recess than on the clock. Many of these "adversaries" are good friends and get along great - off camera. The adversarial Dems vs Repubs/con's versus libs we see everyday - is manufactured Kabuki theater designed to keep the people looking everywhere but at THEM and seeing what they're really doing up there.

Seth

Thomas Jefferson urged that Americans should never stop looking over the politicians' shoulders to see exactly what they are doing on our behalf.

That means skipping the hype and actually looking at what bills are being put forward, who is voting on them and how they are voting -- this is not that difficult, since those members of the House and Senate whose seats we vote to fill are limited to the states and districts where we live.

Dinty

On the bills before Congress, I would like to see a list of names of the pro and con of such bill. This would give voters a view of the way they feel. The come election time, vote accordingly.

Wonttakeitanymore

Waters wouldn’t even and doesn’t live in her constituents area!

Seth

Nope. They don't have any mansions in her district, just lower income people she sells out on a daily basis and, a tribute to their gullibility, continues getting their vote.

Retaining minority votes is one reason why the Democrat-run education system makes sure that minority neighborhoods have the worst performing schools, and why the Democrats fight charter schools and school choice tooth and nail, just as they did the voucher initiative.

Sadly, the NAACP is also in the Democrats' pocket and they, too, oppose charter schools despite their success rate.