I'm not usually "politically active," and there is good reason for that: I've refused for many, many years to affiliate myself with any specific political party. Why? My views are all over the map, depending on the issue, and frankly I became aware at a very early age that extremely few politicians even attempt to represent "we the people" once they get into office. How could I proclaim a party affiliation when I knew I'd be part of the statistics attributed to whichever party I named?

Over the years I've become increasingly disillusioned with our two-party system and the politicians who are supposed to represent us within that system. It seems there are no true representatives anywhere to be found. But I have to say that the past 15-20 years have become downright ridiculous on the political front. What is going on?

If you watch national politics, you see the big picture but the state and local politicians are simply a lower-key, lower-profile version of the same situation. They've completely lost track of what we're paying their exorbitant salaries to accomplish. They don't want to make or amend laws according to the will of the people. All they seem to have interest in is having a big cat fight to show us which political party is "right."

I'm so insulted by the behavior of our so-called lawmakers, I'd love to jerk every one of them out of office and start over with a completely clean slate. I see no other way to stop the monster they've created. Less and less lawmaking is actually happening every year while they continue to draw excellent salaries and amazing benefits. I don't want my tax dollars going to pay them to provide us fourth-grade level entertainment & I'm insulted to think our lawmakers might actually believe they are *educating* us by conducting themselves that way. The only thing I'm learning is that I don't feel represented by any of them most of the time.

Yes, this is a rant, and I apologize if it offends any of my readers. What you should be offended by is the way we are all being disregarded. Do you really give a rip who slept with whom or who might be gay, or even who might have done something inappropriate on company time at some point during their tenure? I don't, unless it's something as major as finding out exactly who was paid off in the Oil for Food program. If it isn't that big, nobody should be wasting my tax dollars investigating it. I want their noses to the grindstone, doing what I (one of their millions of bosses) PAY them to do: try to make the best of what we have and do better wherever possible without breaking the bank. Why is that so hard for them to do?

I have an idea! Let's change the way their salaries are dished out. Yes, that ought to do it! They'll receive a small stipend and minimal benefits until they actually do what we pay them to do. Each time they perform the tasks of true lawmakers, each participant gets a performance salary bonus. We convert them all to the standard Social Security pension system, but we will make contributions to a 401(k) pension if they make contributions to the plan -- but not until the end of each legislative term, because their own contributions will be limited to a percentage of their bonus earnings plus stipend. You know, the way we (their bosses) are paid in real life... if we're lucky enough to have a job with benefits at all.

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.