10 Reasons To Vote Out All Incumbents In November 2010

Cleaning house can be cathartic. The feeling you get from a fresh start invigorates and, in some cases, stimulates creativity. New ideas seems to flow more smoothly and new solutions, sometimes very simple in their makeup, reveal themselves. Clutter tends to dull the brain while a clean environment seems to make one refreshed and able to take on projects that may have seemed daunting just hours before.

And so it will be when we replace all the incumbent members of The House of Representatives and Senate in November. Now you may think this is naive or even wrong to promote a complete replacement of the members of the House. There are good Representatives. I know we have one right here in North Texas, Congressman Sam Johnson, an American hero from the Vietnam War. He is both honest and principled. I am sure that he is doing his best for the American people in the House.

Unfortunately, Sam is in the minority. Most House members are pompous fat-cats who sell their vote to the highest bidder. Corruption is the norm in the House as it is in the Senate. Sam has one flaw. He probably, from my reckoning, is more loyal to the Republican Party than he is to his constituency. Love you, Sam, but that is unacceptable. Although Sam is close to the perfect candidate, too much time in the cesspool of Congress and you cannot help but reek of the stench. Contamination is inevitable.

So, the only solution to clean up this mess, as far as I can see, is to clean House (pun intended). Throw the bums out and start over. Here are 10 reasons why I think this is a good idea.

(1) It will stop Washington corruption dead in it's tracks. The special interests will have no one to go to. These big money organizations will find no takers with average Americans in there. We need ethical and moral people running our government. People who are not for sale. These groups can make their requests known but they will not be able to buy influence. Yes, people do have their price. We need to make sure we elect people with principles who, hopefully, do not have a price tag on their vote.

(2) It will remind the current members of Congress that "We The People" hold the power in this country. Do you think they need a subtle two-by-four-to-the-head reminder? If Nancy Pelosi talks to me one more like I'm a third-grader who can't possibly understand these big, bad pieces of legislation, I may just end up taking a short vacation to Washington, D.C. and get in her face about it.  Preferably, I would just like to see the citizens of San Francisco handily vote her out of office this November. That would save me a trip.

(3) The Nanny State will be stopped. Entitlements will be more easily phased out. There are too many government entitlements. We are Americans, not third-world, uneducated, poverty-stricken people who can't take care of themselves. We can do just fine on our own. No government intervention needed. Entitlements breed slavery and sloth. Americans need to be stimulated to stand on their own. And when assistance is needed, that is what organizations like The Salvation Army and Red Cross are for. We are the most generous and giving nation on the earth. Both at home and abroad.

(4) Spending can easily be cut to stimulate job growth. Can I get an AMEN on this one? Congress cannot spend our way out of this economic crisis. Reducing government spending and reducing the size of government will make this deficit we have shrink faster than a deflated balloon. Bloated government is a leach sucking the life out of America. There are too many agencies and bureaucrats. The average government salary is above $70K. $70K! How many Americans earn $70K or above? Less than 50% since the average American salary in 2009 is less than $50K. Since when do the servants earn more than the masters? They are Public Servants, you know. I could live with it being equal but that disparity, on top of the whopping benefits and retirement package government employees have, makes me angry. And they aren't even that good at their jobs. How many competent government bureaucrats do you know?

(5) Taxes can easily be cut to stimulate job growth.Another hearty AMEN? Taxes in this country are ridiculously high to support our bloated government and all the pork and special projects that our lawmakers waste money on. A flat tax, like a national sales tax, is more fair. He who consumes pays tax. Those who consume more, pay more tax. Simple and clean.

(6) The deficit will be reduced. Cutting spending and lowering taxes will have a positive effect on our deficit. By increasing our GDP, we can start applying money to knock out the deficit in short order. We can also start utilizing our natural resources to break our dependency on foreign oil and have enough left over to export it and further reduce the deficit.

(7) Term limits will be able to finally be instituted for Congress. I think 4 terms in the House and 2 terms in the Senate should be sufficient. It is the lawmakers that have 20+ years in Congress that are our worst problem. They believe they are entitled to their positions of power and have lost touch with the American people. Term limits also makes sure fresh blood flows through the halls of Congress on a pretty regular basis and opens up more opportunities for citizens to server our great nation.

(8) The size of government can be shrunk significantly. Average Americans elected to office will hunt down the waste and fraud in our government. Returning certain rights to the States will also shrink the Federal government. Reduced spending and removing unnecessary government agencies could possibly reduce the size of our government by as much as 75%.

(9) Common sense will finally reign in Washington. Pork will only be used for making bacon. Waste and fraud are common in our government. Stupidity seems to be the order of the day. We need people in office with some good old-fashioned common sense. Never have I heard so much absurd talk from such educated people as I hear from our Congressmen and Congresswomen as of late. Finally, our government would get a clue.

(10) It will feel REALLY good to kick those guys out. What else can you say? Doing the right thing feels great and stopping the bad guys is as American as apple pie. I would like to be proud of my government for once.

435 seats in the House and 1/3rd of the Senate are up for election this year. This is historic. We can fundamentally transform America overnight. Wouldn't that be great? You wake up on the day after Election Day in November and have real HOPE. Real hope because the CHANGE we just made in our government is going to reap benefits for this generation and for generations to come.

Ah, fall. What a fantastic time for cleaning House (and Senate). Vote anti-incumbent this November. Elect people of character to Congress. Only then will we be able to trust our elected officials to vote as their constituency directs.

Good night, American. Dream of an America where we are governed in truth and honor.

-Doug Cochran