Where have the citizen legislators gone?
When the principles that make up the Constitution were conceived, debated and negotiated, there was one understanding that today is totally ignored or forgotten and needs to be reestablished to protect our nation from being run by “money interests,” including “well-funded liberal activists” who think only for their self-serving interests.
That understanding is that all laws and spending budgets will be created and approved by “citizen legislators,” people who own, operate or are employed by businesses and farms and are easily accessible and visible neighbors and members of our communities.
The governing or ruling class, including bureaucrats, union members and the wealthy, were to be limited in their influencing positions.
When and why did the citizen legislator disappear? Today we criticize and want to reject experienced business leaders from taking a position of leadership in our government and promote mostly those who have made a career out of government regardless of their prior experiences and abilities to represent the majority of citizens effectively.
Lifelong politicians know little about the real world except what measures it takes to get reelected or reappointed or what is good for themselves.
We need to start moving back in the directions originally established in our Constitution.
RUSSELL ARMER, WOODSTOCK
Unelected oligarchs do Trump’s bidding
Did Trump voters realize that voting for now-President-elect Donald Trump was opening the door to unelected oligarchs (Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy and others) to dictate budgets and policy, and who knows what else?
Not only did they give oligarchs control over the executive branch, but they gave the oligarchs and Trump permission to use the U.S. government to enrich themselves and defend their selfish interests.
Did Trump voters not pay attention during the first Trump term? Did they not remember the chaos of the first Trump term?
When will Trump voters learn that they love a feckless, self-absorbed, unhinged, unprincipled fraudster?
FRANK RUECHEL, KENNESAW
We should all strive to be like Carter
Jimmy Carter was a magnificent human being: ethical, empathizing, educated and dedicated to making the world a better place. He was a sincere patriot who recognized America’s vital place in the world. He was one of the first world leaders to recognize the importance of climate change and addressed the need for a national energy policy that emphasized conservation. He put solar panels on the White House roof (though removed by President Ronald Reagan).
Those who point to failures during his administration ignore his accomplishments and assume the president has the power to make everything right. I would rather have a president who lived up to his oath never to lie to the American people than live in an age where lying has become indistinguishable from truth. President Carter was the epitome of what we as individuals and as a country should strive for.
JOHN SHACKLETON, ATLANTA
