I got the first photograph just outside our front door. I got most of the others today down by the harbor... except, obviously, a digitized version of one of my paintings that I posted on yesterday's BLOG.A good friend has sent to me a proposal that’s going around the Internet promoting a 28th Amendment to the Constitution which would drastically change the American system of government by making radical changes in the legislative branch. Tenure in both House and Senate would be limited to 12 years and members would be paid reasonable salaries but no pay or pension after service except Social Security. Members would be provided no more or less health insurance than other Americans. There are other provisions and limitations.

  Although I haven’t considered them seriously, the ideas have floated around for a long time. Some of the ideas seem to make sense, but I have questions about others. Limiting tenure would not change the fact that an ordinary working citizen with moderate income and modest assets could hardly come up with the money necessary to run for office without selling his/her soul to wealthy individuals, corporations, or foundations who could finance the campaign. Also, I am not opposed to career politicians. Bob Filner in California’s 51st Congressional District is a good example of a bright, well-educated individual whose service to the country is informed both by his formal academic training in history and government and by his experience in the House of Representatives. What a shame it would be for him to be termed out and replaced by someone who would take years of on-the-job experience in Washington to come close to the effectiveness in office that is apparent in Congressman Filner's work. These bright-eyed, bushy-tailed, know-it-all Tea Party people are constantly demonstrating their woeful lack of information and sophistication about the world, about the United States, and even about their own districts. Their ignorance is embarrassing and ultimately dangerous to our democracy. Enthusiasm and good looks are not enough. Enthusiasm only compounds the damage done by ignorance. It's pretty clear that our present system isn't working as well as it might.
 
    My gut reaction to the proposal to strip senators and representatives of all the benefits they enjoy is that the suggestion is a move in the wrong direction.  Instead of taking something away from people doing a job, our rich country should be moving in a direction of taking care of everybody the way the system takes care of elected workers: insurance, pensions, health care... all the things "they" now have should be provided for all citizens.  That’s an idea that seems to be anathema to Tea Party folks. To do that, we would have to tax the hell out of the rich (personal incomes of rich individuals... I don't know enough about what it takes to make a successful corporation to make any kind of statement about corporate tax structures... but I do know that a personal income over a couple of million dollars a year for any private citizen simply isn't necessary for enjoyment of the good life and should not be exempt from heavy taxation. Ronald Reagan's trickle down economic theories obviously don’t accomplish what he thought they would accomplish. Very little trickles down. The Gipper was apparently a good man...sincere and honest, but sincerity and goodness and honesty are sometimes not enough. Much of the surplus wealth of individuals surges out of the country to off-shore investments and into in-country investments that are protected from taxes. Reagan was sincere in his belief that the wealthy would distribute their accumulated wealth by investing in projects that would put people to work. That happens sometimes, but excessive wealth does little except further embellish the good life for the very rich. The Buffett and Gates families are good examples of people who are realistic about their personal wealth. In my own city we have good examples of wealthy citizens who support the arts and I am grateful, but the vast majority of the poorest citizens of San Diego don’t receive much benefit from a gift to a museum or to the symphony. Public schools in the parts of the city where low-income families live are grossly underfunded. For lack of funds, arts programs in those schools are being dropped. Librarians and nurses are being cut from faculties. Music programs are eliminated because there is simply not enough money from taxes to keep them going.

Changing tenure of federal senators and representatives isn’t going to change any of the things that need changing in California.