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Jim Moran has become the tool of the establishment.  He has co-sponsored a bill that would close the so-called gunshow loophole.  Moran is one of the unlucky politicians who are up for election this November.  He will be up against the winner of the Republican primary that’s coming up in June 8th.  Here’s my scathing letter to him:
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About a month ago, I made a suggestion to fellow #TCOT member MarkRMatthews concerning the current state of our legislative body.  Everyone agrees that special interest groups have way too much control yet not one politician will admit that they are affected by them.  The reality is that our legislative body has become way too powerful.  Every year we seem to hear about some congressman or senator having some sort of ethics issue.

Politics was never meant to be a full-time career.  In fact, it was supposed to be a group of individuals who believed in bringing REAL results from the national level down to the local level.  But we’ve gone far beyond this vision.  The majority of the elected legislators are millionaires.  They live cushy lives from lobby kickbacks.  They air a sense of entitlement, like they deserve to have popularity, money, prestige.

I want to believe that there is at least one honost politician.  But due to the fact that politics is now a game as opposed to a mission, these honest home-grown politicians fall by the wayside.

Despite elections, I don’t believe that the everyman’s concern is addressed.  Congress has gotten so partition that the majority of votes now can be counted by which party the politician is in.  We, the people, must wake up from this fact and seek real change.  Not the change that Obama promised because it isn’t enough.

I’m calling my proposal the 3-2-1 plan.  It’s simple:

• Three: Elected legislative members are limited to three consecutive terms.  It doesn’t matter if he puts in two terms in the House and then one term in the Senate or all three terms in the Senate.  After serving three consecutive terms, the  member must not seek ANY federally-elected office for two full terms of his last office.
• Two: The legislator-to-constituent ratio is way too high.  Using 2010 census data, we must double the number of legislators in both the House and Senate.  This makes it so that more specific concerns can be heard from a smaller group of constituents and makes it harder for lobby groups to control one group of legislators.
• One: Each legislator will earn a different salary, which will be equal to the median income level of his constituents.  This salary will be determined by the last census.  This will force the legislator to relate to his constituents and understand their financial needs better.  If he needs to take on a second job, so be it.

I need help getting this message across.  Right now, the foxes guard the hen house.  There is no way that a bill like this will pass because no legislator in their right mind would want to give up the power that they have right now.

Our elected officials have forgotten that they work for the people.  We don’t have to cater to them.  The only way that a bill like this can pass is through grassroots support.  I doubt either house will introduce this bill.  The only way for it to pass is for it to be voted on by referendum at the state level.

I’m not a lawyer by any stretch of the imagination.  But I know enough about the constitution that a bill like this will require an amendment to the constitution.  With your help, we can make this happen.

Please tell your friends about this plan.  It’s a good plan and gives power back to the people and away from the lobbiest and the carear politicians.  Your comments are always appreciated.  Please post them below.

Visit the Legislative Information System to track your own bills.

Bills I support:

• HB 982: Concealed handgun permit applications — Protects from public disclosure permittee names and descriptive information held by the Department of State Police.  Bill forged after The Roanoke Times published a list of names and addresses of those who had conceal carry permits.
• HB 55 : Designating English as official language of State — I think it’s discriminatory that the VA government website only offers Spanish as an alternative language.  Why not Korean?  Make the official language English so there is no discrimination.
• HB 65 : Voters and voting; photo identification required to vote — Voting is important to the democratic process.  We must be able to verify all voters to be sure that they are indeed the person who they say they are.

Bills I oppose:

• HB 904 : Mobile telephone and other wireless electronic devices; use of hands-free accessory while driving — Unfairly targets travelling businessmen as well as more affluent drivers.  I would only support this bill if eating, drinking, and any other activity taking focus away from driving were also banned.
• HB 20 : Primary elections; voter registration by political party — Political party affiliations should not used as a filter.  Current rules are fine.
• SB 233 : Transportation Plan; include quantifiable measures & achievable goals for greenhouse gas emission — Greenhouse gases is a very broad term and measurement of these gases will accomplish nothing except provide an arbitrary measure to reduce a naturally occurring emission.
• SB 2 : Retail Sales and Use Tax; eliminates exemption for certain fuels — We don’t need any more taxes on gas.  And the Use tax should be eliminated, not expanded.

You can view federal bills I’m tracking on OpenCongress.org.