OPINION: It's time to end the professional political class

Back in June, Shawn Hannity had presidential hopeful Carly Fiorina on his program for the entire hour and she made a comment which most Americans are now beginning to understand. To paraphrase Fiorina: It is time to get rid of the Professional Politician Cadre.

Donald Trump has also voiced his opinion (and quite bluntly) on the subject and again I’m paraphrasing his statement: Both parties talk and talk and nothing ever gets done. Both Trump and Fiorina are exactly right on the politics that now encompass this country.

In 1960 under the Kennedy administration the “Professional Politician” was born and the American people were totally unaware of what was taking place in the hallowed halls of Congress and in the Oval Office of the White House.

President Eisenhower had just retired after eight years in office and his service to his country in the Army, especially during the Second World War. So Congress decided to honor this champion of freedom with a presidential retirement, the very first Congress to honor a president in such a way. Overwhelmingly this was approved by the Congress, the president and the American people.

But written into this honor declaration was something that the American people were totally unaware of: the Congressional Retirement System, which not only extended a new benefit to members of Congress, but to those appointed into various positions within the government and all of this done retroactively.

Prior to 1960 not one person in elected or appointed office in government received any kind of retirement and the reason was pretty simple: Those in government were usually wealthy to start with, so they really didn’t need a retirement system. They were paid for their “service to the country” but they had enough money for their own retirements. That equation hadn’t changed since the founding of this country, for those with wealth had the time to delve into politics, for the average American was busy making a living for his family.

But as time went on and power was amassed by those in office, honesty and integrity went out the window and greed and corruption took its place.

Eisenhower received $60,000 a year in a presidential retirement and went to his spread out in Gettysburg. His vice president, Richard Nixon, received $30,000 a year and so began the professional politician and retirements. President Gerald Ford amassed over $400,000 a year in public retirements for his time in government: 27 years in the House, plus vice president and president. President George Herbert Walker Bush amassed $387,000 a year in public retirements for his time as U.S. represenative, ambassador to China, director of the CIA, vice president and president.

Members of Congress have amassed tremendous retirements by adding to their own portfolio retirement package and this is all done by the information they gain by all the lobbyists that now haunt the hallowed halls of Congress. If any of these people were on the New York Stock Exchange, they would all be in prison for insider trading.

President Bill Clinton gets $168,600 a year cash money as a retirement for eight years in public office. Not to mention all the other perks and privilege he gets from being a former president.

At the present time President Barack Obama gets $400,000 a year for being the president and will receive almost $200,000 a year in public retirement when his time in office is over. Vice President Joe Biden will receive over $250,000 a year in public retirements, for he also served 30 years in the Senate.

Each former First Lady receives $20,000 a year for being a First Lady. And if they outlive their husbands (which they normally do) they receive $60,000 a year in widow’s benefits. Jackie Kennedy outlived her husband by 35 years and Lady Byrd Johnson outlived her husband by 28 years and Nancy Reagan is still alive and collecting $60,000 a year.

The day of “Mr. Smith goes to Washington” is over and Jimmy Stewart is probably turning over in his grave. Thomas Jefferson envisioned the “citizen politician,” for he knew that power corrupts, and if left unchecked we would no longer have a republic, but a dictatorship.

The Constitution was ratified in 1789 and has been the foundation on which this nation exists. But we are no longer living in the 18th century and it is time we take a serious look at this document and make the necessary changes to bring it into the 21st century. There needs to be clarification as to the amount of power granted to the president and to the Congress, and it should be written in such a manner that there can be no misunderstanding of what the legal limits are.

The entire presidential and congressional retirement system should be retroactively abolished. Term limits should be imposed on all members of Congress and the Supreme Court, and an age limit also imposed. Members of the high court should be appointed by legal scholars of the Constitution and professors who teach constitutional law and should be required to take an oath to uphold the Constitution as written and not open to interpretation.

Way too much authority has been granted to the courts over the course of our history as a nation and “We the People” have been over-looked. It is time we eliminate this royalty which we have created called “Our Government” and thus do away with the professional politicians.

Jim Garvey is a resident of Kalispell.