The Only Question a Politician Should Be Required to Answer

My friend John Russell sent me this, and I thought y'all would like it too.

The Only Question a Politician Should Be Required to Answer

By: John Russell | Source: IRN/USA News
September 28, 2009 8:18PM EST

It will start in the spring or summer of next year, the recurring civic ritual called the national elections. Would be office holders along with those who already part of the criminal enterprise called government will descend like locusts seeking out the gullible to build a base of support. An important part of this process is spontaneously answering the questions of perspective voters, especially those written in advance.

Now the questions asked will depend on the interests of the constituents of a given political division. If the electorate tends to be “progressive” then the questioning will go something like this. “Mr. or Ms. candidate I feel that as an ergo-challenged American it is grossly unfair that I should be required to scratch my own backside. What do you plan to do about this problem?” To which the candidate will likely reply, “I’m glad you asked that question. If elected I plan to introduce the Backside Abrasion Assistance and Social Justice Act.” thereby assuring another vote from a now informed voter.

For those, however, who do not see government as the solution for their problems it generally goes this way. “Mr. or Ms. Candidate what are you going to do to protect what’s left of my liberty and my wallet?” The standard reply is, ”My fellow patriot if you send me to (wherever the planned malfeasance is to occur) I will defend your rights as if they were my own.”

This answer, in reality is meaningless, because the question is the wrong one. If all you require from someone is that they defend something then your expectations are too low. The next time this electoral worthy comes to you seeking your support and you ask “what they have done in the interest of my freedom” they have no need to show any progress. “I did my best”, they will say, “but those rascals across the isle resisted my efforts at every turn. But I did lead the successful fight to stop the “Report With Your Children for Execution Act.” With another bullet dodged you’re expected to gratefully return this character to the scene of the crime with a new bag of burglar tools.

Let’s say that we do something different. Instead of asking the usual questions let’s try this one, just for a bit of sport. “Mr. or Ms. Candidate I only have one question for you which of the thousands of unconstitutional and insulting laws and regulations do you plan to repeal if I give you my vote?”

At this point I have to warn all would be questioners not to pose this question to an aged or infirm political hopeful as a voter induced coronary can only lead to bad press, and a new file with Homeland Security.

If every lover of liberty and the Constitution that allegedly guarantees it will ask this question, and not get sidetracked and demand a straightforward answer, it will become evident who will best serve the republic. Any who find the question to hard need not apply for the job.