Politicians Need a "Timeout"

By Kenneth D. Ericksen
July 28, 2008


As father of two teenage boys, I have found the value of the disciplinary tool called a “Timeout”. As my boys were growing up and would misbehave we would send them to there rooms to cool off and think about there mistake. This time also allowed us as parents to cool off and use the poor behavior as a teaching moment. Lessons were learned, behavior was modified, respect was earned, consequences were enforced and love was established.

Our leaders in Washington seem to be like little children who are left without any parental supervision. They have been left unchecked and have become undisciplined. The fighting and arguing is deafening. They are self serving, ego driven, power hungry, and very selfish. In this mode they have stopped looking out for the best interest of the nation and their constituents. All they care about is keeping their jobs and having as much control and power as they can get. Come reelection time they will say and do anything to get our votes.

Some may say that is the way it has always been and there is nothing we can do about it. It is true that there have always been unethical politicians but they were not the majority. That seems to have changed. I am having a hard time thinking of many political leaders who have stayed true to their convictions at all cost and shown true statesmanship and integrity. There are a few but not many. That type of leaders seams to be a relic of the past. To say there is nothing we can do is to put our selves down and overlook the power of the people. This is exactly what the leaders in Washington want us to think. It is what gives them their uncontrolled and unchecked power.

If our children were treating us and each other the way our leaders are treating us we would place them in a “Timeout”. You may think I am joking or too simpleminded a person. I may be simpleminded but I am not joking. Let us put our leaders in “Timeout”. We are there bosses. They are supposed to work for us not the other way around. So how do we put them in “Timeout”, you may ask? Vote them out of office. Send them back to their rooms (States and cities). Let them realize we want REAL CHANGE, not just talk. I don’t care what party they are from. Both parties need a deep and thorough house cleaning. We need to take back control of our country. Our leaders need to know we are informed and actively involved. We need to fight for our rights and not just assume we will always have them.

America is looking for true leadership. The political pundits and strategists have stopped looking at the whole nation but just a small voting block to direct their candidates’ opinion. (Sept. 23, 2008) I have come back to this article after being away from voicing my opinion. Since then we have Sarah Palin on the Republican ticket. She is a great choice. Close but not perfect but a move in the right direction. I am not complaining. But what we need are a lot of Sarah Palin’s. Average people who will not be beaten down by the media and so called popular opinion and will rise to the need of this nation and get involved. We need to make noise. If we don’t we may loose. Washington has run amuck and “We the People” must fix it before it fixes us like we were it’s pet.