Good day, family and friends!
Not long ago, as I was watching some C-Span video clips of our Congress in action, I started looking at the chambers of both the House and the Senate and had the thought that it might be time for a little makeover. Don't get me wrong; I love the warmth and classic elegance of the dark woods and leather upholstery that hearken back to the late 18th and early 19th Centuries. I just think that, since our elected representatives are dealing with the issues facing America in the 21st Century, maybe they should be in 21st-century surroundings with access to 21st-century conveniences.
For example, replace the dark wood desks with something functional and sleek that includes integrated technology such as a universal docking station for a laptop computer and a charging pad for portable devices. I would also replace the old wooden lectern with one that has integrated teleprompters for scheduled speeches and presentations. I would also glass in the observation galleries so that the citizens of our great nation can come to watch and listen to their Congress in action, but not be able to disrupt the proceedings.
While we're at it, since the elected representatives are supposed to be representing their constituents and their states, I would rearrange the seating to ensure it is not separated along party lines. In the Senate, I suggest the use of paired "partners' desks" so that both Senators from each state would sit together, regardless of their chosen political faction. In the House, each Representative would have a separate desk, but it would be clustered in a "pod" with all the Representatives from that state. I would further emphasize that no state is more important than any other by randomly assigning the positioning of the states in the chamber at the start of each Congressional session, thereby avoiding the claiming of the "good seats" on the basis of seniority or party ranking.
Finally, I would love to see, evenly spaced around the room, wall panels engraved with aphorisms designed to keep Congress on track. They should be large enough and placed in such a way that every Senator and Representative would be able to see every panel from their seat, if they choose to look around. Some of the reminders I would place in both chambers of Congress, as well as the auditorium used for joint sessions, are:
> "Government is not reason, it is not eloquence — it is force! Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master. Never for a moment should it be left to irresponsible action." - George Washington
> "The basis of our political systems is the right of the people to make and to alter their Constitutions of Government. But the Constitution which at any time exists, till changed by an explicit and authentic act of the whole people, is sacredly obligatory upon all." - George Washington
> “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely” - Lord Acton
> You are public servants, not public masters.
> "It would be a hard government that should tax its people one tenth part of their income." - Benjamin Franklin
> Read the Constitution! After all, you swore an oath to uphold it.
> "Just because you can do something doesn't mean you should do something." - American Proverb
> "The road to Hell is paved with good intentions." - H.G. Bohn
> "Secrecy is the beginning of tyranny." - Robert A. Heinlein
> "If we lose freedom here, there is no place to escape to. This is the last stand on Earth." - Ronald Reagan
> "A troubled and afflicted mankind looks to us, pleading for us to keep our rendezvous with destiny; that we will uphold the principles of self-reliance, self-discipline, morality, and, above all, responsible liberty for every individual that we will become that shining city on a hill." - Ronald Reagan
> You are no better than any other citizen of the United States.
> We the People are your bosses; you are not ours.
Just maybe these aphorisms will help to minimize the number of Congresspersons who give in to the pressure of special interest lobbyists.
Until next time, best regards...
© James P. Rice 2010
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