American voters are skeptical of politicians in Washington because for far too long, our Congressional leaders believe that their seats of power and influence make them invincible and "above the law". Jim Cooper seems to have been a politician who has kept his nose out of trouble, yet, there are some key distinctions between our records on corruption and transparency in the government:
Most recently, Jim Cooper voted AGAINST the Rangel Amendment which would have stripped a sitting Congressman (who is embroiled in corruption charges and scandals) of his committee chairmanship. He voted in favor of Charlie Rangel, simply because his PARTY affiliation was more important that doing the right thing for the American people. I would have voted WITHOUT hesitation, or reservation, to remove Chairman Rangel from his position. For the sake of consistency, I would have also voted to throw out Governor Sanford in SC and ANY Republican that is involved with corrupt and/or dishonest activities. It is time that we, as politicians and Americans, put our party loyalties aside and actually FIGHT for the American people and strive to PRESERVE the dignity of the office that we seek.
My solution to this problem would be to begin impeachment charges against ANY and ALL politician that is known to have broken American laws simply because they are Congressional leaders. I would seek to make these leaders PAY BACK the American taxpayers for all of the money spent by this politician while in office. In Congressman Rangel's case, I would have asked him to repay all of his salary and bonuses to a school in need in his Harlem District. This would not only rid our Congress of a corrupt politician, but it would also benefit those who need help the most.
I would also seek to mandate that all Congressional activities are made public and COMPLETELY transparent so that our voters may be able to see what is going on in Washington. This includes ANY records of those Congressional leaders who are under investigation for illegal activities. Finally, if it is not already mandated, I would make it mandatory for our Congressional leaders and our President to dress in suits, coats, nice dresses, etc, when in the Halls of Congress or in the Oval Office. These are positions of respect and they deserve to be treated that way.
