Waxman Finally Calls It Quits

The news today is that Henry Waxman, a Blue Congressman, is finally calling it quits after a 20 terms in the House and will not seek reelection in the fall. Not sure, as one of the primary architects of the ACA, or as a rallying cry Demo Care, whether he wanted to avoid a bruising fight facing the wrath of angry voters or whether after working for 50 years, only five of which were in the private sector (as a lawyer which may or may not be defined as private given the low esteem we since the days of Dick the Butcher have for lawyers) it was time to retired.
        Whether he served his District or the nation well is for history to render its verdict. One thing is clear. Making a House seat and the retention of it a career cannot be what the Founding Fathers had in mind. Waxman represents the career politician who has been insulated from the vagaries of the winds of economic storm and from the effect of many of the laws the politicians have enacted (if the furor over minimum wage, ask if you are sitting down how many House or Senate members pay their interns at least minimum wage).  Waxman is not the first nor the last unless we as a nation say enough and impose term limits to force people to have real jobs either before or after they leave "public service." If a Congressman is only going to be in office for say three terms, he might place a higher value on his integrity and not sell out to the large donors that he needs to court to stay election. Do not really care who replaces him, only that who ever does has come out of the private sector, preferably from a company in which making payroll was a real concern. That and the fact that his replacement Red or Blue views the office as a short term proposition.

 Waxing the Last Board--Time to Retire

 After 45 years of being at the "public service" trough, Waxman may have seen the writing on the wall.

Amidst falling ACA approvals, he announces today that he will not seek reelection in the fall

Some would speculate that retirement i due to his crafting of the ACA
Looking back one might ponder if sanity finally comes to play
Elected office should never be allowed to become a career
A thought that never entered Waxman's ear
Anyone who has barely worked in the private sector is someone we as taxpayers should fear
No matter the early motives, self interest for office retention will soon appear
Waxman represents the class of Brahmas our politicians have become
Large donors sated at the federal trough, mere voters fed the crumbs
When will we mere mortals as voters realize the Waxmans of the world for us could care less
Inconveniences at $15 per vote, a source only of raising campaign funds stress
Career politicians Red or Blue simply do not belong
Waxman finally leaves, what took you so long?
Enjoy your pension which is more than your voting servants could only dream
Know you are immune from the ACA you crafted while the rest of us will be creamed.
So we would be blessed with not having a successor as career Waxman clone
A solemn pledge from your replacement candidates that after three terms they will go home!
©January 29, 2014 Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet