Turnover in Washington

The news has been filled recently with the planned retirements of a large number of politicians in Washington. To be exact, there is a total of 13 open seats for the Democrats (these seats include big names, like Patrick Kennedy and Neil Abercrombie of Hawaii). On the other side of the aisle, there are now at least 17 Republican vacancies expected in the coming election. This is all in the shadow of a number of extremely difficult elections that many politicians are expecting: this is true of Harry Reid and is the main reason why Senator Dodd will not be seeking reelection. And of course this all comes at a time of serious political stress in America: an embattled President whose ambitions were tempered by the surprise victory of Scott Brown in Massachusetts.

All in all, the large number of changes to familiar faces in Washington should be welcomed, regardless of your political party affiliation. With widespread gerrymandering and a sinful retention rate in our federal government (to be specific, from 1964-2006 the reelection rate has never been lower than 85% in the House and, besides one fluke year in 1980, never below 55% in the Senate) this is a welcome development.

Career politicians have a history of corruptibility and getting out of touch with the American public. A perfect example of this is Representative Charles Rangel, the Chairman of the House Ways and Means committee, who simultaneously fights for tax hikes while evading income taxes on his property in the Dominican Republic. Cleaning house, no pun intended, is a great way to get new blood into our government, and along with it, new perspectives and freedom from the influences and corruptions that come with a long career in the federal government.

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