OPINION: Politicians & Diapers Must Be Changed Often & for the Same Reason. True or False?

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Without bumper stickers, our morning commutes would be so much less entertaining.

I’ve seen some great ones over the years. Most are meant to entertain or enlighten but some exceed even that standard and become worthy of some serious thought over a cup of coffee.

I Stop for No Apparent Reason – was one such sticker that at first blush seemed a bit whimsical, meaning whatever the reader made of it. But since I first saw it winding through the streets of Haight Ashbury in San Francisco, I thought it probably had some deeper meaning. Something spiritual even. Or not.

Perhaps the driver was saying that she was her own person. She made the calls. Chose the streets and detours she would follow or not, and the lessons that would be listened to or left alone.

I followed her Toyota for a few blocks and then went about my day, but I never forgot it or saw it again.

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The one above – Politicians and diapers must be changed often and for the same reasons, was written (not attached) on the back window of an SUV in an Ace Hardware parking lot.

A political statement for sure and a rather deep one, if you get past the surface humor.

Diapers are an essential accouterment for raising a child. They are also used in later years for various reasons and again provide an invaluable service.

And while they come up now and then in jokes and commentary this was the first time, I saw it being used in a way that made perfect political sense to me.

Considering the current climate and the numerous ways members of Congress come up with to not get along, I’d say that this message should be posted on billboards along America’s highways so that voters can feel a little freer in how they vote.

It doesn’t use any dirty words outright, but the message is clear. Politics is like old clothing in that it requires a regular airing. How it’s done is of lesser importance as long as it is done.

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By Constitutional standards, a President cannot be in office for more than eight years or two terms. That sounds like a reasonable number.

Currently, the standard for the House of Representatives makes little sense. They spend the better part of a year raising money and telling voters what they are going to do if they get elected or reelected and then have 12 months or less to do it.

Better to have them voted in every four years and then limit it to eight years total.

Senators get elected for six years and two terms here seems reasonable as well, but no more. Or at the very least have six years in between where they go off and do something else. Something that grounds them to what life is actually like for their constituents.

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But back to the bumper sticker.

Our political system is rife with compromise. Not such a bad thing when running a bakery, lumber yard, or accounting firm. But when it’s all about running a country, following the laws, or making new ones that are needed by and for the people, then compromise becomes a little problematic.

Not sure who invented the position of lobbyist or at least called it that but the function has probably been with us since people first gathered around the campfire to make up some rules or deal with a member who was stealing.

They provide influence under the guise of information. They are paid, not by the People but by corporations in need.

And perhaps it is this constant influence, this exposure to people with interests other than those that got one elected that creates the stuff that fills the diapers that need to be changed regularly.

Influence is not information. Knowing how many people drive through an intersection every day, and the number of pedestrians having difficulty crossing would be needed information on whether to put a light there.

Knowing the company that wants to erect lights there and, on every corner, and who is a friend of the major and a generous donor is not.

And yet this happens all the time.

Staying in a position of power is a much sought-after position. It pays well, has great benefits, has great influence, pays well, and often leads to excellent employment opportunities in the future.

And it makes a good deal more sense to those that support candidates and incumbents alike to keep them there – more cost-efficient than having to elect new ones every few years.

And yet this is probably the exact reason why limits should be set. Comfortable is not a characteristic of public service that should be top of the list. Getting the job done by and for the people who elected one, is.

Maybe bumper stickers have a far greater role in our political future.

That would be both entertaining and informative, don’t you think?