Donald K. Allen for President

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June 2, 2008

I just received an e-mail from a veterinarian in California who responded to my letter about my campaign. One concern he has is that the election of an independent would bring the downfall of our two-party system and lead to chaos with multiple parties running the country. I replied that could simply not happen here, as he referred to other counties with multiple parties. It will not lead to a domino effect, nor will it weaken either party significantly. What the election of an independent President will do, however, is send a tremor through the foundations of both parties, perhaps initiating a serious analysis of what they have done to lose the trust of we the people.

The doctor is an immigrant from India, and it is evident that he truly loves this “great land of the Bald Eagle.” I’m sure his immigration to the U.S.A. was far more difficult than just stepping across an invisible line in the soil of Texas. I hope to maintain a running dialogue with him.

When our Founding Fathers created the Constitution and its first Amendments, they struggled with the possibility that the elected President would become a pseudo-monarch like the English kings without some kind of restrictions to prevent it. They believed that he would hold onto the power and not allow regular succession through election. Washington proved that wrong from the beginning and set a precedent for future Presidents. Restraint didn’t appear until 1947, after Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected to three terms and the 22nd Amendment was passed to prevent it from happening again.

The Founding Fathers obviously didn’t anticipate that some members of Congress would, nevertheless, become pseudo-monarchs by staying in office for 40 years and more. We kindly refer to them as “elder statesmen.” Senator Strom Thurmond retired from the Senate in 2003 when he was 100 years old, wheelchair-bound, and living at Walter Reed Army Hospital. Five Congressmen have served over 50 years, and 33 have gone over 40 years in office. Longevity in office is partly because of constituent satisfaction, partly because the other party couldn’t field a good enough opponent, and partly because the two-party system keeps everyone else out of the game.

Many Americans would like to see term limits for Congress. A cumulative 12-year limit would mean two terms in the Senate or six terms in the House, or any combination between the two that would not exceed 12. Even a limit of 20 years would be acceptable, so that members of Congress could qualify for government retirement benefits. But I truly believe our Founding Fathers intended for more citizen involvement in our Federal government and more turnover of Congress than we see now. Far too much power and influence is garnered from excessive tenure, and that power is willingly used to sway otherwise conscientious thinkers.

Without a doubt my administration would return to following the concept of a living Constitution that applies to all aspects of today’s government as it did over two centuries ago. We have gone too far astray from the path they set for us, and this country must regain the High Road.