I think something went wrong soon after the American Revolution.

My main thought here is that the American Revolution should have been a continuing change for the better instead of more government rules, regulations and intervention in our businesses and lives.

It has often been said that our forefathers who wrote the Constitution never foresaw that politics would become a way of life instead of volunteerism for the betterment of the United States. I do agree with that statement to a certain extent, but I also believe that the biggest problem with politics has its roots in the politicians themselves along with the voters who continually allow the politicians to stay in office.

So why would the majority of voters return so many politicians to office? I find the answer lies in two quotations about democracy. Benjamin Franklin was quoted to have said when people find they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the republic.

Alexander Fraser Tytler was born in Scotland in 1747 and became a British lawyer. One of his most famous quotes is: “A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves money from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy followed by a dictatorship.”

Perhaps a perfect example is government-sponsored health care that many people are calling for Congress to create. Many of those voters believe that this health care will be free because it could be run by the government or at least controlled by the government. The Senate plan calls for $860 billion or so in spending for the next 10 years. One estimate states that this health care plan will cost $200 billion a year. Oh well, when has government spending ever come in under budget?

And then a look at the politicians themselves. Some say very little, some say too much and the happy median between both is nothing more than hot air. Some promise to run for only a couple of terms. Susan Collins did and then successfully ran for a third term. And some end up in jail, which causes citizens to pay more taxes.

What I find interesting is their salaries and benefits. The following figures were the most reliable that I could find online and reflect salaries from around 2006. The president makes around $400,000 but gets to cause millions in spending when he tools around the world in Air Force One, a Boeing 747. The average salary of a member of Congress was stated as $174,000. We probably will never know what the financial benefit for them comes from just being a member of Congress. The average salary for the average American worker in 2006 was $48,201 before deductions like income taxes and social security deductions. I think I know where the problem is.

Lane Hiltunen lives in Windham.