Jim Ross Lightfoot

A letter from a young man appeared in my inbox a few days ago. The primary question asked was, “Have we become so dysfunctional that honorable people refuse to run for president?”

In the middle of a close, hotly contested, hate-filled campaign, the question deserved an answer from an old man who has served as a congressman. The response appears below.

Dear David:

David, that is the fundamental question: where have all the good guys gone?

The short answer: I do not know. A little history might provide clues. There were people in office at the same time I was (1985-1997) who were not smart enough to have a real job.

Many of them were personable and likable people. That is probably the reason they were elected — personality, not policy.

Many people elected discovered they could have a pretty good life with a political job, as they were not exposed to being fired every day, didn’t report daily to some boss or authority, and most of the time, the lifting was not too heavy.

In addition, many individuals craved or became comfortable with the power of holding public office. Having power in their hands was addictive, and staying in office was the only way to continue this euphoric ride.

Furthermore, the longer they stayed, the more power they had over those who did not vote for them. These individuals, from both political parties, became chairpersons of powerful committees that control Congress.

The bosses are “professional politicians,” a term, definition, or occupation not found in the U.S. Constitution.

Our Constitution states that “We, the People,” you and I, would own the government. The government would not own us. Today, that concept is being reversed at light speed.

The official definition is socialism, which eventually becomes communism. The theory behind that political process is the masses are owned by the government and ruled over by a group of very wealthy elites who gained their wealth by stealing from the people they now control.

Joe Biden is a prime example of this. When you examine his background, you’ll find that he only worked a real job for three or four years before choosing politics as his career.

Many in Congress have never had a legitimate job. They do not understand public responsibility, building a career in a needed industry, providing the goods other people need for support, and building their lives through honest, hard work.

Our Constitution directs us to put God and The United States of America first. Today, the professional politicians in charge have replaced those tenants with “me” first and the hell with the rest of us.

Perhaps these are some of the reasons the quality of presidential candidates has become so low. We have discussed Biden, but what about Donald Trump?

I do not know, but I do believe that the corruption of Congress is one of the reasons that drove Trump to dive into the political cesspool.

Why would anyone who has worked hard for their family and community and, in the process, built much wealth want to enter the world of politics?

Contrary to many in Congress, Trump can balance a checkbook, and he is not a professional politician. That scares the pants off of the old dinosaur professional politicians. They do not know how to deal with him other than with hate, and plenty of it. Millions of dollars of hate.

No, that’s not a happy answer, but it’s the honest one you asked for.

David, I sincerely hope that your generation will rise up and engage in a genuine fight, a fight that only your side can win against those who are stealing your freedom, as well as the freedom of your children and grandchildren.

The future of the country is in your hands, and I am an old man who believes that you and your friends are the ones who will restore what once was the greatest country in the world.

The world is peaceful when the U.S. is strong. In that position, many countries respect us, and those who hate us are afraid of us. That is not a bad position to be in.