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ACCORDING TO LIZ - After added stories leaked out about Biden’s mental deterioration during his final months in office and another broke that a sitting representative was resident in a dementia facility, there were calls for cognitive tests for Congress.
The story has faded under the morass of more recent news but, with the aging of those in high office – and the increasingly squirrelly behavior of others, cognitive testing is a proposition that should be pursued.
We have tests to get into schools and graduate from them. We have board certifications and bar exams. We have drivers tests and sobriety checks.
Would you ever go to a surgeon who has not had five to seven years of residency training on top of medical school and obtained their license?
So doesn’t it make sense that our elected officials should be held to similarly rigorous standards since their actions – the laws they introduce, the votes they make – have such significant impact on our futures.
If they do not enter office with the requisite skills to parse and adequately assess the effect each of their decisions will have, not only on the issue at hand but as each reverberates across the economy and society as a whole, should they not immediately attain sufficient knowledge of areas in which they lack experience?
In a complex and ever-evolving world no-one can be expected to have a command of all the issues all the time.
But they do need a broad overview of the work Congress undertakes and decision-making skills to determine relative importance to the country and their state and district. And the ability to select appropriate consultants who are expert in the requisite fields, so they are better able to understand the nuances and to effectively draw on outside expertise to make life-changing decisions for their constituents.
These components of their job can be learned. And improved.
To ensure that each does their level best for country, state and city, they must be held to minimum standards and, as in most professions, undertake on-the-job education to keep current.
Many already do, but for the sake of fairness, for accountability and transparency, the rest must be dragged into the twenty-first century.
It’s a whole new world out there, and those elected by the people to work for the people should be obligated to take their responsibilities seriously not work inside a bubble reinforcing personal viewpoints.
In years past, the vast majority of people elected to Federal office came up through the existing political system, starting with hyper-local elections or working for experienced politicians, learning the ropes as they went.
Or they were golfing buddies with those in high office who brought them in to exploit their existing acumen or connections, whether in business or other fields, and who provided the support necessary to ensure their actions reflected well on their sponsor.
But with the advent of the Tea-Partiers and the manipulative rainmakers skulking in back of them, too often one-issue right wing radicals were catapulted into office without even the sense to hire staffers and advisors qualified for the work.
Not that many of them would admit it.
They considered themselves individual activists in the vein of those who attacked British overreach in the 1773 Boston Tea Party, and mostly are oblivious to the rightwing conservatives pulling puppet strings to promote the demise of government regulation and taxation.
These are the direct descendants of the Know Nothings, an 1850 political party that urged deportation of foreign criminals, tougher restraints on immigration, Bible teaching in schools, and self-reliance.
Today’s Know-nothings and Grover Norquist clones are more dangerous, with a huge online echo chamber and a tendency to double down on Fox News positions instead of doing their homework on the issues.
And they have come to like the feeling of power that their obstructionism brings. Legends in their own minds like the current occupant of the White House.
Which means that there’s a lot of tap-dancing going on over the question of cognitive testing on the Hill.
Many fear the loss of prestige and position that the results might entail – some with good reason.
Others may be terrified that their lack of basic knowledge and analytical skills might be revealed to their voters.
In addition to age deterioration, there are increasing concerns about ethical issues, from financial conflicts of interest to leverage that can be applied to sitting members with peccadillos in their past.
Recent reports that China has collected data on members of Congress means that more of our lawmakers may be subjected to persuasion by forces inimical to their constituents’ interests.
Ethics and ethical behavior along with transparency and accountability must be made front and center of all government bodies.
Which runs contrary to practice pretty much since the beginning of the United States. But would be greatly welcomed by both voters and the get-money-out-of-politics folks.
Although certainly not by those used to buying preference.
Today, we desperately need politicians who have training not only in leadership but also American history and jurisprudence, ethical issues, how to deal with lobbying and bribery – overt or covert, responsibilities to their constituents, how to run offices in D.C. and at home, how to hire qualified staff (not friends and family), accountability, fiscal responsibility, and the need for honesty and transparency above all – no secret assignations in parks or bathrooms, in the Senate cloakroom or the Oval Office.
Knowing the difference between legitimate lobbying which is strictly educational and the strongarm strategies of deep-pocket interests whose intent is to buy the votes that benefit them, and the steps to take to prevent this are essential tools for every politician.
Having the oversight and big-picture view necessary to beat serve constituents is key to re-engaging the trust of voters, of all Americans.
If all this feels a bit overwhelming, it should be. But the people of the United States deserve the best.
Which make education and ongoing training of our elected officials a no-brainer. As is full transparency of their behavior, both public and private.
Those with skeletons still in the closet should not run for office.
Cameras are ubiquitous, long-range recording technology improving exponentially.
If you want to lie and cheat – the present administration aside since many assume correctly that is their default setting – no-one should do it on the taxpayers’ dime.
Which raises the issue of how to drain the swamp in Washington… of the Trump coterie of corrupt know-nothing appointees...
(Liz Amsden is a former Angeleno now living in Vermont and a regular CityWatch contributor. She writes on issues she’s passionate about, including social justice, government accountability, and community empowerment. Liz brings a sharp, activist voice to her commentary and continues to engage with Los Angeles civic affairs from afar. She can be reached at [email protected].)
