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Mr. Salassi, Coble's voting record would surprise you in what way?

The last paragraph in the LTTE spells out clearly and concisely the problem!

Shalom

In general, I like Howard Coble a lot. Some of the things mentioned above, I don't particularly have a problem that he voted the way he did.

But 22 years is long, plenty long, for anyone to serve in as high an office as member of the House of Representatives. And probably too long enough.

The Founding Fathers never intended for public service to become a professional *career* for anyone. In their mind, being elected to Congress was something that a person would do for, ideally, two or three terms at most. And then come back home and let someone else from his/her district represent the people. The same with senators (meaning that Ted Kennedy should NEVER have been allowed to have his seat for so long). Stay too long in the Beltway and you run the terrible risk of alienating yourself too much from your constituents and their interests.

As I said, I've nothing overwhelmingly against Howard Coble at all. But it really might be time for another citizen to step forward and take up this duty for a spell.

The House handed President Bush a victory Saturday, voting to expand the government's abilities to eavesdrop without warrants on foreign suspects whose communications pass through the United States.

Gotta love them republicrats.

If Coble's your big dissapointment, you need to move to a state where more left leaning representatives who support your views live...

Oh wait....

kettle....black...

When are you going to wake up and realize that all republicans = all democrats = shills for big money from the right and left?

When the two parties work hand in hand to eliminate alternative grass roots organizations that challenge the status quo, you know there is a pimp in the ho house.

Chris,

Term limits would be an unnecessary and possibly even bad thing. After all, if there were term limits, then Ron Paul would be gone now too, and no one like him may ever get elected again. You have to remember when proposing something like this that you're eliminating the possibility of keeping a "good guy" in there for a long time as well as a bad guy.

A better solution to the problem you describe is to de-rig the electoral system by 1) eliminating control by political parties (which you do advocate), 2) ending gerrymandering, 3) removing ballot-access restrictions which keep 99.999% of all constitutionally eligible candidates from having votes cast and counted for them, 4) repealing most campaign-finance laws, 5) ending all sorts of public funding of candidates, and 6) any other methods by which the elections are currently rigged.

Anarcho-capitalist,
I've never been for term limits in Congress. But it would be a better country as a whole if we had more of a "volunteer" mindset as opposed to a "career" one when it came to public office.

I completely agree with everything you suggest so far as de-rigging the system. Especially getting rid of the ballot access rigging (which North Carolina sadly excels at).

I like Coble. I think he's one of the better up there.

Anyone with the years of service he has is bound to have voted for something you and I both disagree with. Doesn't take much to cherrypick the bad ones.

I'd have to agree with him regarding the student loans. 'Cept I'd get rid of them altogether. I'd rather see students work and put themselves through school than incur debt that's gonna hang like concrete blocks around their necks for the rest of their lives.

nit, the idea of a student working and putting their self through school is a novel idea. However, with the cost of higher education today, it is impossible! To work enough hours to earn enough money to put one's self through school would mean that one would be unable to take classes. And if by some chance of fortune that one was able to do so, it would take the 10-20 year plan to obtain a basic 4-year degree.

I to not like the idea of young people graduating college in 4 or 5 years with sometimes $20k indebtedness. Something is wrong when young people have to borrow this kind of money to get a higher education.

So nit, I disagree about Coble's vote on the student loan bill. Then again, Coble did not have to worry about paying for his education, did he?

And "cherry picking" can be done easily. Sure, Coble may have voted in ways that I have liked on some bills. However, how many major pieces of legislation has he voted for special interests or the party line and NOT his constituents?

Shalom

It took me 8 years working 30 or more hours a week. I ate a lot of pasta and canned food and lived in less than desireable quarters, but I did it.

There are also pell grants and other needs-based scholarships available. If you're really bright, one might actually get a merit scholarship. Then again, right now we send folks to college whether they are bright or not.

In my opinion, a growing problem in our society is the 'must have it now' attitude. People must have a new car, a new house (with at least 2000 square feet), a cell phone, a pedigree dog, etc etc etc.

We rail and rail about the government mortgaging our children's futures but we have no problem in doing it on a personal level. The last I heard, the average US citizen's rate of savings was minus 2%.

Nitpicker, right as rain. Not to worry NC just voted to give folks that sit on their butts free college. If you are 2 parnets working your butt off, you pay.Pete AL Gore was the deciding vote on NAFTA. Tell us where all congress people get their money. PACS.

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SOLUTION:

VOTE COBLE OUT OF OFFICE, AND SOON!!

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