Do you really want to change Washington? What if you could? Would you? Would you really? Somehow it feels good (or bad) to just complain about Washington. We would be miserable if there is nothing to complain about, would we not? Imagine that for a moment!

That presents the dilemma of the Villain and the Hero who need one another to be relevant. As much as we complain about wanting to change Washington, there is no lack of proof that we may not really want that. What will we complain about if we succeed to change Washington? Imagine that for a moment. For the most part, we are either indifferent to proposition for change or we outright challenge changes. Case in point, after the 2008 Wall Street crash that almost brought the country down to its knees, The Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (commonly referred to as Dodd-Frank Act), signed into law by President Barack Obama on July 21, 2010, has been challenged, resisted, ridiculed and is yet to be fully implemented. What in the world is Dodd-Frank Act you might ask? You have just helped to prove my point; we are either indifferent or opposed to changes. The gist of the Dodd-Frank Act is to set parameters for banks and financial institutions to limit the damage their stewards’ careless actions – for instance, gambling your pension or retirement investment – and greed may cause to the consumers (you), the economy (the country).

Another example of similar initiatives, taken by Elizabeth Warren, Senator for Massachusetts, is the student loan interest, fees and payment burdens placed on the students after graduation. Ms. Warren (one of the very, very few in Washington) has been fighting to alleviate those burdens put on the students (you, your children). Do you know anything about that?

Other examples such as healthcare reform, unemployment extension, equal pay for women, etc. are latest oppositions to changes that have emboldened our Representatives (Congressmen & Senators) to either ignore or oppose those changes altogether.

Do you really want to change Washington?

If someone trespasses your property or breaks into your home, you’d want that thug apprehended and thrown in jail, right? If someone comes into your home to harm your family, you’d use all possible means to defend your family, would you not? But, somehow we rationalize that the Corrupts in Washington who completely ignore our interests and the Crooks on Wall Street who gamble our retirement money should enjoy special treatments. Oh! I forgot. They are the job creators.

Do you really want to change Washington?

Remember my dream to do just that? Well, it is possible to change Washington. Everyone knows Washington is broken; even the folks in Washington know that. What most don’t know is it’s possible to fix Washington or even change it. At first, I was highly skeptical (like everybody) that’s even remotely possible. Why is Washington broken? Why do we complain and do nothing about it? That’s when the light bulb went off. It was my Eureka moment.

I set out to investigate the reasons a candidate for office in Washington is so different from the individual elected to said office. What changes that individual when s/he moves to Washington?

Follow this column as I’ve embarked in the journey of debunking the myths that have kept Washington closed to The People but readily available to Lobbyists, Special Interest Groups and the Rich.

Follow Mike Ducheine on Twitter: @mducheiney

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