Tom Coburn’s 5 insights on Washington today

I always enjoy getting together with Dr. Tom Coburn. A former U.S. Senator and Congressman who knows Washington inside and out, Tom has also enjoyed great success in the private sector, as an M.D. and building a family-owned business. Here are five insights I gleaned from our recent conversation.

The time has come for term limits.

Tom served three terms in the House of Representatives and was elected Senator twice. I have no doubt he could have been re-elected again and again, but he wouldn’t have it. Why not? Because he believes in term limits. He also thinks the Constitution should require a balanced budget, limit presidential powers, and curb the growth of the federal government.

Conservatives and liberals can work together, but the far right and the far left make compromise impossible.

One of Tom’s closest friends in Washington is a former U.S. Senator named Barack Obama. Some might find it hard to believe that a red state Republican and a blue state Democrat could work together, but not Tom. That’s what we elect them to do.

Enough of gerrymandering!

Whatever happened to the voice of the people? According to Tom, it’s been stifled. Most Congressional districts are a stacked deck that facilitates the re-election of incumbents.

Too many people in D.C. have never had a real job.

None of our Founding Fathers was a career politician. Yet look at how many members of Congress have served 20, 30, and 40 years. They make promises they don’t keep, and they write checks with other people’s money. No wonder we’re in such a deep hole.

Almost every republic in history has died. Most of them murdered themselves. We’re in the process of doing that now.

Listening to Tom talk about gridlock and political grandstanding in Washington made me think of Lincoln’s words: “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” We need to stand together as Americans — or else.

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