According to my latest knowledge of government, the American people go to the polls and elect their congressmen and congresswomen. The president is elected in a similar way, the difference being that we vote for people who will cast their vote for the candidate we wish. This system has built into it the fact that the real boss of our elected government is the people of the United States.
Unfortunately, this idealistic situation has faded. Much of this is due to three interrelated reasons. Today, a congressional campaign costs millions of dollars and a presidential campaign cost many hundreds of millions of dollars. This means that a large amount of a congressman's time must be spent fund raising and campaigning instead of representing the people. To raise money they must turn to special interest groups and individuals who need special favors. This system is ripe for the breeding of corruption and the repayment of favors with biased legislation.
Another part of this problem is the people. For a republic such as ours to succeed, we need a people who actually learn about the candidates that they vote for. They must demand that our government be allowed to function so that outside influences may present their causes but do not have the power to sway our politicians. In other words, lobbyists should have no more rights or privileges than any citizen of this republic.
Our people have the right to hire and fire our elected officials. It is a rare and wonderful privilege. With it however, comes the responsibility of voting in every election, knowing the records and philosophies of the candidates, and firing those who do not do their job.