Jumping the Line      

   Do you remember the first day on your job, going before TV cameras, demanding the CEO be fired? 

   And on Day 2, you expected a seat on the board of directors. And the day after that...

   Fantasy Land is alive, in Washington DC. 

   First, convince a few thousand people to vote you into the U.S. House. Take the oath and open a bank account to receive the first deposit on your $174,000 salary. 

   Barring a high crime, you can't be fired. You can be brash, mouthy, uncivil, potty mouthed, assertive and audacious. 

   We're just describing the "fresh" women now in Congress! You may rankle old timers, but voters and political orgs will back you.

   Maybe Congress needs a kick in the butt. Its approval rating is in the basement, between 8 and 18 percent - about three floors below people named Trump and Clinton.   
     Will the 100 or so new House members shake things up? Will they storm the castle and lock the Democratic leadership team - average age, 78 - in the tower? 

   While most congressmen and women wait years for prime committee assignments, progressives push for immediate access.

   Remember the Tea Party? Many go there to change Washington; many end up becoming Washington. 

   What of it?

   In business, results matter. Accountability counts. Does anyone - other than the boss's son - keep his job with a performance rating below 18 percent? 

   In government, especially Congress, words matter more than deeds. If the incoming class is a sign of our future, and if they eventually control the private sector, jumping the line will become the new American way.

   And "communist" China - not so socialist, really - will dominate the world. 

       Jimmy