Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? Who watches the watchmen?

The power is ours; the resources are ours,
the control over their spending is not.

We are compelled to surrender control over our power and resources to politicians and public servants, who spend our resources and wield our power in our stead.

But who watches over them, who has our back?

The answer apparently, is no one. Our only guarantee that
our power and resources will not be misspent flows from the
supposition that we can elect politicians and hire public
servants who can be trusted to place our interests above
their own.

Human nature being what it is, that guarantee has proven
wholly inadequate to the task; our interests have not been
protected. Every morning we read about another instance
of a politician or public servant's failure to protect our interests.

Read and consider the op-ed letter by former City Councilman
Greg Payne in this morning's Journal, link.

Taxpayers are being ripped off right and left, and the watchers
are doing nothing to stop the plunder. Well, OK, the "topic
is under discussion".

The answer is independent review. Hire impartial outsiders
to come into government and ferret out the inefficiencies;
to ferret out the corruption, the incompetence, and the
practices that enable them.

Overrule people like UNM's Regents President Raymond Sanchez and President David Schmidly who steadfastly refuse to allow their "watching" to be watched.

Overrule people like APS's School Board President Marty Esquivel and Supt Winston Brooks who steadfastly refuse to allow their "watching" to be watched.

Over rule City Councilors and Mayors, County Commissioners, Legislators and Governors who steadfastly refuse to allow independent audits that report directly to stakeholders, choosing instead to hide behind feckless and inadequate "open government" laws.

Control over power and resources that belong fundamentally to the people has been usurped. Usurped power is not going to be returned voluntarily. No court is going to order that it be returned to the people, no legislature is going to pass a law requiring that it be returned to the people and, no executive order will ever be given that returns to the people, the control over their power and resources.

It will have to be taken back. It will have to be taken back
by those whose power it is, and, whose resources they are.

Then and only then, will we enjoy government that is truly,
of the people, by the people and for the people.