We need to change our mandate for our public officials to make sure their interests are aligned will ours.

If we want better health care insurance: mandate that all public officials no matter what their rank or seniority have the same health insurance under the same financial terms as average private sector small business health insurance program.

If we want better service from our air carriers mandate that all public officials travel on public scheduled airlines.  If they need special privileges maybe they need different job that can afford those privileges.  Because we the people can not and should not have to pay that bill.

If we want better laws we have to mandate that our elected officials read every piece of legislation that they vote on.

If we want our public officials to be fiscally responsible, mandate that with each piece of spending legislation has noted a specific source of funding and an impact statement as to impact on the current and future budgets.  For every law there is a sunset legislation mandating the retirement of that law and renewal of such laws are subject to a vote on renewal.

If we want our publicly elected officials to commit us to a military action, there must be a stated goal, defined course of action and procedure for monitoring, policing and administrating the aftermath of that military operation, by an administrative agency to provide a comprehensive oversight.

If we want better policies we must demand that any law, programs, agency, administration be create with a specific purpose with periodic review of that purpose.  We need to avoid the migration of purpose to perpetuate the entity that is created to administer regulate or otherwise oversee such activity.  The government is not is the business of creating self perpetuating jobs.  A job must be purposeful.  Any sunset legislation of an agency etc will have as part of the task of closure the retraining, out-placing of its employees for its final task.  That stated goal will also have sunset restriction such that there is a fixed date with in 18 months closure of such agency.