Show Biz Politics

From the October 2011 issue

From 1992 until 1998, Jerry Doyle starred as Michael Garibaldi on the Emmy-winning science fiction series Babylon 5. Today he is the libertarian-leaning host of The Jerry Doyle Show, a daily three-hour program about politics and culture syndicated by the Talk Radio Network. In July reason asked Doyle to tell us three ways politics should be more like show business.

1 It’s time to “TMZ” Congress. Have camera crews follow around the geniuses that gave us $14.3 trillion of debt, bankrupted Social Security and Medicare, and all but insured generational bankruptcy. The sex scandals, custody battles, drug abuses, divorces, and image rehab issues of the tools on the Hill who are responsible for making our nation’s laws would be more relevant than any actor’s.

2 We should pay Congress in an A-list fashion. Pay legislators scale for their services, but cut them in on the back end. If they ever get around to doing something that actually makes sense—much less money—we give them a piece of the taxpayer savings.

3 We should sign Congress up for the SAG Producers Pension & Health Fund. If legislators don’t contribute to a level where they qualify for health benefits, they can get insurance from the open market like everyone else. A note of caution here: Stupidity will be a pre-existing condition. If they don’t vest enough qualifying pension credits, they’ll have to wait for Social Security’s “generous” Ponzi scheme payments like the rest of us.