by Kerby Anderson

Voters are discovering that the political elites are passing laws and making policies that only affect the common folk. Put another way elites don’t have to live under the laws they pass and policies they make.

The vote last month on Brexit illustrates this. Victor Davis Hanson reminds us in a column that: Anti-Brexit Elites Aren’t the Ones Who Suffer from Their Policies. He says that the bureaucratic class that runs Europe from Brussels and Strasbourg will lecture everyone about immigration, climate change, and political correctness. But they are also able to navigate around their own policies.

They receive generous public pay, put their kids in private schools, and live in non-diverse neighborhoods. They are largely unaffected by undemocratic bureaucrats in the European Union. Meanwhile the rest of the population struggles with a flat economy, have their kids in failing schools, and have to deal with liberal immigration laws that change the complexion of their neighborhoods.

In our country, we can see a similar dichotomy. The president and members of Congress enjoy a lifestyle of travel and influence most Americans can’t even imagine. They vote against school choice while placing their children in private prep schools. They lecture Americans about climate change while flying around in Air Force One or on congressional junkets. They call for austerity while enjoying the benefits that come from having White House staff or congressional staff. They talk about the need for economic fairness while collecting personal fortunes from speaking fees or insider information they can use in investing.

It is not surprising that some have called for a 28th amendment to the Constitution that would prevent Congress from making any law that does not apply equally to all the citizens of the United States. The chances of such an amendment passing are slim and would not actually have much impact on changing the lifestyles of the political elite. Actually, there is a better way to make a change. That happens in November.