Dear Editor,

Our founding citizens who by their blood, toil and personal earthly possessions had sanctioned their representatives to draft a constitution by which they, the past, and we the present citizens have agreed to live for the past 200-plus years.Through past years changes to the Constitution have been authorized by "we the people." Some were good and some had to be modified or repealed, but we the people are always striving to modify the Constitution for the benefit of all citizens of the USA.Here are some present reforms that are needed with regard to our federal/national, state, county and local governments that have been created by, of, and especially for "We the people, the citizens of the United States of America."1. The two-party system that is in place needs to be replaced. Our representatives should be elected by a public-financed general election only. All party elections should be conducted and paid for by the parties and then bring their candidates to the general election. This will break the gridlock and partisan politics in the federal and state legislative bodies with more independent candidates being elected. The ability to modify laws that need to be corrected will be easier to accomplish. President George Washington warned us about the danger of having a two-party system.2. The spending of public monies/funds by incumbents' decisions need to be closely monitored. If their decisions are made for the benefit of special interests instead of for "we the people," they need to be fired and replaced at the next election. Citizens desiring to be elected public officials need to be given the opportunity to answer questions by all citizens attending at a well-illuminated school auditorium or other large public building in order to certify prospective candidates' knowledge of issues important to the people, who will be their sovereigns/employers.3. A system to train local and state judges and appoint them by a board of elder and retired lawyers and judges, rather than elect them, needs to be developed and established. In this way local and state judges will not be a rubber stamp for, but will be totally independent of, the executive branch of government, namely the governors, mayors and prosecutors of our laws and our police.4. Carbon County needs to have a countywide police department under the sheriff of the county and do away with local police departments and state police patrols with exception of state police forensics and criminal investigation, Before being hired, local police need to have a bachelor's degree education consisting of many psychology and sociology courses. The prospective candidate should be tested for emotional competency before being hired and after being hired, thoroughly trained in sociology and psychology with regard to police duties.If these reforms are put in place, I believe that our voting citizens will not be as apathetic as they are presently and the people will become the only beneficiaries of the best government yet known on planet Earth.Yours for better government,Gerald Strubinger, School Director/Member of the Board of Education, Jim Thorpe Area School DistrictJim Thorpe