Whether 2011 is the first or second year of a new decade is less important than whether the New Year will bring a reversal in a very dangerous train ride our government has been on for too long a period.

Congress will be much more conservative than in recent years, but that is no guarantee that things will change for the better. Our nation is perilously deep in debt yet continues reckless spending as more and more people dip their fingers in a diminishing pudding.

Even in the face of an electorate that stated firmly, "Stop it!" earmarks persisted right to the end of the session. An earmark has really only one purpose: to buy votes. Some of them masquerade under the guise of helping a district, but most are pure pork - hundreds of thousands of dollars poured into a committee to study something like the hygiene of tadpoles.

Votes. That is what today's congressmen seek above all else. Ben Franklin originally proposed that elected government officials not be paid for their service. Maybe he had an inkling of the day when getting re-elected was the most important part of the job.

Congress pays well - $174,000 per year in salary. But that is only the beginning. Freebies abound. From postage to office expenses to staff to transportation, the list goes on and on. Then, of course, there is the pension in which you are vested after five years. And, after your term in office, you can always become a highly paid lobbyist.

Despite humble beginnings, almost half of the members of Congress are millionaires. And when you look at the empty seats on the floor when a bill is discussed, it is not always earned money. Getting re-elected is the rationale for too many moves by Congress. The Dream Act is an example of currying favor with illegal immigrants in an effort to steer the Hispanic vote.

Given the natural tendency of most people to vote for those who give them the most, it does not take a rocket scientist to detect which bills are created to get votes and which are for the benefit of we the people.

The solutions to these onerous problems are not too difficult, but the solutions involve laws and changes that can only be enacted by the very people who want no part of them. Call it Catch 535 (the number of members of both houses).

But things can be done. Term limits would do away with the seniority system that allowed a Charlie Rangel to head up Ways and Means. A law banning anyone from getting a job as a lobbyist for five years would cut some ties. A FairTax might not be considered a fair tax by some, but it would take power away from a financially irresponsible government.

There are some good people on the Hill - Democrats and Republicans alike. But even the good people are on the wrong track. We need government. We need armed forces and postal services and departments geared to protect us from bad drugs and bad people. Congress oversees these bodies, but that Congress is too busy getting re-elected to do its job responsibly. It is time they did their jobs - time they represented us. Most of all, it is time to protect our Constitution.

These are some of the questions that 2011 brings us. Sooner or later, we have to stop kicking the can down the road and come face-to-face with reality. Sooner or later, we have to throw the switch that puts our train of trouble on a siding. Otherwise our government irresponsibility is a train wreck waiting to happen. We still have time to throw that switch.

In the meantime, let me pause to wish you a healthy and happy New Year.

Allan Jefferys, a former New York theater critic and newsman, lives in Pinehurst. Contact him at oldjeff@nc.rr.com.