From time to time we hear of some terrible scourge to civilized society that the government must do something about. Of course the government in question is always the federal government. The media doesn’t seem to even realize that this country has multiple layers of government so everything gets made into a federal issue. Beyond the problem of always looking for a federal solution, there are difficulties with the problems to be fixed. Many times things need a solution, but is legislation the only solution?
Every time a law is passed it chips away freedom. If the law forbids some action then you are no longer free to take certain actions. If the law requires an action then you are no longer free to refrain from acting. For this reason, I often point out that the freest time in America is when Congress is in recess. This nation has, on the federal level, 535 people paid full time to do nothing more than make laws and seek reelection. I know some will point out that the job of our Senators and Representatives includes meeting with constituents, but these meetings are primarily for three reasons: reelection, build support for legislation and get ideas for other legislation. With the majority of their time consumed with keeping their job and enacting laws the greatest threat to the freedoms we so love is Congress.
So what is the solution? Is it to be found in making Congress part time, similar to many state legislatures? This will actually change little. The best thing is to elect officials who understand the Constitution and honor their pledge to uphold it. For example, earmarks would not be a problem if constituents stopped electing people who shell out federal dollars to get reelected. Of course this is hard when many who balk at earmarks attack their own representative for not bringing home enough project money. Most Americans oppose earmarks, except for the ones that come home to line their own pockets. We need elected officials who are statesmen first and foremost. Such people do the right thing, even if the next election means a job hunt.
We also need passion on the floor of the Senate and House where those who believe strongly for and against any legislation are encouraged to fight it out tooth and nail—verbally of course. Instead of pandering to the CSPAN cameras, let’s have heated debates with partisans (yes, I said partisans) fighting to the point of exhaustion to prevent anything unconstitutional from leaving either floor. Breaking a sweat in defense of one’s beliefs has been replaced with looking good for the cameras.
The next thing we need is an informed electorate that will hold its representatives responsible by demanding for each vote the constitutional grounds upon which that person voted. If a politician is unable to give good constitutional reasons for a vote he or she should look for other work. Until the American people realize that this is our government that has been allowed to rob us of wealth and chip away at our freedoms there will be no meaningful change. I hear complaints all the time about how bad politicians are. Can you imagine any business owner having nothing but complaints about an employee continuing to employ that person? We must realize that the politicians are our employees and if they are not performing up to standards (the Constitution) then we must fire them.
Americans for the most part are polite, at least conservatives are. For years we’ve seen conservative speakers shouted down by unwashed and unproductive liberal professional protesters. On college campuses you can usually tell the speakers political views by the volume of the audience. It is good to finally see conservatives getting in their verbal shots at liberals. During a town hall meeting in Philadelphia with HHS Secretary Sebelius and Senator Arlen Specter, brotherly love quickly fled the room. The issue at hand was healthcare and the people of this country are finally recognizing the liberal agenda for what it is—an effort to seize as much of the economy as possible and control the lives of the American.
Recently Congressman Mike Pence (R-IN) stated, “House Republicans are more united than they have ever been before in our commitment to fiscal discipline and limited government.” When I hear these quotes I am torn. Part of me wants to believe. I have twenty five years with the Republican part and want to see the GOP succeed. I don’t mean merely succeed at winning elections, but succeed at effective leadership. Unfortunately, I am skeptical. The most recent Republican majorities were committed to bigger budgets, bailouts and expansion of government. For too long the only difference between parties was one of honesty and hypocrisy. The Democrats at least admitted their plan to expand government power and increase taxes. They claimed these were needed for the good of America, but stupidity is not the same as dishonesty. The Republicans preached limited government and lower taxes while spending like sailor on shore leave and increasing entitlements.
In response to the Tax Day Tea Party movement, ACORN has recently announced their intention to counter-rally in support of President Obama, his tax policies and budget. I doubt this was doubted by anyone. They support Obama for several reasons. With pork in the budget, the potential of ACORN involvement in the census and their past activities having a president in office beholding to them is a boon. They get more money, more authority and lower the chances of prosecution from an Obama justice department. Obama gets a ready made protest anytime he needs it.
There has been talk on some conservative blogs about people getting angry enough to riot in this country because of the actions of the Obama administration. I have a hard time imagining riots in the streets. This is because of who is upset now and who was upset in the 60s. The protest culture of the 60s was made up of the idle–college students, welfare recipients, societal drop-outs, etc. Hippies had time to riot and protest because they did nothing productive and had no responsibilities. College students had time to protest between classes and parties when daddy’s money or government aid paid their way. All that idle time could be turned to mischief. Everyone wants to feel they are doing something useful; you either get this sense through your job or another outlet. They did it through protest and misguided attempts to change the world. The protests had the added effect of making their laziness look like sacrifice: “Man, I can’t get a job; there is too much that needs changed.” (more…)
The only thing that will save the GOP is to snatch the party reigns back form the elitist, moderate sell-outs (spelled R-I-N-O) and return it to the conservative principles of the grassroots. I could go on about this for hours, and will in the future, but for now I’ll hand it to RebuildTheParty.com and let them tell you in the following video. (more…)
