A momentous event is now unfolding before our eyes: the adoption of the federal budget, or what I call the Puppet Show. For many years we were allowed to watch the Show as long as we sat quietly in our assigned seats. This year we will not sit quietly in our assigned seats, because we are not the problem. The problem is a political party system that has bankrupted our nation, both fiscally and morally.
Usually when you attend a theatrical event like the Puppet Show, you are provided a program so you can follow the plot. Years ago having a program was not so important as our education system taught citizens basic civics. Remember the theory that the Republic will only survive as long as we have an educated citizenry? But our education system is totally broken. Years ago we could look to a free and somewhat unbiased press to help us understand the Show. But that no longer exists either. It is up to us to make some sense of the Show we are watching.
Let's start with this reality. We, the people bear a great deal responsibility for the mess we are in. Quite frankly, the Show has been pretty boring to watch. Moreover, it seems like every year there is something more interesting to watch. Today for example, we watch angry people in the streets of Cairo, Tehran, Tripoli and Madison. So we stopped watching what was really important- what our elected officials were doing with our money - the pile of debt they were racking up. As long as the cast of characters didn't do something glaringly stupid, we went about our lives. After all, the entire cast had taken an oath to abide by the Constitution.
It has become apparent to many of us that this oath is being (and has for years been) ignored by our elected representatives. Just for example: since 1787 we have elected some ten thousand or so men and women to serve in the US House of Representatives. While many of them served us ably and well, a large number of them became addicted to the power and perks which made leaving office seem unbearable. Those who became addicted needed a gimmick to stay on the gravy train. Once they had a gimmick, they used our money to fund the gimmick and get themselves reelected. When there wasn't enough money, they borrowed money, or sat by and said nothing as the Federal Reserve printed more. As long as the number of those addicted stayed low, we could afford to feed their addiction. Now that number is upside down.
Congress is filled with mediocre, self-serving politicians who can't get reelected without a gimmick. We can no longer afford to feed their addiction. The nation teeters on the edge of bankruptcy because each gimmick has a constituency which is now addicted to the gimmick as well. Many politicians who created the gimmicks are long dead and gone, but the cost of getting them reelected over and over is still hanging around our neck like an anchor. The"budget debate" has disintegrated into name-calling and partisan bullying (Reid stating that Boehner is being "bossed around by a bunch of freshmen.") And the Republicans think we can limp along, two weeks at a time, cutting bits and pieces. Only 47 GOP congressmen are 100% committed to cutting spending, after all those big campaign promises. The Puppet Show has become another Horror Show.
Over the next few weeks we will look at the budget fiasco and how we, the people, can step in to take back our freedom. The important thing is to keep our eyes on the ball this year and not be distracted by events overseas. Here's an easy fix that will never happen: a one-sentence bill, requiring that the budget passed by Congress and signed into law by the President in 2008 shall apply to fiscal year 2011. Vote straight up, yea or nay. No amendments. But our politicians will never do what's right or easy.
Time to lean forward in the saddle, and keep the faith.
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Bruce DuFresne
About Me
- Bob McConnell
- Steamboat Springs, CO, United States
- I'm a conservative Republican who ran for Congress in Colorado's Third Congressional District in 2010. Though I lost the primary I gained an amazing insight into how politics works, and I met hundreds of wonderful, concerned citizens. Let's stay engaged in the mission. Write to me at beawatchman@aol.com, and keep the faith.
Would you ever consider running for Congress again as an independent?
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ReplyDeleteWhat are you saying? That Bob McConnell would run for the sole purpose of electing a liberal democrat to office? What happened last time? Did Bob take credit for Scott Tipton's election?
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ReplyDeleteI wonder what Bob's motivation was in endorsing Tipton.
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ReplyDeleteWhat do you predict his next political move will be if any? Do you think he'll run against Tipton as an independent, or will not seek office again for the rest of his life?
ReplyDeleteArnold, thanks for writing and asking. I'm just deleting anything ANONYMOUS says because that's my policy. He obviously doesn't have the guts to identify himself to me directly and he has nothing constructive to say. We're done with him.
ReplyDeleteAs far as my plans, I don't have any at the moment except for continuing to be a conservative voice and see what evolves. The Republican Party establishment acted destructively towards me in the primary and I won't put up with that again. Arnold, feel free to e-mail me directly with your thoughts. beawatchman@aol.com
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ReplyDeleteIs it better to have a liberal democrat like Salazar in office or a relatively conservative republican like Tipton in office? What did the Republican Party do to you during the primary? I thought they weren't supposed to involve themselves with primaries and let the voters speak.
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ReplyDeleteAnonymous: you, like our politicians, are clearly not listening. The policy is this: have some identifying marker in your comments, and don't call me a liar etc. Civil dialogue with accountability. Novel, huh?
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ReplyDeleteBob has a policy which is pretty simple to abide by, just write your name with your posts.
ReplyDeleteMore to substantive discussion, I think as time goes on it will become clear that Bob can and in fact should make another run at Congress. 44% is pretty good for a first time out, who's to say he couldn't build on that in the future?
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ReplyDeleteMike, thanks for your thoughts. It is pretty difficult to watch all those Republicans who won on the backs of the tea party activists now retreating to establishment positions. But not sure I want to put myself and my family through the Republican primary machine again. It was pretty awful stuff. We'll see.
ReplyDeleteI'm still looking for more discussion on my question. Is it better to have a liberal democrat like Salazar in office or a relatively conservative republican like Tipton in office?
ReplyDeleteArnold: The critical vote and answer to your question will be the debt ceiling. Salazar would have voted to raise it. So far, Tipton is "undecided." A vote to raise the debt ceiling would, in my view, make a "relatively" conservative republican just as ineffective as a liberal democrat. Tipton has scored an 81% through the Heritage Foundation in terms of his committment to stop spending. 100% would be much better (like the other GOP representatives in Colorado) but certainly Salazar would be in the single digits on that one. I am glad the seat went to a Republican but we need true, committed conservatives in Congress. Middle of the road gets us nowhere. Just more of the same.
ReplyDeleteIt just seems like going for the most ideologically conservative candidate in every single district in the country is imprudent. While I agree, that we need more committed conservatives in Congress, there are parts of this country who would assume elect a liberal democrat when given the choice. Are you familiar with what happened in the Delaware U.S. Senate Race last year?
ReplyDeleteChristine O'Donnell? Yes, I did follow that and I agree, ideologues are not necessarily what we need, of course. Tell me what your thoughts are in terms of who we need in Congress.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of what we need in Congress, I believe we need the most conservative representative a district can elect. I believe you would have represented us very well and would have been elected had you been nominated. But I don't think you could win in the Boulder district therefore it would be totally useless for someone as conservative as you are to run there. Rather, if a Republican were to win in a district like Boulder, they would have to be more moderate. They may not do much to advance conservative solutions as a whole, but at least they would prevent a very liberal democrat from holding a seat.
ReplyDeleteYou're absolutely right, although an ER doctor who works in Steamboat and lives in the First Congressional District did challenge Diane DeGette "just because someone had to." Mike Fallon woke some people up, made a valiant effort but he too says he wouldn't run again "unless a had a chance of winning." There was no chance for Mike against DeGette.
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