The insane spending continues as a $290 billion increase in the federal debt ceiling was passed by Congress yesterday, adding fuel to the argument that spending in Washington is out of control. After passage of this and the health care bill, our President flew off on holiday to the land of King Kamehameha.
Should those who voted for increasing the federal debt walk the plank in 2010? Yes. As for President Obama’s forthcoming State of the Union address, hope is fading fast and will accelerate when pundits are finished picking it apart with a vengeance. A twist on the child rhyme about sticks and stones seems appropriate here: “While words and lies may hurt our feelings, your deeds are killing our nation.”
The Court Jester of the Senate, Senator Christopher Dodd, actually said that the failure to increase the debt would be catastrophic for the U.S. internationally while Senator Baucus threw the “scare grandma” card by claiming that Social Security payments to all recipients would stop immediately without passage. Regarding Dodd, if the average American was asked about the importance of giving millions and billions more to war lords in the Middle East, Asia, and China to curry favor versus lowering taxes, we believe lower taxes would win hands-down. We also believe Senator Dodd will find out for himself during his re-election in 2010 that his hypocritical behavior and giveaways will result in his seat being occupied by someone new in 2011. As for Senator Baucus, the day when the vast majority of retirees in the nation are walking in lockstep with AARP and drinking the CBS Evening News and 60 Minutes of propaganda Kool-Aid is steadily eroding. While there are plenty of selfish grandma’s, there is a distinct growing number who care more about the lot their grandchildren will inherit and won’t buy the bull you’re selling anymore; you saw many of the enlighted grannies and grandpa's at your town hall meetings last summer if you recall.
No matter how Dodd and Biden cook the books, the economy will remain fragile because the collective memory of the rank-and-file consumer is keenly aware that ten years of zero stock market growth, plunging real estate values, sky-high fuel prices, unemployment, and massively increasing government spending has negatively impacted nearly everyone. The belt tightening will continue in 2010 after a brief relaxation for Christmas 2009. The upcoming unemployment numbers will perplex many cradle-to-grave academic elitists who think the worse is behind us. What many of the Harvard and Yale anointed experts lack is real life experience. On a daily basis we watch the successful Rodney’s of the world lecture the Dr. Bombay’s of the world, only to see the Bombay’s continue to use formal position and power to squash substance over form for the Keynesian Holy Grail Theory of Big Brother form over substance.
The President promised a “page-by-page” review of the budget during his campaign as if he had the authority for a line-item-veto, which he does not; however, a promise made should be a promise kept. In 2010, the Florida Whig Party challenges everyone to pick the budget apart, page by page, line by line, and demand the job we were promised be done. Question everything and the motives of everyone with the power of free speech and the Internet. Leave no stone unturned and no dollar unaccounted for.
One of those on the top of the list to watch is also one of the biggest hypocrites to ever grace the floor of the Senate is Charles Schumer. Senator Charles Schumer, who is in bed with Wall Street and big banks as much if not more so than Christopher Dodd. Schumer strongly supported the bailout of the financial industry and then organized a series of highly effective political action committee airway ad attacks on Republicans for supporting the very series of bailouts he voted for. Republicans will never learn that you simply cannot trust or make a deal with the devil. Their lack of backbone and inability to fight fire with fire is the bane of their leadership. The weak-sisters of the Republican Party, such as Senator John McCain, have been shown over and over why turning the other cheek merely gets another wack without a bit of remorse. If anyone wonders why bi-partisan support for nearly anything is nonexistent, remember Senator Schumer, the ruthless and ultimate backstabber of the Senate.
All the he said, she said, he did, she did game playing that goes on in Washington (and Tallahassee for that matter) is such that We the People need a daily score card to keep track of it all. Working men and women don’t have time for all this, and so, the easy and simple choice is this: “Vote all the incumbents out.”
The size of the debt, a never ending unbalanced budget, and compounding massive unfunded liabilities are being closely watched by the international community. The day of reckoning is approaching and it will not be pretty when it does if those in power do not pull their head out of the sand. Conscience-bound voting for that which is good for Americans has long given way to lobbyist and special interest-bound voting; however, the power of the political contribution is weakening daily as the power of We the People and our freedom of speech continues to grow through independent political thought. The traditional water cooler conversation and rapid expression on the net is changing the course of history, and history is what all incumbents need to be if we want to see the history of our nation continue.
The President has signaled he intends to make “deficit and debt reduction a center piece” of his State of the Union address; it will be hard listen to without holding one’s nose in light of all the spending we’ve witnessed. With that said, the Republicans need to keep Joe Wilson at home for this time he’s likely to erupt like an Alan Grayson carnival rant.
The political war of 2010 is rapidly approaching. The skirmishes have already begun, the full fledged battles are about to start. Will November 2, 2010 be akin to July 14, 1789 or July 4, 1776? Will November 6, 2012 be another October 19, 1781? We hope so and the odds are better than they have been in many decades that the American version of the English dukes, earls, noblemen, princes, and princesses have worn their welcome out. From city to countryside dweller, a growing number of We the People have had enough. While all the Kings horses and all the Kings men may be able to keep their family clans together again, persuading us Bohemians, who make up a third of the nation, that our wellbeing depends upon you is an argument does not hold water anymore and the face of that insane logic now greets you in the mirror each morning.
Merry Christmas
The Maji (Whigs, Independents, and No Party Affiliation) are here, spreading from east to west and transforming the dream to reality that the trilogy of legislative, judicial, and executive duopolistic control is ending. With faith, anything is possible.
