Now It's Our Turn

The House of Representatives has passed the Senate version of the Health Care Reform Act notwithstanding overwhelming opposition by the American public. It has been one of the most disgusting displays of sheer political hubris I have ever personally witnessed. It was an ideological quest based on utopian beliefs rather than what is best for the American people.

Throughout the entire process, President Obama has lied to everybody; including pharmaceutical companies, insurance companies, members of his own party, the press, and most of all to the American public. He has made promises and reneged on those promises. Deals were made with anti abortion member of the House last fall. Those deals were dumped in the Senate. Massive amounts of money were doled out to states like Nebraska, Florida and Louisiana in order to secure their senator’s vote. He has lied to the Congressional Budget Office. Richard Nixon, on his worst day, couldn’t shine these guys’ shoes. Obama hates what America stands for, and is now delivering on his promise to pattern this country after Europe’s social democracies.

The latest salvo of soon to be broken promises came on Sunday when Obama told Congressman Stupak, the head of the right to life faction of the Democratic caucus, that he would prohibit federal funds for abortion through and Executive Order….for now. Those types of orders have no real force of law, and can be rescinded with a whim. And it will.

The current Congress represents America at its worst. They are shameless, shameful, and have debased our sacred democracy in front of the rest of the world. You know what's sad? They are so wrapped in their blind alleigance to Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi, they don't realize it.

Now it is our turn. The Democrats, who turned tone deaf to the wishes of their constituents and the country, will be up for re-election this fall. Some of the coward have already left, or announced they will not run again. It looks like it is going to be a rout. Americans through their phone calls, and emails, and tea parties, and through election results in New Jersey, Virginia, and Massachusetts, tried to tell our Congress to vote No. Congress didn’t listen. Now we get to make them listen.

Of particular note in this area is John Bocierri representing Ohio’s 16th Congressional District. This is a conservative district that includes Alliance and Canton. Bocierri voted no on the original bill last fall, but changed his vote this time around claiming some sob story relating to a woman with cancer from his district. There will always be a medical horror story of some type somewhere relating to sick people with or without insurance. People dying are not good copy. Bocierri didn’t change his vote for a dying woman with cancer. He changed it because his is a freshman Congressman subjected to an Obama full court press…and Bocierri fell for it. Any promises made to him will be broken within months if not weeks. Obama has hung these folks out to dry. Bocierri needs to grow a pair, or maybe he can run crying home to his mother.

So now the fun starts. There will be lawsuits and protests. The Supreme Court will re-examine the relationship between the government and the governed. But most importantly, the voters will finally be able to speak their mind.

Congress voted tonight. In November, it will be our turn.

Why Traficant Matters

Last night I had the occasion to attend a TEA party rally in Rogers, Ohio. For those of you not from this area, Rogers is a TINY burg in Columbiana County. It is home of the most notorious “flea market” in Ohio, often raided for sale of certain types of contraband and illegal goods. It is off the beaten track, and not freeway accessible. The venue for this event was the Rogers Auction Barn. This is the real McCoy. It is difficult to find…way off the road. It is a stark room made of concrete block, with a “stage” in front and a huge warehouse behind it.

This was my first trip to this facility. The event was supposed to be a Town Hall meeting. Charlie Wilson, the current 6th Ohio District Congressman, was invited to speak. Also on the agenda was a presentation by former Congressman James Traficant (17 District – OH), fresh out of jail. Traficant has taken out petitions in several Congressional districts stating he will run for Congress as an independent in a district that he thinks he can win. Odds are it will be the Ohio 6th District, which stretches from the southern Youngstown suburbs 350 miles down the Ohio River to Ironton.

Mr. Traficant is somewhat of a pariah to the political powers that be in all of the districts, but especially the 17th which includes Youngstown City. The press continually ridicules him. He is a joke on the national media with recent appearances on Greta Van Susteren’s show, among others, making local politicos wince. You either like this guy, or you hate him, with few in between. He is known for his antics in Congress. And since being released from jail, has chosen to hang out with some Native Americans in hopes of establishing and Indian Casino in the Mahoning/Trumbull Counties area.

Charlie Wilson, true to form, was missing in action. Traficant was a given. He can’t resist an audience and a microphone. But the folks from Rogers, and surrounding Columbiana County, aren’t his constituency. He does well with blue collar industrial workers with strong ethnic backgrounds. So when I walked in the door last night, my teeth just about dropped out of my mouth. The hall was packed.

I estimate about 200 or more heartland Americans showed up to hear what the disgraced, convicted felon former Congressman from Youngstown had to say. They applauded when he walked into the room. They laughed at his self deprecating jokes about his unfortunate incarceration. They listened when he talked about the unbridled power of government, the IRS, and the Justice Department. The applauded at his anecdotes about his days in Congress and his legislative coups, particularly changing the burden of proof in IRS audit matters.

At the end, they lined up at two microphones asking him questions that many of them had either typed or written out. This wasn't your normal political audience. These folks were angry. They were very angry, and were looking for a voice. They came to check Traficant out. And many of them stood up and said that they heard he was a crook, but after listening to him it didn’t matter any more given what is going on in Washington today. The livelihood of many of these folks have been lost to bad trade policy, bad tax policy, and bad environmental policy. The only thing government has done for them is to go back for more when there is nothing else to give.

Whether or not you agree or disagree with Traficant, or support or oppose him, is irrelevant. These folks are looking for a voice, and they want an angry voice. An Associated Press reporter was there to report on the proceedings. I am not sure she understood the importance of what was happening last night. I am not sure she understood the frustration of the “just plain folks” who made the effort to find this auction house looking for a voice. They are as mad as hell, and they aren’t going to take it anymore. Charlie Wilson and his ideologue cohorts are tone deaf to their demands and needs.

If Traficant decides to run in the 6th District, he could win. The disdain for Charlie Wilson and those in Washington was as clear as could be. They called Charlie Wilson “the Ghost” because he is never around. The Democratic establishment doesnt care; and the national Republican Party is not paying attention notwithstanding pleas from several Republican candidates to look over here.

Traficant is a force to be reckoned with. There are those who feel that the best way to get back at Washington is to send him back to Congress. The major parties cannot be dismissive towards his efforts. His anger and the anger of the voters are simpatico.

I’m just sayin’.

History Texas Style

Fox News ran a story this morning about the upcoming battle in Texas over guidelines relating to the contents of history textbooks. Apparently it is “so goes Texas, so goes the nation” time. Because Texas is the second biggest buyer of history textbooks in the country, textbook publishers incorporate those guidelines into their history books which are distributed nationwide. There are only four major textbook publishing houses in the country…all of whom want a bite at the Texas textbook apple.

Fox News slanted the story as an attempted liberal takeover of the Texas educational system. After my own limited reading on the subject, I concluded the opposite was true. The guidelines are established by the elected 15 member Texas Board of Education, who has hearings on various textbook issues and then establishes the guidelines. The current makeup of the Board is 10 Republicans and 5 Democrats. Within the Republican block there is some dissent from a moderate group and a more conservative group rooted in fundamental Christianity. The latest go around of controversial note was several years ago on the teaching of evolution vs. creationism.

Depending on the news story you read, the latest go around seems to be based on a left wing group attempting to establish revisionist history by proposals that would eliminate references to the role of religion in the founding of the country; eliminating any references to Christmas or Veterans Day; eliminating references to various historical figures such as Washington or Lincoln; and an emphasis on figures such as Cesar Chavez.

While that makes for good copy, the opposite seems to be true. The conservative makeup of the Board of Education almost assures defeat of any such efforts while allowing debate as to whether Thurgood Marshall, the first black Supreme Court justice, is worthy of being included in Texas history books.

While Texas conservatives may be acting in ways that make even make my right wing eyebrows rise, the problem is rooted in left wing ideology permeating the public school systems. Most social studies teachers are Democrats, and liberal if not downright progressive in their political views. The political ideology comes out in the teaching. Of particular note are school systems that put Christopher Columbus on trial for his crimes against native inhabitants of the western hemisphere. Like he was responsible for western diseases that swept through native populations! Those diseases would have reached here sooner or later, with or without Columbus.

Downplaying or denigrating the role of religion in our society, and the importance of the Judeo-Christian ethic is another tactic of left wing revisionists. And of course, slavery….and colonialism…it goes on and on.

History is. It just happens. There is social history and economic history and cultural history and comparative history and “history-history” of the timeline variety. It is open to many interpretations. But one thing I can tell you for sure. Social progressives and liberals tend to view the history of the United States in the negative and look for the sins of the nation, while conservatives look for the strengths and goodness of the nation that has served as a beacon and example for the world, no matter how imperfect America may be. On its worst day, American values of freedom and equality are far better than anything that can be found anywhere else, now or in the past.

So if the Texas Board of Education bends to the right in an effort to stave off those who would portray George Washington and Thomas Jefferson as devils incarnate because they owned slaves…good for them.

But guys…Thurgood Marshall should be included. Really!!