The elections are over and past, the pundits and columnists are having a right jolly good time telling us what it meant; this victory for the right, the defeat of the President’s “agenda” and the progress it represented. They certainly have to earn their pay, so they will continue to blather on for some time to come. But I’ve not heard the hard questions asked or answered.
The incoming Speaker of the House, and the Minority Leader of the Senate have both stated on Sunday morning talk shows that the most important goal they can achieve in the next two years is to be sure that President Obama is a one-term President. Funny, in the Pledge to America the Republicans were so proud of making, and that they used to help convince the American People they were the party that can make it so, that was conspicuously absent from the plans they showed us. In the Pledge, they talked about plans to: (1) create jobs, (2) cut out of control spending, (3) repeal and replace government takeover of health care, (4) reform Congress and restore trust, and (5) keep our nation secure. Not a word was used to imply the goal of making sure President Obama has only one term. Not one word.
Talk is cheap. Actions speak louder than words; Mr. Speaker and Mr. Minority Leader need to show the American People they can govern better than their party did during times when they had control of the House, Senate, and White House. Here is an example: on page 32 of the Pledge, a paragraph is donated to the statement that “for the first time in modern history, the House failed to pass or even debate a budget…”. Mr. Speaker and Mr. Minority Leader should study the recent history, for under Clinton in 1998, and under Bush in 2002, 2004, and 2006, no budget was passed. This is not the only statement I question in this Pledge, but it is an example. I also find it interesting that in this document, government waste is discussed; but this document is a study in waste in and of itself. It is, as printed, 49 pages long. Only 22 pages have text on them. The balance is “pretty pictures.”
Over the next several weeks, I will be posting my views on the various plans laid out in this Pledge. I will also be keeping tabs on the actions the Republicans take in the House, and the Senate, to perform the promises Pledged to America.
This blog contains some of my personal, political, moral, and social views of our society today. All of the posts here are copyrighted, and may not be used, copied, etc. without the permission of the author. Comments are welcome! All comments must be in a family-acceptable verbiage. Feel free to share this blog with anyone that might be interested in reading and/or discussing the material I present. Thanks for visiting. R.M. "Bob" Hartman
Wait a minute…politicians…lying? When did this start happening?
ReplyDeleteIn the main, politicians start to lie as soon as they open their mouths. First,what many people do not realise is this Pledge to America was crafted by Brian Wilde, a former lobbiest for ExxonMobile and AIG. Secondly, Speaker Boehner was one of Gingrich's lieutenants in the 1994 Republican revolution. Third, our surplus-to-defict financial condition was created when the Republicans had control of the House, the Senate, and the White House. And these are the people who are going to lead us out of this quagmire? I doubt it.
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