Posted by
Charlie on Sunday, July 08, 2007 8:31:20 AM
The Heritage Foundation sent me an email today which contained the poll question “What would improve your opinion of Congress?” The poll contained only one question which boiled down to do you want Congress to be more conservative or more liberal (a misnomer leftist would be more apt)? For me it was a no-brainer but it did inspire me to write this more extensive answer to the question. It will take quite a lot to improve my opinion of Congress and I probably won’t get everything in this column so I reserve the right to add to this piece from time to time.
1. SEAL THE BORDER!! Shouting capitals are needed here because the dunderheads in the Senate don’t seem to get it unless they are shouted at. The storm of protest caused by their attempt to jam the “comprehensive immigration reform bill” down the throats of the overwhelming majority of the American people finally got it through their thick skulls that their cushy jobs were in jeopardy. Losing their jobs is the closest thing to death for these leeches. We should still be vigilant lest they try to sneak this monstrosity through in the middle of the night just as they do their undeserved salary increases. Any new immigration reform bill shouldn’t take more than a dozen pages not the six hundred plus that the latest one covered. So much verbiage just makes for good places to hide things from the American people and most legislators who don’t read what they vote on anyway.
“Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.”
2. Other aspects of our illegal alien problem should be addressed one at a time. “Comprehensive” immigration reform translates to, “Let’s see what we can put over on the peasants.” One little known provision of the late unlamented immigration bill was for the tax payers to be stuck with the fees for immigration lawyers to get the illegals legalized. Hmm, I wonder who could have been responsible for that one.
3. Stop all foreign aid except to countries who stand by us when we need them. I think allies we can really count on are scarce - namely the UK and Israel.
4. Stop big business from exporting jobs and whole industries to foreign countries. Reform of the tax code and high tariffs on imported goods should do the job.
5. Congress should retake it’s constitutional obligation to regulate our foreign trade. No longer should international bodies like NAFTA, WTO, etc. dictate our trade policies. Congress is mandated the power to regulate foreign trade and only a wacky decision by the Supreme Court allowed these international agreements to come into being.
6. “Earmarks”, hereafter known as pork, must go. If a Congressman or Senator has a project to propose for his home district or state it shouldn’t be hidden in a bill with which it has no relevance. It should be introduced as a stand-alone piece of legislation and voted on in the light of day. Considering the thousands of pork barrel projects proposed in this session of the House they may have extend the number of hours they work each week.
7. Reduce our dependence on foreign oil. Our foreign policy is influenced by our need for foreign oil. This oil comes mainly from countries that are unfriendly or unstable creating a situation which could cause fuel prices to skyrocket and adversely affect our economy. Congress should authorize drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, in the continental shelf and anywhere else from which we can get oil. It’s time for Democrats to stop kow-towing to the Sierra Club and other environmentalist voting blocs and do what is right for the country instead of putting the interests of the Democrat Party first.
The sentiments expressed above about the Democrat Party also applies to the Republicans. The one thing both parties agree on is the thirst for re-election. If you ask them why they are in politics they would probably answer with some malarkey about serving the public. The truth is that the privileges and perks connected with these jobs are so great that few want to give them up.
I think that’s about it for now. The short comings of the Congress are so numerous that there will undoubtedly be further additions to this list.
This makes me FURIOUS!!!!