Speaking at the Heritage Foundation, Mitch McConnell said: "When the administration agrees with the American people, we will agree with the administration. When it disagrees with the American people, we won’t. This has been our posture from the beginning of this administration. And we intend to stick with it."
I think this is the wrong rhetoric and is potentially quite dangerous. We live in a Constitutional Republic. This means that the public elects men and women to go to Washington to represent their interests. We are supposed to elect wise and experienced people who can thoughtfully focus on the matters at hand and use good judgment in making decisions, considering both the interests of their constituents and the interests of the nation at large. Goodness, there have been times when the majority favored legalized abortion, but that doesn't make it right. It is quite likely, given the fact that nearly half the population pays no federal income tax, that the majority may oppose tax reductions, but that doesn't make it right. If our representatives are only responsible for doing what the majority of their constituents want, then we don't really need representatives. Lackeys will do. I would sure prefer to hear the Republican leader of the Senate affirming his party's commitment to governing according to tried and true Conservative principles, not "the will of the people." That's mob rule, the tyranny of the majority, not Republicanism.
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5 comments:
Newsflash: McConnell is minority leader. I do agree with your premise though, that if we govern according to the results of every poll, what do you we need all these jokers in DC for?
Correction made.
This might be off the subject of this blog, but I seem to remember way back in the early 90’s this country started transitioning its economy from being one of manufacturing to more of a service economy. By services I mean anything from what hotels offer in services to their customers to building the next generation of space vehicles. The rule of thumb has always been that any defense manufacturing is done within our borders, but making the stuff you can buy at Wal Mart or Target has been moving overseas for years. I think that’s one reason inflation has remained relatively manageable over the years, because things are made cheaper overseas. Probably also why we have such a trade imbalance.
I have no problem with this transition or businesses moving jobs overseas. If there are things in the tax code that make it easier and even more profitable for businesses to do that, then shame on congress.
The reason I bring this up is I am starting to wonder if some of these people in congress, newly elected and otherwise, and, just how many people in this country realize how much service contracting the federal government does. Do people realize that it is private industry that maintains the space shuttle, builds new satellites? All those people that maintain and launch the shuttle are service contractors for the government, not civil servants. Do people think these satellites fly all by themselves? The government contracts businesses to do this work for them. Here at Goddard there are many more contractors than civil servants. Do people realize it is contractors from business that upgrade FAA computers and software? The list goes on and on.
Do you remember that 16 year old girl that tried to sail around the world? They lost track of her and did not hear from her for days. Then you hear on the news the Australians found her and she was safe. Way to go Aussies!!!! What nobody ever heard, and this is the fault of our government, is that it was a NOAA search and rescue satellite that found her and gave the Aussies her location. She activated her distress signal and the SarSat satellite picked it up and NOAA contacted the Aussies to go get her. SarSat is a NOAA funded satellite, but it is operated and maintained by private contractors.
I only point this out that as we move forward I really hope the Republicans can put aside politics and their total hate towards Obama and if they cut the budget, they do it smart and not just because they said that’s what they are going to do. I don’t know the numbers, but there are an awful lot of government contractors in this country and an awful lot of businesses that rely on performing services for the government. If they just wanna pound their chest and say look, we cut $2 billion from NASA, I hope they realize the consequences of that to the American worker. The government does not have the expertise to do this work, private business does, so that’s who they use. Do you think Sarah Palin and tea party fanatics get that?
Thank heaven for the federal government and its flabby, wasteful business operations. What would we do without it? We should all work for the federal government. But Tom, if that goal of yours and Obama's were to be realized, who would contribute the tax revenues to support all the union goons?
Dave, you're right; but I would look at the comment in context. Still, McConnell is not my idea of a leader.
Wow Brian. You just fall right into the RW noise machine and consider unions evil. You are a definite follower with no desire to think on your own, aren't you?
By the way...I don't work for the federal government, but I do happen to think they treated mine and Dave's father pretty well. Looking back I think we had a pretty good life as kids.
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