Assaults on the U. S. constitution by our “representatives” on the Hill, though, are raising my own “Terror Alert” scale to the reddest of the red (or “Elmo” if you prefer the Sesame Street version).
With the passing of the first “bail-out” bill pushed by Paulson and Bush, it was obvious that (1) our representatives do not represent us and (2) those on the Hill think they are smarter than everyone else in the country. I contacted my rep and both Georgia senators not only requesting them to oppose the bail out but inquired as to the percentage of calls for and against. Each office affirmed that calls were going 90% against the bailout. I called one or two reps not from Georgia and, as was expected: 90% against. Nonetheless, it passed with healthy support from both the Democratic and Republican parties. I subsequently voted against Zaxby Saxby Chambliss from Georgia.
As Schoolhouse Rock reminded us so long ago, legislation once started with the grassroots, went through our representatives to the president then became law. Now, Capitol Hill is a cottage industry of bill introduction, law making and law breaking, with nary a concern given to the folks back home. When the folks back home get fed up and threaten revolution, an act that places them in the exalted company of our Founding Fathers, they are vilified by Washington and the press. I’m sure Washington and Jefferson have rolled over in their graves so many times by now they’ve worn grooves on the inside of their respective coffins.
Because house and senate leadership are attempting an end run around the constitution (and don’t let the Republicans around you get all high and mighty, the elephant party is just as hypocritical, manipulative and self-indulgent), the article I’m linking is very, very important. It comes from Washington Times opinion writer, Jeffrey Kuhner. The entire article can be read here. Here is a pertinent excerpt:
Article 1, Section 7 of the Constitution stipulates that for any bill to become a law, it must pass both the House of Representatives and the Senate. That is, not be “deemed” to have passed, but actually be voted on with the support of the required majority. The bill must contain the exact same language in both chambers – and in the version signed by the president – to be a legitimate law. This is why the House and Senate have a conference committee to iron out differences of competing versions. This is Civics 101.
The Slaughter Solution is a dagger aimed at the heart of our system of checks and balances. It would enable the Democrats to establish an ominous precedent: The lawmaking process can be rigged to ensure the passage of any legislation without democratic accountability or even a congressional majority. It is the road to a soft tyranny.
Because of the elitist attitude of so many in Washington, we already live under a functional aristocracy: senators and representatives have a lucrative retirement program that is exempt from the tax dangers “we the [little] people” face, they have a Cadillac insurance program that will not be affected by reform legislation as “we the [little] people” will have to face, they ignore their constituents’ desires to exclude illegal residents from insurance coverage. Over the past decade it has not mattered whether Republicans have been in leadership or whether Bela Pelosi is pulling the strings, the outcome is the same.
To say “change is needed” is just to pee against the wind, since everyone defines “change” a different way. One thing seems certain, though-if November does not see a wholesale removal of 300 or more House members and the firing of all 1/3 senators, then the “ruling class” inside the Beltway will continue to live like kings and queens, while treating us like serfs.
