Dear Congress

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Majority Leader and Members of the House Republican Caucus,

You have been returned to the majority because most of the people of this nation have recognized that our country is facing a severe economic, social, fiscal and political crisis. The majority of voters in November of last year discerned that the Democrat majority under Speaker Pelosi had relinquished any semblance of fiscal responsibility that they may have ever held. In addition to their profligacy, their legislative agenda undermined the liberty of our citizens and generated more tension between the taxed and the beneficiaries. You were either elected or re-elected to stop the madness and to turn around from the disastrous direction that our United States of America clearly is headed.

We understand that many of you are career politicians who lust for office and the accolades that shower you. We understand that many of you may be honest and moral, but you appear to lack the finely honed principles that should guide you. You have taken an oath of office………

                                 I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.

We have some questions for your consideration. Did you take the oath seriously? Do you understand the oath? How would you define “support and defend the Constitution?” Have you done so during your political career? Is a “good idea” necessarily Constitutional? Where do you personally draw the line about when to support the Constitution and when to ignore or dismiss it? Have you willingly violated your oath because the nation has needs that are not addressed by Article 1 Section 8? Or have you violated your oath because the Constitution has been abused by Congress for so long that it cannot be fixed….you know, that toothpaste back into the tube dilemma?

We know that Democrats lie, cheat and steal (votes) to move their agenda. We are grateful that, for the most part, you seek to fulfill your duties and obligations with honor and integrity. We want you, however, to be bold, courageous and principled….fight constantly and consistently for Constitutional principles and the restoration of personal liberty for all citizens of the United States. You appear to have resisted advancing ideas, strategies and legislation that would challenge this incremental march toward personal and economic tyranny because they might fail. I might add here that the incremental march has become a gallop. Why are you afraid to fail on a matter of principle? You should know that your vote to repeal the healthcare fiasco was appreciated, but we know that you have made no serious effort to defund it. In fact, during this debt ceiling/budget cuts kabuki dance, the President declared that his opening gambit for socialized medicine was “off the table,” and we hear nothing…….crickets from the House of Representatives. Many of the people who have supported you are sorely disappointed that your actions have been so feeble and so hesitant. We frankly do not care if Harry Reid or Nancy Pelosi does not like you in fact we prefer it that way. Only a few of your members seem to understand that “business as usual” is no longer a viable option. The conditions in our country are no longer usual, they have become critical.

If you are reluctant to battle on principle because you may not have the votes, or the Senate will shoot it down, please note that when an underdog football team has a powerhouse on the schedule, they show up, get dressed and play the freakin’ game. They do not hide on the bus or refuse to leave the locker room. Their opponents may be faster, stronger and better coached, but once in a while the underdog wins. You cannot win if you refuse to get off the bus. I understand that expecting career politicians to be courageous could be classified as wishful thinking. I also understand that desiring you to stand for principles and Constitutional integrity may be asking for more than you are capable of delivering. I am aware that a principled Constitutional position may jeopardize your chances for re-election. Are you aware that some 235 years ago some men pledged their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor? And you are worried about your image, your polling or your next election? If so, that is shameful. It is also a symptom of why we are in this current mess.

We heard you say many times during the last campaign that you had learned a lesson from the last time you had a majority, and the voters reacted with fury. I do not believe you. Learning a lesson should propel you to take bold action for the nation. Nibbling on the margins suggests that you are merely doing so for appearance’s sake. We suspect that many of you resent those of us who want smaller government, lower taxes and more personal freedom. Some of you believe that we are “kooks” or “wackos.”  We love our country, and we do not want to watch anyone destroy it….or simply stand by while it disintegrates. Please be bold. Be courageous. Be principled, and follow the Constitution…or have the guts to amend it. We, and I, will be watching you. Remember your oath or affirmation. Our nation is at risk, and we cannot afford to have you piddling around any longer.

Comment:   cearlwriting@hotmail.com       or         www.littlestuff-minoosha.blogspot.com

   

Little Matters

If you are like me, and you see an ad for a pharmaceutical on TV, you are struck by the fast-talking blur of information at the end of the commercial about potential side effects. Good grief! No matter the affliction that pesters you, you may note that the potential side effects include everything thing from terminal diarrhea to elephantitus. The all inclusive list of maladies can cause any thoughtful person to pause before asking a physician to consider the new wonder drug. Similarly, ads for auto leases close with a fast talking list of conditions associated with your dream of driving a new car. If you fork over a trade in plus $3500.00 in cash, then your payments will be a mere $199.00 per month plus taxes and title fees for six years. The danger is in the details. Just like legislation.

By now the 2700 page Affordable Care Act (aka: Obamacare), has demonstrated that details do matter. As the Christmas Holiday approached, Congresspersons who were eager to return to their families and districts approved the massive boondoggle without knowing what the bill contained. In fact, as you recall, Speaker Pelosi stated that “we have to pass it to see what’s in it.” That attitude does not instill confidence in the legislative process, or give us the sense that the legislators know the details…understand the fine print. They don’t, and they admit it. It is left to the bureaucrats and the affected citizens to ferret out the nuances and the clinkers in many legislative acts. Just like any ordinary commercial transaction, one must always be aware of the fine print…..or in some legislative instances, the print to be added later.

Some folks have made a big deal out of the fact that career politicians do not live under the same laws as the rest of us. Rightly so. The demand that they observe their own proscriptions and regulations could be extended much further than personal healthcare and office-place behaviors. What about all the rules and regulations that our exalted leaders have forced upon our business community in the name of “consumer protection?” Shouldn’t those same disclosures and restrictions be mandatory when laws are passed or rules are promulgated that affect so many of us outside the marble halls of Washington? Wouldn’t it be sensible for every law to have a long-winded disclaimer that identifies all the potential side effects?

Some of the incoming members of the House of Representatives have stated that they want to require a particular constitutional citation for every piece of proposed legislation. That is good. Now add to it the disclaimer about whom the legislation helps and whom it hurts…and to what degree. After all, our brave new world seems to revolve around the metro sexual dream of getting “in touch with one’s feelings” and the cathartic release of full disclosure. In addition, the revelation of who wins and who loses would clearly expose any legislation that willfully violates the “general welfare” clause.

Obviously I’m dreaming. Career politicians employ sleight of hand and doubletalk in their toolboxes. A straightforward identification of winners and losers is alien to their nature. Besides, politicians lie, and we allow it. We create more severe penalties for truth telling than we do for blatant, bald faced, fork-tongued, double-dealing prevarication. Maybe Jack Nicholson was right in “An Officer and a Gentleman.” “You can’t handle the truth.” Maybe we can’t handle the truth, but what the hell, let’s give it a shot.

Comment: earl4sos@gmail.com    www.littlestuff-minoosha.blogspot.com

 

 

Who's Counting?

The 2010 Census results are in the final stages of tabulation and validation. Even so, I suspect that the numbers we are given will be, at best, approximations and, at worst, fabrications. Taking the census is a constitutionally mandated function that is found in Article 1, Section 2 of our pre-eminent governing document. The primary (and only constitutional) purpose of the “actual Enumeration” is to determine representation for the United States House of Representatives. The congressional districts are to be designed so that each member of the House represents a similar number of citizens. There are other uses for the census data that are outside the constitutional requirement, and the data that are collected have gone far beyond mere enumeration. Some would argue that the information sought by census takers transforms the census from a representation determinant to an intrusive social engineering mechanism. Indeed it does as many of the data are used to identify community clusters of poverty, households that lack amenities that may be more prevalent in other economic strata (e.g. 1 bathroom versus 2 bathrooms), or households that suffer because the available square footage per resident is lower than the typical figure.


The Constitution requires that we execute an “actual Enumeration.” In other words…count the people. The Constitution does NOT demand that all manner of intrusive busybody questions be asked. The Constitution does NOT call for or anticipate that computer modeling be used to “fill the gaps of knowledge.” The Constitution does NOT require that millions of people be hired for temporary positions. The Constitution does not demand that those millions of temporary workers ferret out minute details of people’s lives. If the long form census document were abandoned, then enumerators could COUNT, models would be unnecessary and the temporary boost in employment figures wouldn’t be so dramatic. Just like everything else the federal government undertakes, the census has become too cumbersome, too unwieldy and has distorted its original purpose.

Now that my rant about the census has ended, let’s look at the impact for Ohio’s congressional delegation. Currently, we have 18 M.O.C. (members of Congress), but early indications are that we will slip to 16 for the next decade. Because the House of Representatives is limited to 435 members from the 50 states (57 in Obama math), the total population is divided by 435 then apportioned accordingly. The growth in the Southwest, particularly Texas, has minimized the impact of Ohio’s relatively stable population of roughly 11 million people. So, the influence of the Buckeye State on the national scene will be diluted once again, and our impact on the Electoral College will slip from 20 to 18 electoral votes. The Presidential votes in a winner-take-all system in Ohio mean that we represent just fewer than seven per cent of the Electoral College. The reasons for our stagnate growth and our diminishing electoral influence are many, and I will explore them at a later time. I wish to briefly examine how the Census results will impact Ohio.

The Congressional districts are determined by the Ohio General Assembly. Following the November 2010 midterm elections, the GOP will assume control of both chambers with overwhelming numerical advantages. In the House the Republicans hold 59 seats and the Democrats have 40. The Senate favors the GOP by a 23 to 10 margin. Historically, the redistricting process has involved the two parties working together to equally distribute the pain of lost congressional seats. If that model were to be implemented this time, I would expect Dennis Kucinich and Jean Schmidt will see their districts carved and dismantled. It would not surprise me, however, for the GOP to exercise its new power and place four Democratic incumbents in primary races for two districts. To quote the inept Colonel Klink, “verrry interesting.” However the redistricting process unfolds (I understand that it has been drawn already), the GOP General Assembly will face some justified criticism. Work with the “D’s” and it’s the same old business as usual…the two parties working to undermine the will of the electorate. Exercise the raw power of the numbers, and the GOP becomes the party of bullies who run roughshod over the minority. Whatever route the majority chooses to follow, they have ten years to recover.

Comment: earl4sos@gmail.com or cearlwriting@hotmail.com

Enabling Rights

OK, the brassy bastards just won’t stop. We’ve advanced from an incremental erosion of our personal liberties to an all-out power grab. The historical march toward tyranny has a multitude of beginnings, but I believe that the most onerous one was the passage of the Federal Reserve Act on December 23rd, 1913. Merry Christmas, Suckers! Aside from the noxious fact that a gaggle of bankers control our monetary policy, the most egregious aspect of the Act was the Congress’ transfer of its Constitutional obligation to another party. This pattern has continued for the last century. The freedom-choking concept is “enabling legislation”--- a device whereby Congress drafts and passes broad policy measures and directs other entities to promulgate rules and regulations to enforce the provisions. Get the picture?


How many departments, agencies, bureaus, services, directorates, etc. are there circling in the federal universe? All of these pockets of power are engaged in rule-making that impacts our lives every day. Often they use bad science, incomplete data and falsely perceived threats as justification to implement their intervention into every facet of our lives. There are so many of these “alphabet” entities that we feel as if we’re being assaulted on hundreds, perhaps thousands, of fronts. The massive regulatory apparatus puts all Americans on the defensive, and thus, significantly weakens our chances for slaying the monster.

If you have a burning desire to suffer from glazy-eye syndrome, I urge you to read the Federal Register’s daily update for a full month. If you have the internal strength to NOT suck on an exhaust pipe after doing so, you will have one of two predictable responses. You will either sigh in resignation, or become so darn angry that it’ll be impossible for anyone to be with you. But wait, O’ gullible citizen, it gets worse. Perhaps you’ve wonder how these brain-dead career politicians with the sparkling smiles and the 12-month tans can generate so many abhorrent bills that enable the loss of our liberty.

The answer is staff. This semi-permanent group of lifetime bureaucrats works for the elected officials and for the various committees and sub-committees. They live inside the beltway. They have been radically infected with “Potomac Fever” with little prospect for a cure. They are the true enablers. They do the work and allow the legislator to appear competent. They author the enabling legislation that ultimately becomes law….and they do not have to go back to Minnesota or Texas and live under those toxic regulations. Besides, Congress typically exempts itself from much of the freedom-crushing legislation.

The Congress has legislated a multitude of unconstitutional acts that deny our unalienable rights. They have forfeited their Constitutional mandates by allowing other, unelected entities to implement, promulgate, regulate and enforce those unconstitutional provisions. Unalienable rights are natural rights. If you are a believer, unalienable rights are from God and cannot be taken or given away. If you’re a regular reader of my columns, you are aware that I’m a 10th Amendment nullifier. I believe the states have the duty to refuse to implement or allow any unconstitutional law to be enforced within their borders. I fear, however, that there are not very many legislators who have the cajones to stand up to Big Brother. Our unalienable rights are individual rights, therefore………



Comment: earl4sos@gmail.com or cnpearl@woh.rr.com