My View

Random thoughts from a warped and fevered mind...


Toss 'Em Out Tuesday- otherwise known as the mid-term election of 2010- was certainly interesting and has shocked the mainstream media and a number of pundits. The ramifications of this election will reverberate throughout government and our society for quite some time. Let's talk a bit about what happened Tuesday, shall we?

This election brought to the surface what many in this country have felt- that Washington has become completely disconnected from the citizenry that they are, or should be, representing. The vote on Tuesday was, among other things, a reminder to elected officials that they work FOR us, not the other way around. It was amusing yet somewhat disconcerting to see long time incumbents voted out of office and then express their shock over the outcome of the election. In almost every case, polls revealed that their constituents were overwhelmingly against some of the legislation that has been passed over the last two years and yet the representative voted the party line. Shouldn't be a shock to those that were defeated, but it was. It is indicative of how insular many in Washington have become.

If you want to get a sense of how the mainstream media thinks about you and me, go no further than the insipid Katie Couric, who said that she was going out to the "unwashed masses" in middle America to gauge their mood before the election. That is exactly how liberals and the mainstream media- but I repeat myself- think of anyone that does not share their view and does not live on either coast. And that is another reason why they are becoming increasingly irrelevant.

I was on Twitter on election night and reading the comments of those that I follow. May I offer a piece of friendly advice to those on the left? Those that voted your candidate(s) out of office exercised their freedom in this great country to do just that. And because they did, they are not "racist", "inbreds", "morons", "stupid", and the list of pejoratives goes on, but you get the sense. No more than liberals were "mush brained" "Marxist", "ball-less" "idiots" for voting in a socialist to the White House in 2008. You see what I did there? I immediately shut off any dialogue with someone that doesn't hold the same view as I. And my liberal friends, you are absolutely the best at that. As we move forward, we will continue to miss the opportunity to craft solutions that are workable and move our nation forward if we lack civility on both sides.

With that being said, the fact that I reject most liberal positions as being bad for me personally, for my family, and for this nation, does not make me evil, racist, or any other negatives that liberals might spew. Neither are our elected Representatives evil because they do not agree with the President. The results of this election should indicate that a great majority of Americans don't agree with the President.

Remember early on in Obama's term, and the Republican minority was opposing the socialization of healthcare? What did Obama famously say about opposition to the bill? "I won", meaning I have the supposed mandate from the people and we will do it my way. Now that the Democrats have gone into the minority in the House by an overwhelming margin, and the Senate is virtually even on each side of the aisle, what has been the response of Obama? "We must compromise." Guys, I'm here to tell you, the American electorate has spoken and they don't want to compromise. They want healthcare repealed- at least this monstrosity in its present form, and they want a smaller government that is less intrusive and one that brings spending under control. Compromise is a trap when principles are forsaken for political gains. Compromise on the mandate that the public has given them, and Republicans will become irrelevant.

Marco Rubio said it best on election night. Rubio, a newly elected Republican Senator from Florida, said this (the massive Republican victories across the country) is not about celebrating, but realizing the Republicans have been given a second chance. He is exactly right. The Republican office holders that have been elected, along with their incumbent bretheren, have to not just oppose the creeping socialism that is coming out of the White House and the Democratic Party. They have to offer a clear vision about their direction for the country. They have to offer viable alternatives to achieve those goals. And they have to be fiscally responsible. If this incoming class of legislators does not work to significantly- SIGNIFICANTLY- reduce government spending, then they, too, will be gone at the next election cycle.

This election was a call back to the fundamental relationship between the citizens of this great country and our government. It was a call to reconnect. For too long a disengaged electorate has allowed a ruling elite to lead our country in the wrong direction. The call of this election is to change course- not "compromise", not "tweak", but to turn around and go in another direction.

Incoming legislators and incumbents- are you listening?


And now, a few relevant political quotes:

"In my many years I have come to the conclusion that one useless man is a shame, two is a law firm, and three or more is a Congress."
                                                John Adams


"I contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself by the handle."

                                               Winston Churchill


"The government is like a baby's alimentary canal, with a healthy appetite at one end and no responsibility at the other."

                                               Ronald Reagan


And that, my friends, is my view.