“DC Watch”There is no shame any moreBy Carolyn CormeyOn Planet Washington DC, even the language spoken is different. Words like honor, truth, morality, responsibility, accountability, right and wrong, have been parsed and given different meanings. We finally recognized this when we watched President Clinton even shamelessly redefine the meaning of “is” AND “having sex.” We elect Congressmen, Senators and even Presidents, send them to Washington DC where they become part of some far-removed, politically- based, alternate reality. On Planet DC, when someone we have elected is caught lying about dishonorable activities or is caught participating in unlawful activities, it seems that their loud, self-righteous denial (repeated over and over again) is allowed to become the accepted substitute for truth and accountability. Back to political business as usual.. In this DC alternate reality, personal and political survival trumps both personal and political responsibility. The FBI finds $90,000 in Democrat Congressman William Jefferson’s freezer and Republican Senator Larry Craig is arrested for lewd conduct in a public bathroom . . . they are still both in office. Where are the Democrat and Republican Leaders, the “Ethics” Committees who allow these Legislators to continue their political careers as if nothing has happened? Where is the shame? Back when Newt Gingrich’s favorability rating polled at a low of 24%, he resigned as Speaker of the House. Our current Speaker, Nancy Pelosi has a favorability rating of around 14% but she does not seem at all ashamed and would never consider resigning. When the Republicans were the majority party, they frittered away their opportunity to deal with the domestic issues that negatively impact the lives of US Citizens every day. The last election was not “just about the war.” As a result, in the last election, the Democrats gained the Majority in both the Senate and House by election promises to immediately address the pent-up domestic concerns of US Citizen voters, outsourced jobs, our broken Social Security and Medicare programs . . . with more promises to bring ethics reform, legislative transparency and civility back into the political arena. None of this has happened. Where is the shame? Since winning, the Democrat led Senate and House have chosen to ignore the election promises they made to address the domestic concerns of the US Citizen voters. Instead, they have been concentrating on finding ways to pass legislation to woo the political allegiance of 12-20 million illegal aliens that are seen as a potential voting group of the future. The Democrat Presidential Candidate and the Democrat Congress loudly state that after the election, a top priority in their first year agenda will be putting these 12-20 million illegal aliens on a pathway to citizenship (amnesty - citizenship for sale, for a small fee). v We are able to watch the Senate on C-Span 2 and see with our own eyes, the way that legislation is now crammed through to passage. The Senate Majority Party has a bill that they support and want to pass. The goal is to control and pass the bill by limiting or eliminating opportunity for debate or input from Senators who are either opposed to this Bill or want to make changes in it. Important, controversial legislation is stacked up just before Senate holidays. A bill with hundreds or thousands of pages may be introduced one day and perhaps on that very same day while the bill is even still being revised, the Majority Party Leader may schedule and politically force a Cloture vote (to limit or close debate) followed by a vote to pass the bill. Many of these bills are loaded with earmarks and pork that spend billions and billions of dollars but before the Senators have even had time to read the Bill - they vote on it! According to the CRS in this legislative session:
It is obvious that protecting the American Public from unintended consequences through a process of careful examination of a proposed bill, followed by unlimited debate until consensus is reached – is now just part of a Senate history. Another strange thing that happens on Planet DC is that there are Bills that the majority of the American Public and perhaps even the majority of our US Senators and Congressmen want and support. These proposed bills are often blocked and not allowed to come to the House or Senate for consideration. If a proposed Senate Bill is not supported by the personal or political party agenda of the Senate Majority Leader and Speaker of the House AND they don’t control enough votes to defeat the bill – they simply do not allow the bill to even be considered by the Senate or House. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (Democrat) and the Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (Democrat) do not support drilling in Anwar or drilling off our coasts. Even though these Leaders recognized that the majority of the American Public, as well as the majority of Senators and Congressmen supported drilling they would not allow the issue of drilling to be considered by either the Senate or House. Now, all our Senators and Congressmen have now left Washington for a month long vacation recess. The Political Leaders expect no political fall-out over their decisions to block any Senate or House discussion on drilling. Loudly “blame the oil companies” . . . make high gas prices an election issue, a subject for more election promises . . . . Where’s the shame? For most of us not living or working on Planet DC, we have no problem understanding the meaning of “is” and what constitutes “having sex.” We still stick with the standard old definitions for words like “honor, morality, truth, reputation, right” and “wrong.” We still think that every piece of legislation that is considered or passed should put the interests and protection of the US Citizens and our country FIRST. We think that all proposed legislation should be fully read, fully examined and fully debated BEFORE it is made into law. We believe the legislators we elect should follow through with their election promises to make our issues and concerns their top priorities in all legislation they support or initiate. However, as soon as elections are over, our newly elected or re-elected legislators head out for Planet Washington DC. Once they arrive, they immediately fall prey and are captured by the Siren’s songs sung by Lobbyists and Activist Groups who fill the ears of our Legislator’s so that they no longer hear us. We US Citizen voters have no Lobbyists or Activist Groups to sing our songs, so our legislators forget about us and forget about the election promises they made to us. . . . . . . until campaigning begins for their next election when they come home to woo us with another set of election promises. We walk into the voting booths and don’t hold them accountable. That’s a shame.
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