Anyone who has ever had to deal with elected officials, particularly at the federal level, has probably been frustrated trying to get them to listen to your point of view, let alone agree with it. Unless, of course, you have lots of money. It seems to me that the congress critters inhabiting the halls of power in Washington DC represent no one but themselves and their corporate sponsors. They certainly don't seem to want to have anything to do with the common folk. It seems to me that even when a great number of their constituents complain and ask for change and accountability, they do their best to wriggle free from their responsibilities and chase an agenda that grants them and their cronies more power and control.
One of the senators from the state of Illinois has once again managed to raise my ire without really trying. Mr. Dick Durbin, upon answering a request for more transparency and accountability in government, decided to play the blame game. The request was made by myself and thousands of others through downsizeDC.org, an organization dedicated to putting pressure on our elected officials to actually do something about shrinking the size of the federal government and adhere to the laws that are supposed to govern them.
Mr. Durbin wrote an email explaining that there was a budget surplus when Mr. Bill Clinton was serving as president, but that it disappeared during Mr. George W. Bush's administration. While this is a true statement, I do not believe that it is a legitimate excuse for the continuation of the practices that drove our nation into such debt. Nor do I think it is a legitimate reason to excuse Mr. Durbin and the current batch of spending crazed congress critters who continue to shirk their responsibilities and blame others for the mess we're in.
Certainly, I've no doubt that Mr. Bush bears much of the responsibility for our current financial mess, but he was not the only one to blame. Indeed, in the American form of government, it's supposed to be congress that approves the spending. So, if we're going to play the blame game, shouldn't we mention that the Republicans controlled congress during Clinton's presidency? Mr. Durbin seems to conveniently forget that fact as he tries to convince myself and others that the fault does not lie with him or his fellow Democrats. Well, the fault lies with all of them, Democrats and Republicans.
The political class long ago decided to stop following the Constitution, that little bit of writing they swear an oath to uphold, and to just do whatever they want. They don't seem to remember that there were three branches of government created in order to create a separation of power that was supposed to protect the natural rights of individuals from the intrusive and too often tyrannical power of the state. Instead, those in power made backroom deals with each other behind closed doors. They slowly eroded individual rights until we have left only a sliver of what we were meant to have. The powers of the states were usurped by the federal government and they became the tyrants they were supposed to protect us from. Now we sit and worry about them violating those natural rights they pledged to respect as they fish for dissidents challenging their "authority."
The president is not a dictator, or a king, or a despot, or any kind of lone authoritarian, as much as some seem to want him to be. He can't just make laws by decree and expect his "subjects" to obey them. There is a process, Mr. Dick Durbin, that this country must go through in order to take us down the road to ruin. You must all be on board for this to happen, or at least the majority of you. You don't need a dictator when there are 545 petty tyrants who can create the same tyranny, and a federal justice system that will support and even encourage it. The only reason to have such an authoritarian figure is so there is someone to blame when things go south. So, you want to blame George W. Bush for our current situation, as if he was the king and the sole decision maker during our slide into socialism, do you? Well, I have a few questions for you then.
Did you vote against the Patriot Act? Did you speak out against it citing how it would trample upon the natural rights of sovereign citizens? How about the Military Commissions Act? Did you stand and argue against that bill because of its unconstitutional nature? Did you ever try to introduce legislation repealing these laws when it became obvious that abuses were taking place? Did you ever bravely stand before your compatriots in the Senate and demand unbiased investigations into such allegations?
Did you speak out against going to war with Iraq? Did you vote against going to war? Did you speak out about the constitutional requirement that war be declared by congress? Did you speak against sending our troops into Afghanistan? Did you ever vote against funding these wars so we would be forced to end them? Did you do anything at all to try to prevent these catastrophes and avoid the expense that goes along with them?
Did you vote against the bailouts back in 2008 when the Bush administration was on the way out? Did you speak out against the timing of such a move? Did you point out the folly of such an action? Did you point out the price that would be paid by future generations? Did you stand up and vote against such a bill because so many of your constituents were calling, writing and emailing telling you to allow the mega banks to fail? Did you ever do the right thing, or did you just do as you were told by your corporate handlers, like so many of your colleagues? I only know of one man in Washington DC who stuck to his principles through all that, and he was not in the senate, but the house.
And then how about after Bush left office and Obama became the anointed one? Did you speak out against his socialist agenda? Did you stick up for the natural individual rights of the freeman? Did you argue against passing the tome that is the new health care law? Did you pay attention to the multitudes coming out to protest that law? Did you see the fury of the masses as they challenged their representatives and demanded they oppose the health care bill? Did you read that bill before voting for it, or did you listen to Ms. Nancy Pelosi as she determined it needed to be passed so we could find out what was in it? Did you ever once even care what the common folk thought, or did you simply follow the dictates of your corporate masters? I think the answer to all the above is a resounding "no."
You, Mr. Durbin, had ample opportunity to show your courage. You had ample opportunity to be one of the few who should not be blamed for the mess that has been created. You decided to ignore popular sentiment, ignore the Constitution, and ignore the principles this nation was built upon. You decided to do what you were told to do by those who pay for your campaigns. You, my friend, have no room to play the blame game. You are just as culpable for this mess as Mr. Bush, Mr. Obama, or any of the other bought and paid for congress critters.
We don't need senators who play the blame game anymore, Mr. Durbin. We need men with the guts to stand up to those in power and say "enough." We need someone with the courage to defend the common man. We need someone who understands the power of the free market and will allow his financial backers to fail. We need someone who will demand accountability from the corporate elite. We need someone who will deny the wishes of special interests in order to empower the common man through honoring his natural rights. Don't try to tell me who's to blame for the current mess we're in, concentrate on doing what's right and getting back to obeying the Constitution so that we might have a future we can look forward to.
My archived articles are available at szandorblestman.com. Please visit there to help support me and my efforts. I also have an ebook available entitled "The Ouijiers" by Matthew Wayne.
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