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Monday, December 13, 2010

The Season to Be Hoodwinked

Okay, so I haven't been political too much on this blog. Sheesh, I'm a storyteller, right? A philospher. Not some talking head who publicly touts a political ideology. As well, many of my readers are younger and likely bored to death by such a discussion. This is unfortunate. Never in U.S. history, it seems to me, should we be teaching our children to be more attuned to politics and public events. But I have no control over that. All I have is this tiny blog.

Those who know me know that I am a staunch conservative. Perhaps I should start a new blog that discusses politics and leave this blog for fans of my creative works. But for now please allow me to break with my typical routine on Frost Cave and dabble a bit in politics. I'll judge the response later.

The news over the last few days regarding this new Tax Bill working its way through Congress has been at times humorous and at other times jawdropping. Humorous because I've never seen a political game played so transparently. Jawdropping because so many people appear so hoodwinked by it.

The "news" has been that President Obama has accepted an incredible compromise by agreeing to support this tax deal. We've been sold the notion that his actions have, at last, transcended his partisan political character. He has been represented as backpedaling on a campaign promise that he made to "roll back" the Bush era taxcuts for folks with incomes over 250K per year. Everyone has appeared awestruck that he would do this. Great hooplah has been made by the media regarding those in his party who are "angry" and feel "betrayed" by such backpedaling.

It's all a joke. It's such a con that I still don't know whether to laugh or cry.

Several weeks ago, in a historic mid-term election, the Republican Party trounced the Democratic Party and took back control of the House of Representatives and greatly increased their power in the Senate. Conservatives like me celebrated this victory. Then, right away, we began to bite our nails regarding what actions the "lame duck" Democrat-controlled Congress might take before the newly-elected Representatives and Senators took their seats in January. Rupublicans appeared (at first) to dig in their heels and demand that ALL tax cuts implemented by President George W. Bush would be maintained before any other legislation came to the floor. In other words, all that the Republicans wanted was a continuation of the "status quo." They weren't asking for anything new. No new restraints on government spending. No new tax cuts. No new anything. Just maintain the status quo.

Then, almost in the blink of an eye, new legislation is presented by the Democrats asking for huge increases in government spending. The figures I have heard range from 300 billion to 850 billion (sometimes I think the math is deliberately obscured and kept confusing). Remember, the Republicans have asked for nothing--"Just keep what we already have." The Democrats, however, are asking for a half trillion or so in new spending.

And this is being sold to the American people as a compromise??? I guess I don't understand the definition of that word anymore. And the media now lauds Obama as a brilliant and astute poltician because of his sudden willingness to work with Republicans??? Is America on Candid Camera?

Today I heard again the most dreaded words that I have ever heard Barack Obama speak. He said them last Christmas when he pushed through the new Health Care legislation. He said them the year before when the totality of stimulus debt tripled. Those words are: "Hurry and act quickly." Today he told the Senate and House of Representatives to "Hurry and act quickly" to pass this new Tax Bill and turn it into law. We're being told that if Congress does not "hurry and act quickly" that all America will suffer, the middle class will be reduced to poverty, and Santa Claus will not come down the chimney. To me those all-too-familiar, oft-repeated Obama words alone should cause Americans to throw on the brakes, take a deep breath, and think. Don't be fooled by all the babble suggesting that if we don't act now the world will come to an end. Heck, what's the harm in waiting for the new Congress to take their seats before we act at all? The media and the President are all telling us that if we DON'T "act quickly" ALL of President Bush's established tax cuts will irreversibly unravel. This is, of course, ridiculous. A new congress could easily make any new tax laws retroactive to the first of the year. But I haven't heard a single soul tell us the truth about this yet. Instead it's all "Hurry and act quickly."

I hope and pray that we don't allow this Christmas, like the previous two, to become Christmases wherein Americans are once again hoodwinked by our elected leaders into ballooning our national debt, further weakening our economy, making us more beholden to foreign debt-holders, and sapping the strength of America.

My voice is so small. What do I have?--a little over 300 subscribers? Yes, I can increase that reach by using Facebook, Twitter, and my other websites. Still, I feel terribly powerless. So few political conservatives have even recognized the deception.

Hoodwinked again. It's becoming an annual tradition.

A few are starting to recognize the deception. But very few. And by the time it's fully revealed, the legislation likely will already be passed and Obama and his administration will have a hard time suppressing the laughter as they sneak behind closed doors and toast another incredible victory. I guarantee you, if this legislation passes, in a couple of months every talking head on the airwaves will be discussing the utter foolishness of this supposed compromise--a "compromise" that ended up costing Americans another half-trillion dollars. But by then it will be too late.

All I can ask, I guess, is that if you have a voice, try to make it heard. Right now I feel like a very tiny Who down in Whoville, desperately trying to make myself heard with an insignificant "yalp." But maybe, with a little more help, that "yalp" can break through the clouds.

10 comments:

  1. I hope this act doesn't land America on the Naughty Lists (of Santa and the Lord).

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  2. Oh and lets not forget who they will BLAME when the "compromise" ends up failing. The mainstream media is so transparent.

    I wrote a similar post about feeling like a small Who about an entirely different political problem.

    I'm glad you wrote something political. Not enough people are standing up and saying that this kind of thing is NOT ok! It seems like every one likes to talk and talk and talk, but actually SAY very little.

    http://ordinaryhappilyeverafter.com/blog/2010/09/we-are-here-we-are-here-we-are-here/

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  3. I'm glad you put that post up. It let's me know I'm not the only one to see what is going on. I liked what I heard a man say earlier today that if he wanted his congressman to compromise with President Obama he would of voted Democrat. The whole "emergency card" is played all the time in Washington. You mention it in your post. That is how Washington gets us the citizens to go along with everything. I think we as the American people either have forgotten or don't know that the power is in the people, and that the Constitution shows us the way.

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  4. This was a headline on Foxnews.com today:

    "House Democratic leader Steny Hoyer warns, 'We don't have much time left,' as divisions in his party threaten to hold up deal on Bush-era tax cuts."

    It's all such a joke and a terrible deception. Republicans don't have to do a dang thing! Please, please, please don't let them con us into "hurrying."

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  5. I really appreciate this post, Chris. It's nice to know when you're not alone in your thinking. It'll be a relief to break up the Democratic monopoly we have right now.

    Honestly, I don't ask a lot from my leaders. As long as they show some integrity and honesty, and as long as they try to follow the Constitution, I'm usually pretty happy with their job performance, even if I disagree with certain policies they're backing.

    I didn't always like President Bush's domestic policies, particularly in the last year or so he was in office, but at least I believed he was sincere in wanting to do the right thing. I don't have that same opinion of President Obama, or the majority of our current Congress. Many of them, the President included, speak out of both sides of their mouth and seem perfectly willing to say or do whatever it takes to get their way. Situations like this just reinforce the impression.

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  6. I'm not sure I like talk of "compromises" and "crossing the aisle." I don't want the two parties to compromise; I want every congressman to spend his whole term in deadlock so that they end up doing nothing. Except in the few areas that the Constitution actually authorizes them to take action, my idea of a good government is one that mostly stays out of people's way.

    Instead what we get is elected officials who feel like the only way they can show that they're earning their paycheck is to point to all the bills they passed. But a good, small government system is one that doesn't pass a lot of bills. Rather than rate my elected representatives by how much legislation they push through, I'd rather rate them by how much they stay within their enumerated powers.

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  7. That last paragraph was AMAZING. Especially because I just watched The Grinch recently. Even though I am a little too small to understand government and politics all that much (who isn't these days...) I am kinda glad you put that up. (Just don't overload on the government and politician (?) blog posts.. :) Anyway, I really admire your books, and I am REALLY surprised that more people aren't blog followers/readers. They are missing so much!
    Keep..... being awesome... (?)yep.(thats about the best i can come up with right now... LOL)

    -Sky

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  8. Thanks so much for this post! I for one, would be thrilled if you either posted more, or made a blog for it! Me and my family feel the same as you do. Keep it up.

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  9. Chris, I am a little behind on my reading, just found these comments, first let me say I agree with you and others, next may I ask since you know the BOM I keep seeing similarities in it's writings and what is happening now, how often are you impressed with similarities? do you get impressed to write about such, perhaps that is an idea for a blog, the similarites! I could tell you one about when I was reading the Pahoran chapters and something that was was happening with our dear president at the time, to me the similarities in some of that book and currents events are SCARY, thank you for writing and keeping me thinking DarlaB

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  10. If you start another blog focusing on political issues let us know. I would love to see it. We as your friends on facebook can't get this kind of insight from you in a short status post and it is nice to know that we are not alone in our observations of our surroundings.

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