In a multi-party democratic republic, when one party is clearly out-of-power, obstruction — though not a winning strategy — remains a primary course of action. Consider the effort a tug-of-war, where the goal is to slow the inevitable march of the controlling political party. Yet playing the same hand and expecting a different result is a sure sign of madness. Take the recent track record of my very own Congressional representative: Trent Franks from last Friday, 26 June 2009. Where according to OpenCongress.org, his vote tallied as follows:
- Trent Franks voted No on American Clean Energy and Security Act. The bill was passed.
- Trent Franks voted Yes on Forbes of Virginia Substitute Amendment. The bill was failed.
- Trent Franks voted No on Department of Interior and Related Agencies Appropriation, 2010. The bill was passed.
- Trent Franks voted Yes on Campbell of California Part C Amendment No. 4. The bill was failed.
- Trent Franks voted Yes on Campbell of California Part E Amendment No. 1. The bill was failed.
- Trent Franks voted Yes on Campbell of California Part C Amendment No. 3. The bill was failed.
And that’s just Republican arrogance on the national playing field. At the state level things are even zanier.
Consider burning Republican social issues which merit state legislation, and I’ll quote from Arnie Moshowitz of Florence, Arizona who wrote on Sunday, June 28, 2009 in the AZ Republic, letters to the editor, this succinct essay entitled, State legislators have lost their minds:
“The state is in a financial crisis of historic proportions, and here is what the elected officials want to deliver:
A law to allow unlicensed concealed weapons everywhere. I already feel safer!
Allowing texting while driving by not passing a law against it. No problem, just watch out for drivers with their heads down.
Allowing fireworks for those 16 years old and older because the kids need fewer fingers and eyes, and we need more fires and air pollution.
Watering down the license-plate readability law.Who needs to know who the lawbreakers and hit-and-runners are.
Making it a misdemeanor to stop and pick up an illegal to dig some holes for you, but being being ticketed at 100 mph on a speed camera doesn’t go on our driver’s-license record.
Eliminate builder impact fees so that we, the citizens, can pay for infrastructure instead of the builder/profit maker.
Is this what the ‘best and brightest’ of Arizona can come up with, or have we uncovered more of the dangers of the Arizona sun beating on their heads all these years?”
Also, let’s not forget, now that we are without a Democratic governor, legislation passes — without the customary veto — to control women’s bodies, by first impeding abortion rights, while secondly, enabling pharmacists to refuse a written contraceptive prescription, when religious belief conflicts with professional duty toward patients. Outrageous! This pandering to the radical right has proven counter-productive for conservatives at the national stage, and such behavior will soon prove deleterious for Republicans in Arizona. Times are changing.
And what solution is offered for the Arizona budget crisis? Try a regressive flat-tax, a trifecta which hurts poor working folk and fixed-income senior citizens, while lessening tax burden on the wealthy. Couple this with a reduction in the assessment ratio for Business’ secondary property tax by 5%. Plus a regressive sales tax to fund public education and social welfare programs, while repealing State Equalization Property Tax — aka the school tax, a double whammy against the less fortunate and a boon for real estate owners.
The poor, the elderly and our children have been chosen to bear the cost of a Republican engineered recession. Those least able to argue collectively are to be punished for the sagging profits of the wealthiest among us. While the rich must forgo luxuries in an economic down turn, the impoverished are asked to pay a greater share of the public debt with funds used to feed their families.
Tags: abortion rights, obstruction, regressive flat tax, regressive sales tax, religious beliefs, social welfare