"Opportunity Lost"

"Our Politicians Just Weren’t Thirsty for Tea on Wednesday"

This column presents a non-partisan, conservative viewpoint about items of interest in our community and our lives. Focus is on items impacting your pocket book, your personal freedoms, and your rights. I hope you will read the column regularly and it occasionally influences your opinions and actions. Now, on to the subject of the week:
"Our elected representatives, national, state, country, and municipal all missed an opportunity to demonstrate their concerns for the struggles of the common taxpayers when they shunned the "Tea Party" tax protests last week."
I believe this nationwide protest event was a sincere, non-partisan effort by millions of loyal Americans who are very concerned about the direction our nation is being rushed towards by a powerful, ultra-liberal element of our society. The speed at which these changes are being forced upon us all, and the lack of preparation and forethought is frightening.
Millions of American families are suffering as they experience a diminished ability to maintain their standard of living. Millions are worried abut unprecedented levels of spending, a swelling bureaucracy, and a large leap we are taking towards socialism and away from the capitalistic system which has made our nation so successful.
They feel we are changing as promised during the campaigns, - changing from bad to worse! This group of demonstrators was not made up from radical, political, self-serving activists who normally are displayed on television carrying signs and ranting insanities. Instead this demonstration was comprised of a unique blend of hard working, tax paying, ordinary, patriotic citizens who are very, very concerned about the future of our great nation. They are not "right wing redneck activists" as the national media and self-serving liberals describe.
Locally, this grassroots protest was organized by two local housewives, a local sign painter, and a local educator. Yet, our local and state politicians shunned and even ridiculed their efforts. The three hundred who showed up for the event did not involve a single state, county, or municipal elected representative of the people of Jackson County.
Instead of stepping forward, responding to invitations to speak, supporting the movement, and expressing an understanding of the growing fear, and plight of their constituency, politicians cowered, hidden in their public offices, as the crowd cheered patriotic speeches outside.
It was the largest public gathering I have ever been to in Jackson County when there were no politicians, circulating around shaking hands. To me, for our existing representatives – it was an opportunity lost.
From their actions, I feel it is safe to assume our representatives favor increasing the size of the bureaucracy, taxing the population even more, and the "Big Brother" socialistic system. I hope the next group we elect will be more enlightened. Perhaps they can "Get it Right." (If any politicians wish to write a rebuttal to this opinion – I welcome their submission.)
Rudiments: Odds and Ends Worth Mentioning –
· I read where today one student in every fifteen in the US is a child of an illegal alien. Our bureaucrats are busy writing comprehensive plans with a school element that will force evil developers to pay huge impact fees for the new students their developments bring. Who is paying the impact fees for students created by our government allowing illegals to flood into our land? – I can answer…you and me!
· It seems TDC (Tourist Development Council) Chairman Charley Carter is pushing for a campaign to proceed with building a convention center out near the west exit for I-10. We need this convention center about like we need a hole in the head. It will be another drain on the county budget as we have another empty, decaying public building on our hands. Also, the 2 percent extra bed tax being collected to build a fund for this project has caused our local inns to lose revenue ever since it was enacted.
· Our current administration is in the process of nationalizing our banking system. Stewart Varney, a conservative economist who was raised in England, but has lived in the US for thirty-five years, relates how after the banks in England were nationalized, they soon were filled with political corruption. "Refuse a loan to this group who does not support our party – give this group whatever they want, since they are big political donators." – Do we want this?
· The EPA is too powerful, and is costing our nation billions every day. In the vegetable farming area of California a severe drought is ruining crops and taking hundreds of farm worker jobs. Water is available in a mountain reservoir, but the EPA has blocked usage of the water because of the impact on some species of fish. Green is out of control.
· "The society that puts equality before freedom will end up with neither…The society that puts freedom before equality will end up with a great measure of both." – Milton Friedman, Nobel Prize winning economist.
Note: The opinions stated in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Hatcher Publications.