By Dr. Robert Owens
Outgoing Speaker John Boehner gave a parting gift to his partner President Obama steaming on the floor of the House with the comment that he wanted to “Clean the barn.”
What he did instead was add to the barn litter he is leaving behind. His Omnibus Budget Bill aptly entitled the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 that funds the government for the rest of
President Obama’s term continues the surrender by Congress of the only leverage they have over a runaway executive: the power of the purse.
This deal was presented and opposed at the same time by the Republican leadership in a good cop bad cop routine by the outgoing speaker and the incoming, Paul Ryan. While Boehner extolled the budget deal before voting for it Ryan said it “stinks” before voting for it. With this deal the Republicans have now gone back on every promise they have made in the last seven years to win control of Congress, and what we end up with is another cop sold out to the Outfit.
If John Boehner really wanted to clean the barn he would have taken 434 other perpetually re-elected shills with him. This pack of hacks is totally sold out to K Street. No matter which side of the aisle they are on they are so bust feathering their own post political nests and advancing the agendas of special interests they have no time for the people who elect them.
They have violated the Pledge to America which the Boehner Republicans issued to win the House. They pledged to work to stop Obama, reform Congress and listen to the voice of the American people. They promised that the text of all bills would be published online a minimum of 72 hours before a vote. They said they would no longer allow the business of the people to be hidden and passed without even reading. This budget deal breaks that pledge.
This is a complex bill that is over 140 pages filled with goodies for everyone. It was obviously under construction for quite some time yet it was sprung with only 48 hours for review. After two wave elections where the conservative base came out in force and gave the Republicans control of both the House and the Senate we can now definitively say, “It’s business as usual in the Land of Oz.”
The Republicans following their seemingly suicidal DNA keep nominating the next Rhino in line then they are surprised when the conservative base and the right leaning independents stay home. Perhaps 2016 will be different. Perhaps one of the challengers will catch lightening in a bottle and make it through the maze of primaries to the nomination. Perhaps Carson, Trump, Cruz, or Rand will somehow elbow all the establishment stalking horses out of the way and grab the golden ring. If the GOP was wise enough to do that they might stand a chance against the stacked deck of Hillary – Media – imported voters and win.
Of course if by some miracle someone one who was actually dedicated to breaking the stranglehold the twin headed governing party has on Washington did make it to the Whitehouse they would then be faced with the prospect of sailing into battle with the entrenched GOP leadership on the Hill.
Boehner may be gone but Ryan will carry the torch. Just look at his courageous pledge that there will be no Comprehensive Immigration Reform until 2017. WOW! Isn’t that just what people want to hear? He is going to wait until 2017 to give amnesty to tens of millions, issue millions more H2-B visas so low wage foreigners have an easier time competing with our sons and daughters, and formalize the collapse of our borders.
Reid may be gone but McConnell will bar the door to restraining a rogue president with the power of the purse as he promises “No more government shutdowns.” And if all else fails no matter who is elected the government bureaucracy will grind on just as before churning out regulations with the force of law and doing the actual ruling and enforcement of the coming totalitarian welfare state.
So what are we to do?
There is a classic bumper sticker that shows up in every election cycle, “Don’t Re-elect anyone.” I know there are a few representatives and a few senators who are not sold out to K Street and the special interests. If you happen to be served by one of these they are probably worth retaining. However no one should vote for someone because they “Bring the bacon home.” We need people who will put the Federal Government on a diet and let the bacon stay at home with the people who actually raised the hog.
The mood of the country certainly seems to be “Throw the rascals out!” However, so many just vote for the party of their parents. They vote for the party that is part of their cultural or family tradition without ever thinking about who they are voting for or what they will do once they are elected or re-elected again and again.
Einstein is given the credit for a quote that almost everyone knows, “Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
This quote sums up the voting strategy of the majority of Americans. Over and over we send the same people back and then wonder why nothing changes. If we want change we have got to return to citizen legislators and reject the professional political class that has a hammerlock on power.
If the mood of the country prevails I think I could win any race by changing my name to “None of the Above.” If it doesn’t prevail, if the Oligarchs and their re-elected lackeys somehow manage to manufacture another victory, I believe many people will despair of ever making a change through the current rigged electoral process. Seeing this disillusionment in the future inspired me to write The Constitution Failed in 2010.
When I first presented this book at book signings and in conferences many people would accost me. Some even yelled in my face, “How dare you say that the Constitution has failed.” I received threats and attacks from all quarters. Today when I do book signings and have this book on my table people look at it and say, “You know that’s right.”
I have never contended that the Constitution has always been a failure. Obviously it created the space for personal freedom, individual liberty, and economic opportunity to build the greatest nation in History. However, if the main purpose was to secure to its posterity the blessing of a limited government and today we have a federal leviathan that crushes descent and smothers freedom at the moment how can we say it is a success?
Let us hope that the bell of freedom will once again ring throughout our land that the awakened and aware citizens will rise up in their righteous indignation and throw the rascals out. Let us hope that change will finally come and we the people will once again wrest control of our government from those who have traded our heritage for an entitlement driven welfare state.
When all the dust has settled, when all the shouting is over let’s hope we don’t find ourselves singing the final lamenting line from that old Who song about revolution, “Meet the new Boss. Same as the old Boss.”
Dr. Owens teaches History, Political Science, and Religion. He is the Historian of the Future @ http://drrobertowens.com © 2015 Contact Dr. Owens drrobertowens@hotmail.com Follow Dr. Robert Owens on Facebook or Twitter @ Drrobertowens /
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