Time for Substance in Politics

 

This column is a modestly difficult read.  Not long, just complex and a little esoteric for some.  But if you think government is currently messed up and especially if you think government or process is irretrievably damaged, this is worth a read.  For me of course, the column grinds some of my favorite axes.

 

For GOP Substance, Deregulate

By George Will, The Washington Post

March 24, 2013 

http://www.thestate.com/2013/03/24/2689300/will-for-gop-substance-deregulate.html#storylink=cpy

 

 

Allow me to paraphrase – redundantly if you’re nuts enough to read my posts.  We are the problem.

 

• The two most powerful and damaging lobbies in the nation are the Democrats and Republicans.  Both are radical and growing worse.

• The Parties control government and they regularly pass incumbent protection legislation.  Over the centuries, this has defeated too much of the Framer’s intent which was to protect America from the basic nature of human beings.

• Americans no longer consider our system of government exceptional;  we allow Congress to abdicate its responsibilities to the Executive and the Courts;  we happily encourage Presidents and Courts to make law;  we think the Constitution is obsolete;  we think the Electoral College and the Senate are undemocratic;  we don’t even bother to teach our exceptional system to our school children.

• We have taken sides in the propaganda war between the ruling Parties and in the process we have elevated opportunists and the fringe detritus of our population.  We have abdicated our common sense to intellectual midgets.  We equate popular opinion with governing and join cults.

 

The solutions to our problems lie in returning to common sense and American governmental basics. 

 

• Local government must be primary.  We send tax dollars to Washington so that distant legislators can decide how we should feed our poor and heal our sick and how much money we need to spend in order to do those things.  What are we thinking?

• Individual liberty must again become the underlying principle in governing.  How can a nation that was enlightened by the 18^th Amendment conceive of “The War on Drugs” let alone pursue it without Constitutional challenge and perpetuate it even in its obvious, continuous and inevitable failure?  

• I do not advocate isolationism but how can any nation enlightened by Korea and Vietnam continue to invade foreign nations without a Congressional declaration of war?  Personally, I would advocate a mandatory war tax to fully pay for any foreign military engagements.  And yes, bombing a foreign nation is an act of war regardless of whether the pilot is on the plane or sitting in a trailer in Texas.  I support Bush and Obama using drones against terrorists but not without Congress giving official authorization.

• No lobby should have government-given advantage over the others.

• We should all vote at the same time and for any candidate that can demonstrate credibility.

We should be appalled by the process we witnessed in selecting candidates for President in 2012 and we should be deeply ashamed of the caliber of those candidates.  This reflects on us.