Can Washington Be Saved?
May 15th, 2008The world’s value of the US Dollar has been falling for two years, largely on unrestrained deficit spending by the federal government. Apparently thinking the proper cure is more exposure to the virus, the federal government has unleashed a whole new slaughterhouse of pig carcasses, rewarding the rich with spoils they just took from us poor on April 15th.
We can’t wait to hear how Members of Congress explain their vote this week for the new $300 billion farm bill. At a time when Americans are squeezed at the grocery store, they will now see more of their taxes flow to the very farmers profiting from these high food prices.
This year farm income is expected to reach an all-time high of $92.3 billion, an increase of 56% in two years, making growers perhaps the most undeserving welfare recipients in American history. But that won’t stop this bill from passing the House and Senate by wide margins. Speaker Nancy Pelosi was once a farm subsidy skeptic, but she now has some 30 freshman Democrats from battleground rural districts to protect. So more than $10 billion a year in giveaways to agribusiness is a necessary taxpayer sacrifice to keep her majority.
Here’s the full article, from the Wall Street Journal.
May 17th, 2008 at 12:02 am
Bob, wrong question. It’s not “Can Washington Be Saved?”, it’s “Can American Citizens Be Saved?”. The answer in my opinion is unfortunately NO.
The unquenchable greed for money and power in Washington DC by both political parties is certainly not a new problem, it just becomes exponentially larger as the size and scope of our national government explodes.
The will to stop this treasonous pandering cannot sufficiently develop when so many of the countries citizens have become dependent directly or indirectly on the government dole.
When you add the number of direct government employees, to the number of citizens on welfare and social security, you get a pretty high percentage of our working population. But if you add to that number, the number of employees whose jobs exist because of huge federal subsidies to farms, research facilities and schools, and specific types industries, it would not surprise me if far more than 50% of our population were dependent on federal government subsidies for their existence.
So, who’s going to stop the subsidies? Simple, nobody!
May 17th, 2008 at 6:44 am
Yes, and Jon Porter pandered to the Democratic base by voting for this porkfest. I’m afraid the little guys everyone is claiming to want to help are getting stuck with the bill…
again, and again.
May 17th, 2008 at 7:09 am
The faster Washington crashes and burns the better for all of America.
May 17th, 2008 at 7:18 am
I will answer the question for you about American citizens being saved. When all the illegals are granted amnesty and allowed to vote, they will elect Muslims or Mexicans and we will be saved. Or perhaps the Chinese will control us first, either way we will be saved. That is humor fellow Americans, but unfortunately may be true.
There is no chance to take over our government in a legal way by voting. We had a chance with Ron Paul and you saw where that went. I think we only need about 500 George Washingtons with some balls and we could make it happen. We have a country in shambles and we have a Senator Spector trying to waste time with a stupid taping of football episode that means nothing, just to get his face on tv. Look at the conventions in NV, both parties, and these are the people running our democracy. Think about it! I am giving up, UNTIL, we are ready to really make change. Vern Steinhoff
May 17th, 2008 at 10:26 am
I love this country too much to just give up.
We have to start with the State Legislatures and electing people like Bob. The legislatures draw up the congressional districts. If we can stop the massive gerrymandering that makes nearly every congressional district safe for one party or the other, we can have some competitive races and possibly elect some good, fiscally conservative candidates.
Never give up!
May 17th, 2008 at 11:33 am
After reading everything said before me I really cannot add anything of value or difference. I know this, I feel this, I am sure of this, that if we do not change our leadership in DC and start heading in a much better direction then it will be all over for the USA. A Tremendous Crash of good intentions and we all know where the road to good intentions can bring us. You have a great readership Mr. Beers, myself excluded, they are informed and opinionated which is exactly what we need here these days. The only bad thing I see is that there is not enough of them to make much of a difference. Most people are not aware of the issues or care enough to vote. A very sad commentary for these United States.
May 17th, 2008 at 12:21 pm
My exposure to the political process has told me several things:
Neither party cares what happens to the country in the long run. They just care whether or not they are in power after the next election.
Poor people pay the freight. No matter what you hear from John Porter or Dina Titus, rich corporation pay for them to be elected and they rebate that money in the form of subsidies after the election. All politicians do it and it is apparently OK with the American people. Note that all 535 of our Congressional members are very wealthy. Do you think they will really vote for something that changes that?
Basically, Americans are ambitious, industrious, and caring. If left alone by the politicians, they would do just fine and would work together for the betterment of society. For some reason, however, they will not shed the shackels of politicians, even though they have the direct power to do so.
The more money our politicians spend in the name of “services to the people”, the more they control everyone. Any of our earned wages that filter through these politicians produce nothing of value to the community and produce no wealth for long-term sustenance of the society. The things they do produce could be supplied by the people much more economically and practically.
The plain economics is this:
Every budget includes borrowed money. The Federal Reserve can simply issue bonds and print money as a result. This balance is simply rolled over at the convenenience of Congress. Therefore, there is no connection between revenues and expenditures. So, even though we send a large percentage of our earned wages to the politicians, they clamor for more. The inevidable end to this is outrageous inflation which is only kept in check now by the illusion of printed money. All the better to scare the people into compliance.
The increasing tax burden is driving business overseas. Other countries welcome this with open arms. Republicans and Democrats alike advocate legislating a stop to this. But, guess who makes the rules. Congress, right. Wrong. Lobbyists do and they work for these companies. The candidates can promise any number of “tough rules” they want, but they simply will not be implemented because the lobbyists will not allow it.
Whether you like it or not, corporate America drives the train and profits drive corporate America. Foreign investment in American business is rampant in this process and there are no foreign countries that would shed one tear if America were to demise.
The bottom line is: Corporate profits drive the decisions made in Congress. Environmentalists, who put up a facade of fighting corporate American, are actually just a different subsidized big business. Corporations hire lobbyists to spread favors around to the incumbents so their interests are protected. Guess who does not have a lobbyist in Washington? You and I. There is little other conclusion that can be drawn except that as long as we cater to the powers-that-be and vote for “evils”, little will change.
This fight has proven to ba a very hopeless cause to me because people are just too brainwashed to listen. Nevertheless, I agree with Bill and will Never Give Up.
May 17th, 2008 at 2:36 pm
Hey everyone, I served in the 101st Airborne under General Westmorland, do you really think I would give up, I’m just trying to wake up people.
1. We have a budget problem in Nevada, Gibbons wants to cut programs. What does he do, vote to give a woman 500,000 dollars because somebody said something about her ass. To hell with her and the sleaseball attorney she rode in with.
But Hey it is only tax payers money. Wonder how many ways that money gets split up.
2.Oil Prices. The Saudies said to hell with us, there is plenty. Talk about price fixing. I say charge them up the yingyang for food or anything else we sell to them. Same with Mexico, they should be paying us in oil for all the illegals they send where we give them all kinds of services free.
3. Adoptions, our system makes it very hard to adopt an American in foster homes. We have people paying thousands of dollars to adopt a child from other countries.
4. Harry Reid: All in favor of the raid on the polygamist ranch in Texas. Turns out maybe there are not that many underage girls with kids or pregnant. Look what goes on in all kinds of neighborhoods, incest and young girls 10 & 11 having babies. I say the Marshals should have went to Reids house and took his kids, after all their dad is an attorney, and chances are they would become one; as it turns out they did. We know what the legal profession has done to our country. And lest we forget, it was the legal profession under Janet Reno and Bill Clinton that terrorized that sect in Waco Tx in 1993 for 52 days before they killed everyone in the compound including 34 INNOCENT CHILDREN!
NOW, Do you really think I give up?
Vern Steinhoff
May 18th, 2008 at 9:52 am
Clearly, Vern, there are a lot of Beers bloggers ready to go back to the Constitution. Ron talked a good game, but he cannot step out of the political mold. I cannot think of any actions that Ron took to prove his dedication to the American people. He is part of the run-up of spending just like the rest. Maybe I missed something, but Washington has been a steady beacon of socialism for 65 years or more mostly because we listen to talk and not action (no matter which party was “in charge”). Actions speak louder than words, and we can all be proud of Bob’s actions. We do not need 500 George Washingtons, we just need about 10 Bob Beers. Never give up…..that is a good line. I think I will start to use it often. I really do admire your dedication to turning things around. It is a lot of work, but I think we could do it within the political system. We just need people with courage of their convictions instead of voting for “evils” (as in the lessor of). It would be a shame to have to trash the Constititution when it has already granted us the power over our Government. We just need to use it for good, not just for “feel good”.
May 18th, 2008 at 10:47 pm
The only thing that can save the country is a spiritual revival.
May 19th, 2008 at 5:37 pm
As long as it is a spiritual revival of those who actually practice what Jesus taught. I see a lot of politicians wearing their faith on the sleeves, but use faith as a way to divide people and gratify their vain ambition.
Its a sad state of affairs when you see politicians of both parties who feign a strong relationship with god, and yet are having affairs with their wives.
Unfortunately religion has become just another talking point and brand name to get someone elected. When actions are examined, they don’t give a damn about religious values.
I wish more politicians heeded commandments like do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
May 25th, 2008 at 8:03 pm
Washington can onlt be saved by our voting out the Liberal leaders that are set on imposing their will and lust of power on we, the people!
If you make a list of those Liberal leaders and, set about exerting every possible effort you can muster the strength for, maybe you will be the one to make a difference!
Harry ‘Hands Up’ Reid, Richard Durbin, Barbara Boxer, Ted Kennedy, Robert Byrd, John Kerry, Charles Schurmer, unseated, would leave the Libs in a state of disarray.
Surely there are enough of us with friends in the states where those guys are located that would join in with us in our battle to act for the betterment of America.
If you would visit http://www.DesertConservative.com and read the postings there, as well as the footnotes I add, you can see what I am doing and you can do the same. Make a difference not just an arguement!
May 26th, 2008 at 6:52 pm
Good web site, but I wish you could explain to me why you do not include “Repbulicans” in your diatribe. There have been no republican programs in the past 70 years that have not:
I am sure you are ready to put “conservative” lipstick on the very liberal John McCain simply because he is a “republican”. Don’t worry, many are like you, but I have yet to get an explanation of how that will help America. No change has been evident no matter which “party” hosts the dance.
By the way, Aaaaarnold and Kenny Guinn claim to be republicans also, but they are as liberal as they come. I just think that you should point out conservative thinking people, not just the folly of democrats. Your approach would have a lot more objectivity if you included repubicans.