Real Hope & Change

It's been a month since the latest congressional election. And, the Republicans have been given a clear majority in the House. But, that is not the Real Hope & Change the American people are looking for. The Real Hope & Change the American people are looking for, is in the way the government is run. It has nothing to do with one party, or the other. It has everything to do with bringing some integrity to a morally bankrupt institution. So, Republicans beware: Independents like myself have passed the mantle of leadership to you - but we can just as quickly take that mantle and pass it elsewhere.

Rush likes to refer to Independent voters like me as "no labels". Implying that we do not have the guts to follow our convictions and be either a Democrat or a Republican. Well sir, I think you have just proven that you are in fact the mouth piece for the Republican party. And, I resent you calling people like me a "no label". It is true that we do not want to be associated with one party or the other. And, that is because we do not identify strictly with one party or the other. We are not blind followers of the hype and spin that both parties like to spread, in order to maintain their power base. Independents like myself are thinkers; and, we want to look at each issue, and each individual, and make decisions based on the facts. We are not likely to blindly follow your propaganda (or anyone's). In fact, I think it is rather arrogant of you to take credit for the Republican victory; the Independents are the ones that made the difference. You would do well to remember that little fact. But, I digress ...

Today, in both the House and Senate, our elected government officials use earmarks to bribe one another to vote a particular way. That is corruption - plain and simple. Any time an elected government official votes with his or her party instead of his or her constituents, there is something wrong. The same is true when an elected government official votes with a PAC, instead of his or her constituents. And, when that same government official is putting (or permitting) earmarks into legislation, that representative is no longer serving the interests of America, or the American people.

Earmarks are intended to provide elected government officials with a "prize" they can take back to their constituents, in order to prove that they are looking out for the interests of their constituents. However, earmarks encourage decisions based on "deals" and "bargaining", rather than looking at the needs of the American people. Earmarks also encourage spending on particular projects or issues; something that has gotten way out of hand. In a time where our deficit is our biggest national security risk, I think it is time to put an end to earmarks.

The Real Hope & Change I see is the fact that the new House Majority Leader (Boehner) is calling for a ban on earmarks. Of course, an earmark ban is no substitute for a Balanced Budget Amendment, but, it is certainly a step in the right direction. We can only hope that Mr. Boehner will follow through with his promise to ban earmarks.

I was not as encouraged with the Senate Minority Leader's (McConnell) refusal to support the earmark ban. The ball is squarely in the Republican court on this issue. And, the American people are watching very closely. If the Republicans want to keep their majority in the House, I suspect they will need to do more than just talk about this issue. The Real Hope & Change is that we will finally see steps toward fiscal responsibility, and a government institution that is not based on bribes and backroom deals.

I have one more example of Real Hope & Change that I would like to mention. I was very impressed with President Obama's move to get both tax cuts and the extension of unemployment benefits put in place by the end of the year. To me, this is the way government should work; elected officials should be making laws that actually benefit all the American people. That said, I am not at all happy with all the earmarks that have been put into this bill. And, I am counting on the Republicans to make sure that the earmark ban is enforced on all legislation (including this one).

Again, I congratulate the administration for what I consider to be its very first effort towards Real Hope & Change. I am anxious to see if this is the beginning of a new era, or, if this was just a tactic to lure the American people into a false sense of security. I think only time will tell on this point.

So, what is the Real Hope & Change I am looking for:

• No more earmarks
• No more legislation that is accomplished by making backroom deals and bribes
  
• Legislation that keeps the needs of the American people at the center (like the tax cuts and unemployment benefit extensions)
• Elected officials that remember they work for the American people; particularly when it comes to things like special benefits and automatic pay raises
• A balanced budget amendment, that will force our elected officials to be fiscally responsible