Retiring or Running from Responsibility

Lately, an alarming number of elected officials have decided to call it quits. I have heard several excuses from them, most of which cannot hold water. At the end of the day, these misguided souls need a dose of truth, and I am the sharp-tongued commentator who is about to do just that!

As of right now, there are 32 incumbent Representatives (14 Democrats, 18 Republicans) and 11 Senators (5 Democrats, 6 Republicans) who have decided to take their ball and go home. They don't want to play anymore. I will examine a few of these individuals in detail, then give my general deductions of what this means and why it is happening.

Let's start with the House of Representatives. The chamber of Congress that is usually more partisan, where office-holders are (supposed to be) more available to their constituents, and where legislation actually passes with relative speed because it lacks the progress killer known as the filibuster. Since I am a liberal, you may expect me to be harder on those with the "R" behind their name. I will be equally hard on all who deserve this.

-19 of these individuals are not running for reelection in order to run for other political positions (Governor, Senate, and one agricultural board), or due to health reasons. All of you are off the hook. Best wishes in your upcoming elections or in recovering from illness, etc.

-That leaves us with 13 Representatives who have not cited these reasons. These unlucky 13 have cited wanting to pursue other options, spend more time with family, and that they want let a new generation of leadership take over. Some might just be retiring because they feel that they have run their course or are too old to do the job anymore, and for that, we should not admonish them. However, some of you are just walking away from the job you told your voters you were capable of doing, and that is unacceptable!

Now, onto the Senate, where I have much more to say. This "higher" body of Congress has been nothing short of a death trap for bills, as of late, and I hope this is a trend that goes away once these individuals are replaced by fresh faces. Now, on to some specific friends:

-Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.)-A long time member of the Senate and former presidential candidate, most would be shocked to see him not seeking reelection. However, throw in the fact that he has hailed himself as a bank regulator, follow that with a few controversies concerning sweet personal deals from banks for him, then it not so shocking anymore. I have said that all who let the banks get away with what they do to the average American should be ashamed of themselves. Apparently Senator Dodd realizes that Americans will no longer support those with ties to the banks. Farewell, Senator Dodd. I will try to fondly remember the days when I thought you were one of the good ones.

-Sen. Roland Burris (D-IL)-For the replacement for President Obama in the Senate, who possibly paid our old friend "Blago" off for the seat, many welcome your leaving office. Hopefully, a young up-and-comer like Alexi Giannoulias will bring back the days of Chicago politics that we know and love...you know, where you don't get caught because people actually respect what you are doing for them. I know this is not really your fault, Roland, but you have been deemed a crook by association. Best wishes in the future.

-Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN)-The most recent retiree, the blue-dog two-term Senator who was in the final three to be Obama's veep candidate, stated that Congress was no longer doing the job it was elected to do. Ironic, since he is one of the more conservative Dems around, and has been afraid to pursue any real change in recent months. I welcome his decision, and hope that a candidate who wants real progress comes along in his place.

-Sen. Kit Bond (R-MO)-Being an elected official from my home state, I know plenty about you. This is the most welcome of the retiring circus that is the Senate, because Kit has not really done much to improve the lives of Missourians or Americans. He will soon be replaced by Robin Carnahan, who in my opinion, is the epitome of what a public servant should be. He also is giving Roy Blunt the opportunity to reiterate the fact that his son has completely tarnished his families political name, which in itself is worth the price of admission. Good riddance, Senator Bond!

-Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH)-Bottom of the barrel, that's what you are, Senator Gregg. You always claim to have the answers on economic issues, but perhaps when you retire from the Senate you can find a way to pull your head out of the banks' billion dollar asses. You have been nothing short of a lackey to Wall Street, and I am sure you have reaped the benefits. If only you had lost that election to Doris "Granny D" Haddock. She will be turning a century old this year, and I am still certain that she would have at least brought some dignity back to the seat you hold. You, sir, are a bully when it comes to those who lack your power, but a coward when it comes to standing up for what is right. Some may be sad to see you go and some may feel sorry for your situation, but I will remind you that no one mourns the wicked.

Whatever the reason for these individuals retiring, cutting and running, or whatever the case, all I know is that the stakes are high in this year's midterm elections. The Republicans have the ability to pick up a lot of seats, possibly taking the majority in the House, and further depleting Democratic control of the Senate. I personally hope that the Republicans do not have a good showing. I hope the "Tea Party" spoils a few of their races. Whatever happens, though, I hope it is what is best for the nation. I will be keeping a close eye on these races as we get closer to November. Primary updates are coming. Remember, until next time, conservatism only takes us backwards.

Response to the State of the Union Address

As a political junkie, I obviously closely watch the State of the Union Address every year. This year was no different, and I am going to provide my personal analysis of the address by President Obama.

First and foremost, I have been a fan of the President since his keynote speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, and supported his candidacy for president almost immediately after he threw his name in the hat for the office in early 2007. I worked on his campaign, and talked him up to every undecided voter I knew in the months leading up to the election. I was ecstatic when he won in landslide fashion on November 4, 2008. I have supported him through his ups and downs, but recently he kind of started to lose me. I felt like he lost his message, tucked his tail, and began to let the minority party run this country on the backs of the "tea baggers." I was going into the address tonight in a mood in which the president could have lost my support if he continued down this path. So below is my grade for the president on his address, issue by issue (obviously not every issue, but the issues I felt were most important to comment on):

1) Regulation of the Banks-The president immediately took the gloves off, demanding that Wall Street refund the bailout money to taxpayers, especially since they were able to continue giving big bonuses to executives. Note that the Republican Party continued to sit and did not applaud for this. It is obvious who they are interested in protecting on this issue, and it is not you, average reader of this blog. That is, unless you happen to be a Wall Street executive who stumbled across this blog by accident.

Grade: A

2) Health Care-The president and the Senate have completely botched this issue thus far, but the president made an important step in getting this legislation back on track tonight. I am glad that he called out the Senate to start passing things through, and he gave a nice public spanking to the minority party for blocking everything, rather than doing the job they were elected to do. However, he did not demand that a serious government-run, public option be included in the final bill, which I believe is necessary to make serious reform.

Grade: B

3) "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"-I stand behind the many gay and lesbian Americans who are brave enough to serve their country, and I believe that it is fundamentally wrong to deny them of the opportunity to do something that many people (including me) do not have the strength or courage to do. The president demanded that this policy be repealed this year, and I believe that this is a necessary step in the continued fight for equal rights for all. No one should be denied the right to do anything based on sexual orientation, and I think those brave individuals currently serving who are forced to closet themselves while defending our nation and freedom deserve for this to happen immediately.

Grade: A

4) Alternative Energy-I strongly support the development of alternative energy sources. They can create jobs, improve the environment, and eventually break our dangerous dependence on foreign oil. The president called for action from Congress to create new "green jobs," which would take steps into making this all a reality. He outlined several specific plans that will make this a strong possibility, and brought up the fact that even if Republicans want to ignore the scientific evidence of global warming/climate change, passing alternative energy legislation is still the right thing to do for the economy.

Grade: A

5) New Economic Policies-The president talked about the stimulus package, which has stabilized the economy, and which will continue to improve it as it is allocated as the year moves along. This was a great thing to pass, and it is certainly doing its job. He also talked about the positive economic impact that health care reform and bank regulation (forcing lending to small businesses, etc.) will have on the economy, and urged swift action on these items. He also promised to continue to cut taxes on the middle class, eliminate capital gains taxes on small businesses who hire new workers or increase wages, and to basically undo the Bush tax scheme by increasing taxes on corporations and the wealthiest of Americans. These are great ways to get the economy moving in the right direction and driving the deficit down. However, he was not perfect on this one, and I think his idea for a spending freeze on discretionary spending is a political ploy to appease those who have done nothing but block progress for the nation. For this, he lost me a little. Also, he plugged more free trade, rather than sponsoring legislation that would protect union workers and jobs, such as the TRADE Act and the Employee Free Choice Act.

Grade: B

Obviously, the president pulled me back in by showing me that he has not abandoned the ideals that made me want to work on his campaign and stand behind him during his presidency. I give him an overall grade of "A-" for the address, and I hope to see this President Obama throughout the remainder of his tenure as president. I believe the items discussed will only lead to good things for the Democratic Party in the midterm elections later this year, and more importantly, good things for America. I believe this was more than just a speech tonight, and I look forward to seeing these promises come to fruition throughout the year. However, I will close with a little cliche for the president if these changes do not happen, and he goes back to appeasing the "tea baggers" and the minority party as he has done in recent weeks: Fool me once, shame on me. Fool me twice, and I will support Hillary Clinton in the 2012 presidential primaries!

Time to Regulate!

Below is something I wrote for a friend to assist in a political science class they (in order to respect anonymity, not to use improper grammar) are taking. It raises my disgust with the greed of the financial industry which is currently allowed to run around like a monkey in a banana factory:

Government regulation is a necessity in the United States of America. Without it, certain groups or individuals would be allowed to take advantage of the nation and its citizens. Leaving elected officials, corporations, or anyone to their own devices would lead to lawlessness and certain danger for the American citizen.

A perfect example of this concept is the financial industry, which includes banks, credit card companies, and Wall Street investment firms. For years, tighter regulations were set on the financial industry in this country. However, deregulation of this industry over the last few decades nearly led to a collapse of the American economy. A taxpayer funded bailout is the only reason that many banks survived. Even this bailout was not regulated much, and the financial industry took advantage of the American taxpayer by spending a large portion of the money on Wall Street CEO bonuses and still have not begun to lend to Americans in need of assistance. Obviously, the greed of Wall Street and the banks has led to nothing but distress for the nation, and heavy government regulation is the only way to help prevent this from ever happening again.

The average American citizen would greatly benefit from tighter regulation of the financial industry. The individuals hurt most by the abuses of power in this industry are the middle class and those living in poverty. Many people are losing their homes because of predatory lending by banks, retirement funds have been drained because of carelessness on Wall Street, credit card companies are raising interest rates and fees during this time of crisis, and banks are not lending to assist those in need. Tighter regulation would ensure that predatory lending would stop, that credit card companies could not charge hidden fees, and that Wall Street could not gamble with investments or taxpayer money. Also, Wall Street could be prevented from using derivatives, which are estimates on an underlying asset that often lead to large losses. These practices are greatly responsible for the current financial crisis in this country, and tighter regulation would help put the economy back on track, and prevent the financial sector from creating a crisis like this again.

The only people that would be hurt by tighter regulation of the financial industry would be the industry itself, as well as very wealthy individuals and corporations who profit off of the industry's current practices. However, they should pay for the grief that they have caused so many in this country. Also, their profits would most likely come out to be about the same, so they do not really have an argument against regulation, other than the the fact that they simply want more at the expense of the average American. Therefore, these regulations would not really hurt anyone all that much, if at all, and should be put in place immediately.

Government regulation of the financial industry is a necessary step in improving America's economy and future. It will help Americans in the greatest need during this economic crisis, and while the financial industry might argue that it will hurt their profits, it will prevent the greed of those on top of the industry from ever harming the nation again.

Political Courage Test

The website votesmart.org requests that all candidates and current office-holders take something that they call the "political courage test." This is basically a survey that they fill out to show the public where they stand on the issues facing the country, as well as how they will pay for things (taxes, etc.). I thought that instead of reflecting on a current event, it might be a fun idea for me to fill out the political courage test in this installment of my blog. So, below are my stances on the issues. You can check out votesmart.org to see any office-holder or candidate's answers to this test. It is a great resource around election time to decide who you line up most closely with on the issues. If I left anything blank, it is because the question is too vague to give a fair answer, not because I am dodging the question.

Abortion Issues (Back to top) Related: Key Votes Ratings Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding abortion. a) Abortions should always be illegal. b) Abortions should always be legal. c) Abortions should be legal only within the first trimester. X d) Abortions should be legal when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape. X e) Abortions should be legal when the life of the woman is endangered. f) Dilation and extraction or "partial-birth" abortion procedures should be legal. g) Medicare, Medicaid, and federal subsidies should be prohibited from being used on abortion procedures. x h) Other or expanded principles. -I support a woman's right to choose, but think that more steps should be taken to educate people earlier on how to prevent unwanted pregnancies. Budgetary, Spending, and Tax Issues (Back to top) Related: Key Votes Ratings Indicate what federal funding levels (#1-6) you support for the following general categories. Select one number per category, you can use a number more than once. 1) Budget Priorities Slightly Increase a) Agriculture Slightly Increase b) Arts Slightly Increase c) Defense Greatly Increase d) Education Greatly Increase e) Environment Greatly Increase f) FEMA Slightly Increase g) Homeland security Slightly Increase h) International aid Slightly Increase i) Law enforcement (Federal) Slightly Increase j) Law enforcement (State) Greatly Increase k) Medical research Maintain Status l) National parks Slightly Increase m) Public health services Slightly Increase n) Scientific research Slightly Decrease o) Space exploration programs Slightly Increase p) Transportation and highway infrastructure Maintain Status q) United Nations Slightly Increase r) Welfare s) Other or expanded categories 2) Defense Spending Slightly Increase a) Armed forces personnel training Slightly Increase b) Intelligence operations Slightly Increase c) Military hardware Slightly Increase d) Modernization of weaponry and equipment Maintain Status e) National missile defense Slightly Increase f) Pay for active duty personnel Slightly Increase g) Programs to improve troop retention rates Slightly Increase h) Research and development of new weapons Slightly Increase i) Troop and equipment readiness j) Other or expanded categories 3) Taxes Indicate what federal tax levels (#1-6) you support for the following general categories. Select one number per category, you can use a number more than once. Family Income Taxes decrease a) Less than $12,000 decrease b) $12,001-$40,000 decrease c) $40,001-$100,000 decrease d) $100,001-$180,000 decrease under $250,000, increase over $250,000 e) $180,001-$350,000 increase f) $350,001 and above g) Other or expanded categories Other Taxes a) Alcohol taxes b) Capital gains taxes slightly increase c) Cigarette taxes greatly increase d) Corporate taxes e) Gasoline taxes f) Inheritance taxes g) Other or expanded categories Deductions/Credits Maintain Status a) Charitable contribution deduction Maintain Status b) Child tax credit Maintain Status c) Earned income tax credit Maintain Status d) Medical expense deduction Maintain Status e) Mortgage deduction Maintain Status f) Student loan credit g) Other or expanded categories no 4) Do you support the permanent repeal of the federal estate tax? no 5) Do you support requiring the federal budget to be balanced each year? 6) Other or expanded principles Campaign Finance and Government Reform Issues (Back to top) Related: Key Votes Ratings Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding campaign finance and government reform. a) Support increasing the amount individuals are permitted to contribute to federal campaigns. x b) Prohibit Political Action Committee (PAC) contributions to candidates for federal office. c) Allow unregulated soft money campaign contributions to political parties or committees. d) Remove all contribution limits on federal campaigns and parties. e) Support prohibiting ads containing candidates' name that are paid for by third parties from airing 60 days before a primary and 30 days before a general federal election. f) Support instant run-off voting (IRV). X g) Support designating Election Day as a national holiday. h) Support giving the President the power of the line item veto for items concerning appropriations. X i) Support limiting the President's use of signing statements in order to prevent an alternative interpretation of the bill. X j) Support a federal shield law to protect reporter-source privilege. k) Other or expanded principles Crime Issues (Back to top) Related: Key Votes Ratings Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding crime. a) Support the use of the death penalty for federal crimes. b) Eliminate the use of the death penalty for federal crimes. X c) Support programs to provide prison inmates with vocational and job-related skills and job-placement assistance when released. X d) Support programs to provide prison inmates with drug and alcohol addiction treatment. e) Reduce prison sentences for those who commit non-violent crimes. f) Support mandatory jail sentences for selling illegal drugs. X g) Support strict penalties for internet crime (e.g. hacking, identity theft, worms/viruses). X h) Require that crimes based on sexual orientation be prosecuted as federal hate crimes. i) Other or expanded principles Education Issues (Back to top) Related: Key Votes Ratings Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding education. X a) Support the federal government funding universal pre-K programs. b) Allow parents to use vouchers to send their children to any public school. c) Allow parents to use vouchers to send their children to any private or religious school. X d) Allow teachers and professionals to receive federal funding to establish charter or magnet schools. X e) Increase funding for the Pell Grant program. X f) Decrease interest rates of Stafford Loans. X g) Support federal tax incentives to help families save for college. X h) Ban university financial aid officers from owning stock in or accepting gifts from student loan lenders. X i) Require universities to disclose financial relationships with lenders. j) Support federal education standards and testing requirements for K-12 students (No Child Left Behind). k) Eliminate all federal education standards and testing requirements for K-12 students (No Child Left Behind). l) Other or expanded principles Employment Issues (Back to top) Related: Key Votes Ratings Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding employment. X a) Increase funding for national job-training programs that retrain displaced workers or teach skills needed in today’s job market. b) Reduce government regulation of the private sector. X c) Encourage employers to offer child care services, flex-time scheduling, comp-time, and unpaid leave for family emergencies. X d) Increase the federal minimum wage. X e) Support the right of workers to unionize. f) Eliminate all federal programs designed to reduce unemployment. X g) Include sexual orientation in federal anti-discrimination laws. X h) Include gender identity in federal anti-discrimination laws. i) Other or expanded principles Environment and Energy Issues (Back to top) Related: Key Votes Ratings Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding the environment and energy. X a) Strengthen the regulation and enforcement of the Clean Water Act. X b) Strengthen the regulation and enforcement of the Clean Air Act. X c) Support increased development of traditional energy resources (e.g. coal, natural gas, oil). X d) Strengthen emission controls on all gasoline and diesel-powered engines, including cars, trucks, and sport utility vehicles. e) Strengthen fuel efficiency standards on all gasoline and diesel-powered engines, including cars, trucks, and sport utility vehicles. f) Support domestic oil exploration in areas that are currently restricted. X g) Encourage further development and use of alternative fuels. X h) Support the use of ethanol as an alternative fuel. i) Support research and development of nuclear reactors as an alternative energy source. j) Allow energy producers to trade pollution credits under "cap and trade" laws. X k) Support international mandatory emission targets to limit global warming. X l) Support international voluntary emission targets to limit global warming. m) Other or expanded principles Gun Issues (Back to top) Related: Key Votes Ratings Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding guns. a) Allow individuals to carry concealed guns. b) Ban the sale, ownership or possession of handguns except by law enforcement and other government officials. On (c) and (d), indicate what levels (#1-6) you support for the following categories. Increase c) Enforcement of existing restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns. Increase d) Restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns. e) Other or expanded principles Health Issues (Back to top) Related: Key Votes Ratings Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding health. X a) Implement a universal healthcare program to guarantee coverage to all Americans, regardless of income. b) Expand eligibility for tax-free medical savings accounts. X c) Allow the importation of prescription drugs into the United States. X d) Support expanding prescription drug coverage under Medicare. X e) Offer tax credits to individuals and small businesses to offset the cost of insurance coverage. X f) Support expanding child healthcare programs. g) Providing healthcare is not a responsibility of the federal government. h) Other or expanded principles I support a government run, single-payer plan above anything else, but the alternatives above are good steps in the right direction for health care reform. Immigration Issues (Back to top) Related: Key Votes Ratings Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding immigration. a) Decrease the number of legal immigrants allowed into the country. b) Establish English as the official national language. c) Support a temporary worker program. X d) Support harsher financial punishments for those who knowingly employ illegal immigrants. e) Support amnesty for illegal immigrants already working in the United States. f) Illegal immigrants should have to return to their countries of origin before being considered for citizenship. g) Illegal immigrants should be given a pathway to citizenship. h) Support merit-based visas over family-based visas. i) Other or expanded principles International Aid, International Policy, and International Trade Issues (Back to top) International Aid Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding international aid. X a) Support the United States granting aid to countries when extraordinary circumstances cause disaster and threaten civilian lives. X b) Support the United States granting aid to countries when it is in the security interests of the United States. X c) Eliminate United States aid for any nation with documented human rights abuses. d) Aid granted by the United States should be scaled back and eventually eliminated. e) Other or expanded principles International Policy Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding international policy. a) Should the United States continue to provide leadership in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process? b) Should the United States support the creation of a Palestinian state? Yes c) Should the United States impose greater international sanctions on Iran if it continues to defy United Nations mandates? d) Should the United States support the Lebanese government against insurgent forces? e) Should the United States maintain its troop levels in Iraq? Yes f) Should the United States withdraw its troops from Iraq? g) Discuss your proposals for Iraq. Yes h) Should the United States apply greater economic and diplomatic sanctions against North Korea if it fails to abide by its agreement to suspend its nuclear program? Yes i) Should the United States increase financial support for Afghanistan? Yes j) Should the United States increase military support for Afghanistan? k) Should the United States trade nuclear fuel to India for civilian purposes? l) Should the United States decrease financial support for Pakistan? m) Should the United States decrease military support for Pakistan? Yes n) Should the United States be involved in bringing an end to the violence in Darfur, Sudan? Yes o) Should the United States be involved in bringing an end to the violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo? p) Should the United States provide economic and military support to the Transitional Government of Somalia? Yes q) Should the United States use sanctions to encourage the government of Zimbabwe to end its human rights abuses? r) Should the United States support the creation of an independent nation of Kosovo? s) Other or expanded principles International Trade Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding international trade. a) Do you support the United States imposing economic sanctions on China? b) Do you support the United States imposing trade sanctions on Venezuela? No c) Do you support the United States involvement in free trade agreements? d) Do you support the United States involvement in intergovernmental organizations dedicated to trade? e) Other or expanded principles National Security Issues (Back to top) Related: Key Votes Ratings Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding national security. a) Do you support using military tribunals to try suspected terrorists when ordinary civilian courts are deemed inappropriate or impractical? b) Should law enforcement agencies have greater discretion to monitor domestic communications, to prevent future terrorist attacks? Yes c) Should the United States hold foreign states accountable for terrorists who operate in their country? Yes d) Should the federal government increase funding to states and cities for homeland security? No e) Do you support pre-emptive military strikes against countries deemed to be a threat to United States national security? No f) Do you support the creation of a federal identification card system? No g) Do you support long-term use of National Guard troops to supplement the armed forces in assignments overseas? h) Should the United States expand its missile defense shield? i) Other or expanded principles Social Issues (Back to top) Related: Key Votes Ratings Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding social issues. Yes a) Should same-sex couples be allowed to marry? b) Do you support a federal constitutional amendment defining marriage as between a man and a woman? Yes c) Do you support federal funding for research on existing embryonic stem cell lines? d) Do you support federal funding to create lines of stem cells from new embryos? Yes e) Should the federal government consider race and gender in government contracting decisions? Yes f) Should the federal government continue affirmative action programs? Yes g) Should the federal government regulate internet gambling? h) Other or expanded principles Social Security Issues (Back to top) Related: Key Votes Ratings Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding Social Security. a) Allow workers to invest a portion of their payroll tax in private accounts that they manage themselves. b) Ensure the viability of Social Security by increasing the payroll tax. c) Decrease benefits paid to retirees. X d) Support proportional increases of Social Security benefits based on the cost of living index. e) Raise the retirement age for individual eligibility to receive full Social Security benefits. f) Other or expanded principles Welfare and Poverty Issues (Back to top) Related: Key Votes Ratings Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding welfare and poverty. a) Require welfare recipients to spend at least 40 hours a week in a combination of work and training programs. b) Continue to give states and local governments flexibility in and responsibility for welfare programs through federal block grants. X c) Support housing assistance for welfare recipients. d) Abolish all federal welfare programs. e) Other or expanded principles Legislative Priorities (Back to top) Please explain in a total of 100 words or less, your top two or three priorities if elected. If they require additional funding for implementation, please explain how you would obtain this funding. 1) Reform the health care system to provide affordable insurance to every American. 2) Create jobs by eliminating dangerous free trade agreements and passing an energy bill that creates "green jobs." 3) Heavily increase government regulations on banks, financial organizations, and large corporations.