I Wish I Had Said That!!

Today's report from TheLastResistance.com informs us that House Speaker Boehner has finally grown a pair.

"For all the complaints we conservatives have about Speaker John Boehner, there can be no denying that we felt a certain camaraderie with him, a certain pride that he is on our side, at least in party affiliation, when we learned that he told Senate Majority Leader Harry Read to “Go f*** yourself”–twice–after Harry Reid likened him to a dictator.

“John Boehner seems to care more about keeping his speakership than about keeping the nation on firm financial footing,” said Reid, adding that the House was “being operated with a dictatorship of the speaker.”

Politico reported that Boehner muttered his awesome rebuke the next day, when Boehner saw Reid at the White House.

“Reid, taken aback, said, ‘What are you talking about?’ And Boehner repeated it. Boehner’s office has confirmed the validity of these claims, but offered no further comment on the matter.”

Boehner, although indelicate about it, said what millions of Americans would like to tell Harry Reid... and Diane Feinstein... and several other members of Congress.

The nation is NOT "on firm financial footing", nor has it been for some time. Every dollar that is printed today is essentially an I.O.U. from our government. There is no precious metal behind it, so it devalues the dollar that was printed the day before! Our dollars are backed only by money we have BORROWED from foreign governments. In what parallel universe do the members of Congress live? Theirs is an existence based upon the rarefied atmosphere of being supported by the labors of others, and uncontrolled "spending like drunken sailors". Sadly, they are not generally held accountable by "their constituency" once they assume the office to which they were elected. Elected to protect the interests of not only those citizens, but - as a collective body - to protect the interests of the citizens of the United States of America.

Recall elections are one way of getting our government back on track. Although they take place at the state level, the procedures themselves are not terribly complicated. A petition, which in most states must show some form of malfeasance or misconduct while in office (indifference to the citizens expressed desires, may or may not qualify - but certainly SHOULD) must be identified by the petitioners (in 11 states there is no such requirement). Generally, to be considered for action, a petition must bear "X"-number of signatures (the minimum number of signatures and the time limit to qualify a recall vary among the states. In addition, the handling of recalls once they qualify differs. In some states, a recall triggers a simultaneous special election, where the vote on the recall, as well as the vote on the replacement if the recall succeeds, are on the same ballot). The petition is then sent to the state's election board/committee/supervisor for action as required by law. Recall elections are not as rare as one may think. (In 2011, there were at least 150 recall elections in the United States. Of these, 75 officials were recalled, and nine officials resigned under threat of recall - a success rate of greater than 50%. Recalls were held in 17 states in 73 different jurisdictions.)

A Democratic Republic, such as ours, is by definition to be responsive to the expressed desires of  the people. To do otherwise is the hallmark of a Dictatorial Tyranny. There is an old Russian proverb which says, "A man is judged by his deeds, not his words." Although true for some perhaps, it is not a universal truth or Democratic Republics would all be lead by honest men, interested primarily in the success of their Republic. The reality is that honest, dedicated, patriotic men (and women) are a rare find in today's world, and those who possess those unusual character traits are soon either rendered ineffectual by - or expelled from - any ruling body. Just my thoughts...