Lame Duck Congress

Bill Koser is a local small business owner and a guest contributor today.  He gives us some things to think about.   Thank you Bill.

This is a congress that meets after the election where all the Senators and Congressmen who either retired or were voted out of office still get to vote.  They are no longer responsible to you, the voter, so they do very foolish - self-serving and often money wasting - things.

Why do we allow this?  I believe that as soon as the election results are final, the elected - and only the elected - have the right to represent us.  Those who have retired or were defeated no longer represent anyone but themselves, so the do not have the right to vote on legislation.  We need to be clear that the term of office ends on Election Day!

I suspect that it will take a very large “grass roots” campaign to get this changed, but we must do it!  Contact your Representative & your Senators and let them know that this is one change we need to make now!

And, while we are at it, the President’s term should be handled the same way.  The retiring of defeated President should not have any power to pardon, sign legislation, sign executive orders, or to do anything except respond to a true emergency where national defense or a natural disaster requires immediate action.  Install the new President a.s.a.p. after the election is final.  We don’t need 75 days of “limbo” every four years.  (And, we don’t need a multi million dollar “Inaugural”.  A little pomp will do.)

It is time we all take responsibility for holding our government accountable – it’s our money, our time, and even our lives that they are wasting.          Bill Koser

Government and Medical Insurance Increase Health Care Costs

This topic drives me crazy.  I was listening to a discussion on national television.   The Republicans were defending first dollar medical insurance.  The Democrats were defending Obama Care. 

This is nuts.  Neither is defendable.  Both increase the cost of health care.  Involving any third party has to drive up the cost.  This is not rocket science. 

The most effective way of bringing down the cost of health care is to stop the involvement of the government and medical insurance in routine health care.  Routine health care should be between the patient and the health care provider.  No one else should be involved.  This is the only way to bring down the cost.  If you or someone you know is not capable to make their own decisions concerning their health care, I would recommend a relative to make those decisions instead of the government or some medical insurance claims representative.

I hate to harp on this issue, but the solution is so simple.  Check out some of my previous blogs.  How do we get our government representatives to wake up and solve the problem?  Most don’t seem to even recognize that health care and medical insurance are two separate and distinct things. 

Is Fiscal Responsibility Becoming Politically Popular?

There was a time when political candidates from both the Democrat and Republican parties wanted to present themselves as a moderate.  The theory was to avoid being objectionable to either the right or the left. 

Compromise was the key for the moderate politician.  How many times have you heard some idiot politician say he would just get everyone to the table and work it out?  What this meant was giving concessions to everyone, which inevitably meant more government spending, and more government debt.  This political practice had to stop.

Being fiscally responsibility has not been considered a moderate political position in recent years, but maybe times are changing.  I sincerely hope so for the good of our country and the future of our grandchildren. 

We currently have a US Senate race in Wisconsin.  We have three viable candidates for the Republican nomination, and here is the good news.  All three are trying to present themselves as the most conservative and fiscally responsible.  Not one is trying to present himself as a moderate ready to compromise. 

I know much of this is BS based on their history, but I think it is positive that they are all trying to present themselves as fiscally responsible.  Who knows, maybe they had a revelation and have seen that our current government spending is sending this country over a cliff.  I don’t know if they have seen the light or just think they have to portray themselves as facially responsible, but I think it is a positive sign either way. 

Racism In Politics

Several things have happened in the last couple weeks that really bother me.  I do not consider myself to be a racist and I don’t think most white people are today.  If we look at the south fifty years ago, it is pretty clear there were many racists, but that is no longer the case.  Don’t get me wrong, there are still white people that are racist, but I think they are a pretty small percentage today. 

Everyone has prejudices including me.   My prejudices do not involve blacks and are based on personal experience with a small sample group, but it is hard to ignore those feelings. 

        This is why I have a problem with the use of racism in politics.  If I criticize President Oboma, and someone disagrees with me, I am immediately called a racist.  Not always, but that is the label the majority of the time, and this is wrong.  I don’t care if President Obama is white, black, green, or purple.  I disagree with things like the lack of fiscal responsibility, and that is my right as a citizen of this country. 

        Criticism of President Obama does not make me a racist.  Why does the liberal progressive left have to play the race card anytime Obama is criticized?  The obvious explanation is that any rational argument is so weak that they have no choice except to play the race card.