Oh, those nuts on the Right...

 

 

 

"I'm so nutty, I don't know
Why the squirrels love me so
I descended from the nook
Next to you and that's no joke"

I'm a Nut

Nursery Rhyme

Well, the "off year" election is in, and the results are still being analyzed. NYC has nominated (lets just say) a very colorful and interesting mayor. His platform on many issues sounds a bit left of Stalin, so it should be an interesting ride for the citizens of Gotham. Chris Christie continues to amaze the experts by beating his Democratic (female) opponent to a pulp in a VERY blue state. Virginia elected a Democratic "Bundler" (and friend of the Clintons). This man is a gadfly and has NO experience in being the governor of anything. Look for "buyer's remorse" to set in shortly. Minneapolis will be swearing in a new mayor who has real antipathy for the business community. I guess the other 34 candidates just did not make the cut.

However, the most fascinating race to me was the one in Alabama. An "establishment" Republican candidate was running against a Tea Party upstart. The Tea Party upstart came up just a wee bit short. The pundits are already on the air saying that people are "fed up" with the "nuts on the right". The Republican Party needs to purge itself from these fringe extremists. I have heard from people on the Left as well as the establishment Republicans, "We need people in Washington that can get stuff done."

When I hear something like "getting something done", it gives me pause to think. What does that mean? Getting something done like the ACA, which is turning out to be the biggest train wreck in recent history? Immigration reform, where we come up with a "path to citizenship" which will eclipse those who have obeyed the law and are still in line? Programs like Social Security, that when it was signed, everyone knew it was not meant to last forever. It was going to be revamped within fifty years to make sure it was sustainable. We see how well that worked out.

How about new gun laws? We seem unable or unwilling to enforce the ones we currently have on the books. Many in the establishment think the Second Amendment is so passé. That was for the settlers that needed to fight off Indians, criminals and wild animals. If we can just outlaw guns, all crime will go away. Look at history - that was worked well in other countries, right? WRONG! The "nuts on the right" are the biggest protectors of all our Constitutional rights, especially the Second Amendment.

Let us not forget our favorite out of control program, the one that NOBODY seems to know how to fix. Yes, our SNAP program, which under this Administration has grown faster than blue grass in June. In the past five years, the number of people receiving this benefit has almost doubled and the benefit itself has gone up 30% for each recipient. Why? Nobody seems to know or care. Just keep it growing. Damn the torpedoes - full speed ahead!

As a citizen, as a taxpayer, this is what I expect out of our elected representative:

• You go to serve, not make a career out of it. No more than 12 years in Emerald City.
• Pass bills which take TCO (total cost of ownership) into the mix. Bills must be financially sustainable.
• Pass bills in plain English that are no more than a few pages. No more of this crap of passing a 2,000 bill in the middle of the night, put together by lobbyists, and read by nobody.
• Each bill that became law must be evaluated every year for efficiency and effectiveness. Laws that flunk either of these tests need to be repealed or repaired. 
• Everything, and I mean everything, big or small, is done with the Constitution in mind.

To those who want to get rid of the Tea Party, or other "nuts on the right", remember this. They are like the little Dutch Boy with fingers in the leaking dyke; they are the guardians at the gate; they are the ones who will keep the inmates from taking over the asylum. I know we need them more than ever right now. The country is in big trouble. We are at the point of no return.