Set the tone, lead by example...

"Somebody asked me not too long ago, what the basic difference was between a Republican and Democrat. My response was, 'These days, not too much...'"

I am going to address something that folks on my side of the aisle gripe about constantly. Leadership. A good friend of mine (who is also a mayor) talks about this word constantly. Why? Because it is just that important.

I really hate to say this, I really do. Many of the loyalists, the conservatives, the constitutional scholars on my side of the aisle often utter a collective "meh" when either the federal or state legislature meet. The naive part of many us actually expect our leadership to lead. Lead by what? Lead by example for starters. 

Right now we are having a contest on moving the spending bar forward. Notice the word "forward". The Republicans are just not spending as much nor as fast as the Democrats. But they all spend. And the bar keeps moving forward. And the size of government, be it federal or state, keeps going up. And up. And up.

Today there was an article in the paper (which I really hope was untrue) about the Speaker of the House slipping $2,000,000 into a bonding bill to refurnish some old furniture at the capitol. Huh? I am really hoping there is a retraction to this story printed in tomorrow's paper. For if this story is correct, it would set us up (once again) as hypocrites. As big spenders. As failed leadership.

Okay. This is it in a nutshell. It is going to be unvarnished and plainly stated. We want conservative, principled leadership in both Washington and St. Paul. We don't give (as the old saying goes) "two poops and a holler" if our leadership becomes unpopular with the ruling cartels. We do care if our leadership is true. If they are principled. If they FOLLOW and govern by the Constitution. If they want to lead others towards a REDUCTION in federal or state spending. Not to slow it down, not to have zero growth, but to reduce it.

One of the things former Governor Ventura said which I agreed with, often times our state Republicans and Democrats act like the Crips and the Bloods. Rivals, yet both acting the same way. Lately when I hear our federal or state leadership talk, I need to remind myself which party that person belongs to. Sometimes it is very hard to tell. Sometimes even impossible.

Going into the 2016 political season, I would love to hear our leadership start out every conversation by saying, "According to the Constitution,". I want them to reference our Constitution and then follow it. And that includes all those pesky Amendments. We are fed up leadership - hear us on this. We are tired of the "nothing burger" we are given to munch on year after year after year. 

One final thing. Everyone who is elected serves at the pleasure of the people who elected them. It is a good thing to remember.