Bonnie Alba
Government shows true color
By Bonnie Alba
Here's what I'm waiting for: Courage of convictions and principles. A leader who stands and says "This is wrong" or "This is right." Instead Washington runs on "what sweetener will you give me so I will flip flop your way?" This is not the kinds of elected officials I want making decisions for our country.
Some stand courageous and bold going against the Washington establishment. One such is Rep. (TX) Ron Paul who has stood for "doing the right thing." Another is Sen. (SC) Jim DeMint who, besides saying it's wrong, has stated that this Bailout Plan is leading us right "...into the pit of Socialism."
There are many House Representatives, such as Rep.(SC) Gresham Barrett, who voted 'no.' Yet as the Senate "Sweetened" their version with sugar throughout Wednesday, in a local radio interview, Gresham stated that the Senate Bill looks "promising." Because of sweeteners?
Most likely, Gresham and others who voted 'No' will flip flop giving the 12 votes needed to pass the Bailout. No principles or conviction there.
As in the past, Sen. Linsey Graham who counts himself as South Carolina's power in Washington evidently doesn't take his oath or the U.S. Constitution seriously. We observed his disavowal of National Security during the Illegal Immigrant-Amnesty bill promotion.
Presidential candidates Obama and McCain voted for the 'sweetened' Senate version. Not that they read it. This just shows they aren't listening to citizens. As evidenced by the phone calls, e-mails and faxes to their Washington representatives, it doesn't compute with millions of Americans.
We will no longer be America if this passes. We will have a federal government in control of the capitalist "Free Market." We've incrementally been on that road for some time. But this move by the Federal Reserve, the Treasury, Congress and the President puts us solidly ceding to government control over America's economy and society.
Fighting Debt with Debt doesn't make much sense.
To put it on a personal level, take a family who has run up their debt load to the max on one credit card. The teasers fill their mailbox — just transfer your balance to 'our' credit card company, 0 percent fees, etc. Many took advantage of such offers, transferring their debt from the maxed-out credit card to another; then another with higher limits and continued to max out their limits, until they were so deep in debt, they couldn't see daylight.
Though much more complicated, this is basically what the Federal Reserve, Congress, past and present presidential administrations, banking industry and Wall Street corporate entities have done. Bottom line, "we the people" are just as guilty because we embraced the New Deal era of easy credit and buying more than we could afford.
This gigantic power grab by the feds of property is constitutionally illegal and unethical. It won't stop the readjustments occurring in the markets and corporate communities, just slow it down.
This bailout plan is another step towards a socialist, authoritarian government. We are well on our way to losing any vestige of constitutional protections of our liberty and freedom 'from' a tyrannical government.
That may sound like a drastic statement. Over many decades, there are those who have observed this slow deterioration of conservative, constitutional principles in government and in the people. They remember a time when those principles were why America stood out among all the world's nations.
In the ongoing political, partisan gamesmanship, our elected Washington representatives certainly appear unable and unwilling to lead us in facing the challenges ahead without destroying America in the process.
How will the bailout plan affect raging inflation? Americans are now struggling with inflation costs shrinking their budgets and are cutting back on unnecessary purchases while attempting to pay down their debt load.
More questions we aren't asking: Accountability and regulations? Where is any show by Congress to Cut, Cut, Cut budgets and annual deficits? To limit their own expenditures? Do they really believe government fighting debt with debt is the answer? That their unconstitutional takeover of the so-called "free" market is going to make everything okay?
Thomas Jefferson stated in his 1801 First Inaugural Address: "Still one thing more, fellow citizens — a wise and frugal government...which shall leave them (us) otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned...."
I think we just lost the last vestige of that freedom.
© Bonnie Alba
Here's what I'm waiting for: Courage of convictions and principles. A leader who stands and says "This is wrong" or "This is right." Instead Washington runs on "what sweetener will you give me so I will flip flop your way?" This is not the kinds of elected officials I want making decisions for our country.
Some stand courageous and bold going against the Washington establishment. One such is Rep. (TX) Ron Paul who has stood for "doing the right thing." Another is Sen. (SC) Jim DeMint who, besides saying it's wrong, has stated that this Bailout Plan is leading us right "...into the pit of Socialism."
There are many House Representatives, such as Rep.(SC) Gresham Barrett, who voted 'no.' Yet as the Senate "Sweetened" their version with sugar throughout Wednesday, in a local radio interview, Gresham stated that the Senate Bill looks "promising." Because of sweeteners?
Most likely, Gresham and others who voted 'No' will flip flop giving the 12 votes needed to pass the Bailout. No principles or conviction there.
As in the past, Sen. Linsey Graham who counts himself as South Carolina's power in Washington evidently doesn't take his oath or the U.S. Constitution seriously. We observed his disavowal of National Security during the Illegal Immigrant-Amnesty bill promotion.
Presidential candidates Obama and McCain voted for the 'sweetened' Senate version. Not that they read it. This just shows they aren't listening to citizens. As evidenced by the phone calls, e-mails and faxes to their Washington representatives, it doesn't compute with millions of Americans.
We will no longer be America if this passes. We will have a federal government in control of the capitalist "Free Market." We've incrementally been on that road for some time. But this move by the Federal Reserve, the Treasury, Congress and the President puts us solidly ceding to government control over America's economy and society.
Fighting Debt with Debt doesn't make much sense.
To put it on a personal level, take a family who has run up their debt load to the max on one credit card. The teasers fill their mailbox — just transfer your balance to 'our' credit card company, 0 percent fees, etc. Many took advantage of such offers, transferring their debt from the maxed-out credit card to another; then another with higher limits and continued to max out their limits, until they were so deep in debt, they couldn't see daylight.
Though much more complicated, this is basically what the Federal Reserve, Congress, past and present presidential administrations, banking industry and Wall Street corporate entities have done. Bottom line, "we the people" are just as guilty because we embraced the New Deal era of easy credit and buying more than we could afford.
This gigantic power grab by the feds of property is constitutionally illegal and unethical. It won't stop the readjustments occurring in the markets and corporate communities, just slow it down.
This bailout plan is another step towards a socialist, authoritarian government. We are well on our way to losing any vestige of constitutional protections of our liberty and freedom 'from' a tyrannical government.
That may sound like a drastic statement. Over many decades, there are those who have observed this slow deterioration of conservative, constitutional principles in government and in the people. They remember a time when those principles were why America stood out among all the world's nations.
In the ongoing political, partisan gamesmanship, our elected Washington representatives certainly appear unable and unwilling to lead us in facing the challenges ahead without destroying America in the process.
How will the bailout plan affect raging inflation? Americans are now struggling with inflation costs shrinking their budgets and are cutting back on unnecessary purchases while attempting to pay down their debt load.
More questions we aren't asking: Accountability and regulations? Where is any show by Congress to Cut, Cut, Cut budgets and annual deficits? To limit their own expenditures? Do they really believe government fighting debt with debt is the answer? That their unconstitutional takeover of the so-called "free" market is going to make everything okay?
Thomas Jefferson stated in his 1801 First Inaugural Address: "Still one thing more, fellow citizens — a wise and frugal government...which shall leave them (us) otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned...."
I think we just lost the last vestige of that freedom.
© Bonnie Alba
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