Censure? Big Deal for Rangel

So Charlie Rangel was censured. So what. He was embarrassed and had to stand in the well of the House of Representatives and listen to some scolding. "Bad, bad man." Why didn't they make him sit in the corner with a dunce cap on? It would have accomplished about as much.  The least they could do was require him to do community service, or get some type of training: anger management, lying management, who knows. Aren't there all  different types of training now to get you back on the straight and narrow? Standing in the well and being "disgraced" is nothing to him. He is a politician. He has been through this and worse before, and I'll bet he has a thick skin.

 Tiger Woods had  some training after his misbehavior, and how about Lindsay Lohan she's getting some "training."  Then there is this guy in Florida who got on the school bus and chewed out the boys who were bullying his disabled 10 year old daughter. Maybe "anger management" would help Charlie? The fact is that if you don't pay your income taxes, the "training" for most of us is prison. I haven't heard any discussion of that possibility here. It just goes to show you, we don't do that to a Congressman.  Congress is SPECIAL.

Apparently, he didn't pay his income taxes on the income from his rental home in the Dominican Republic for 17 YEARS! Forget trying to influence corporate donors for his Rangel Center at the City College of New York. Is that what they do in Congress? Yes, they are exceptional.

They have their own health care system, and pensions, and parking places and transportation and just about everything. I always have a problem when one group requires another group to do something, and they don't have to do it themselves. Would they pass different laws if they had to get the same treatment as the people? Let's see what happens with ObamaCare.

Either way this episode seems to be another example of how intolerably arrogant our elected representatives have become. If we really knew all that goes on up there it would probably make all of us vomit. The best news is that their shenanigans  are usually are exposed gradually. It only gives us heart burn.

The last election was a good beginning at sending an epistle to them.  I hope all the people will wake up , and throw out the Congressmen and Senators who do not listen to us because their thrones are too lofty for them to hear us. "You work for us, and not for yourselves!"

This last election I did more politicking  at the grass roots   than I ever have: walking the precincts, giving money, and calling voters on the phone. I did it because of one sentence spoken by the soon to be previous speaker of the house, Nancy Pelosi, "Let's pass it first, then we will see what's in it!" There was no greater demonstration of arrogance-forget the multi-million dollar flights home- than I can conceive of. It made me sick.

Our New Government. What Shall We Do?

Now that the Republicans (Teaparty) have (has)  won a decisive victory against the Democrats in our last election the question becomes; what directions will we go? Will the winners answer the cries of the plaintiffs in this ideological struggle? Or will it be one and the same of the last two years of bickering and gridlock?

For one thing it's clear  that Obama does not seem to see the problem. In his news conference on Wednesday, he blamed the economy foremost. Does he see it? I'm not certain. Only the weeks ahead will tell. Will he compromise? Not certain?

Our Government was designed to encourage gridlock. Governments can do foolish things that cause ripple effects that effect everyone. That's why the founding fathers made it so difficult to get anything done. Witness the recent infusion of billions of dollars into the economy by the Fed. Will that cause later inflation, and the devaluing of all of our property? Most certainly. Should we buy gold? Not certain.

The Republicans are boasting how they are going to repeal "ObamaCare." Big mistake. As I see it, the public approval rating is about 50% now, and let's face it, we need to do SOMETHING! The best approach would be to modify  it. There are some provisions in this law that look reasonable like stopping insurance companies from denying "preexisting" conditions. Of course, it will cost us something, and we need to pay for that.

The recent comments by the Deficit Reduction Commission were genuinely frightening. Not the report itself, but the public's response to it.  Every suggestion was criticized by the faction being cited for cutbacks. I'm not certain we have the will in this country to face the necessity for fiscal restraint.
If we don't, we are all in for uncontrolled financial misery. Can you imaging paying $15 for a Big Mac? I fear we are headed for inflation.

I think the most important response to this recent election is for the public to try to realize that we need to stay in touch with our Congressmen and women. Don't crawl back into our caves, and watch more TV.  Call them, write them, email them to keep them aware of our thoughts.

Finally, the Congress people must LISTEN! They didn't listen when they passed the "unread" health care law, and that is unacceptable to their constituents.  The electorate won't stand for so much arrogance. I think we all did a splendid job in demonstrating that in the last election.