"The American people have humbled us. They have refreshed our memories as to just how temporary the privilege to serve is. They have reminded us that everything here is on loan from them. That includes this gavel, which I accept cheerfully and gratefully, knowing I am but its caretaker. After all, this is the people’s House. This is their Congress. It’s about them, not us. What they want is a government that is honest, accountable and responsive to their needs. A government that respects individual liberty, honors our heritage, and bows before the public it serves.” (Speech by John Boehner, incoming Speaker of the House, January 5, 2011)
The new Speaker of the House representing politicians elected by Americans who found the time and energy to actually go out and vote, with tears in his eyes, has reminded us how humbled he is to serve the people’s house. He, because a majority of Americans did not sit on their hands, stay home, ignore their right as Americans to vote, is the Speaker of the House and can and will prioritize items, issues, and ideas which resonate to a particular aspect of our country, paid for by lobbyists, oil, finance and health cartels. He can and will decide that wealthy is better, the poor and minorities need to prove their worth, and the Constitution was never really interpreted correctly by the Democrats. He is the Speaker of the House because those who believed in Yes I Can, stopped believing, and those who loved the echo of NO You Can’t believed more, and enabled their role models to be elected.
This IS the way America works, but WILL this be the America that works for all of its citizens? This IS how democracy works, but WILL there be much left of the democratic path once John Boehner and his newly elected majority of Republican/Tea Bagger Congress people redefine, redirect, redistribute the definition of democracy?
“A government that respects individual liberty, honors our heritage, and bows before the public it serves.” Mr. House Speaker Boehner talks about ‘individual liberty’, but was active in not repealing DADT, he is anti same sex marriage, he continued to deny the First Responders health care, and he argued that those unemployed deserved no more income because they would rather receive money on the dole then find a job.
‘A Government that honors our heritage’, yet Mr. House Speaker Boehner, refused to budge on the Dream Act enabling the children of immigrants, and illegals who have lived in this country their whole life to becoming citizens as has been the honorable history of this nation for centuries. He is in favor of permitting corporations to outsource jobs, allowing the corporations to still receive tax breaks in doing so. He is wanting to cut funds for social security, pensions, and welfare checks for the ill and elderly, cutting a heritage of giving so people have the means to grow and survive.
‘A Government that bows before the public it serves’, yet Mr. House Speaker Boehner wants to cut regulations on the Finance Cartel, wants to suspend the Health Bill for the American public, wants to cut any green house gas limitations, keeping Americans healthier, and saving the planet. He is always one to bow to the Lobbyists with whom he plays golf and he certainly does a fine curtsey to people like the Koch brothers and Rupert Murdoch.
I would love to be cautionary only, and give Mr. Boehner a chance to prove his words true, but I witnessed 8 years of Republican rule during the Bush/Cheney dictatorship, and have no more patience for caution. Incomes of the middle class and poor dropped, the wealthier remained far ahead in their earnings, minorities were shoved aside, the separation between Church and State became less defined, regulations were erased, two wars were invented and the division between us and them, good and bad, Christian and non Christian rose to levels that would make it hard to discern America from some country run by hooligans and haters during those 8 years.
In November of 2010, some decided to go out and vote, while others pontificated, pondered, pretended that one vote did not count. In November of 2010, some found that they could vote for bigots, bogus, and BS’ers and be pleased, while others just had a hissy fit and stayed home.
Now in January of 2011 we have John Boehner as House Speaker representing a majority of Republican/Tea Bag candidates who want little compromise, fewer freedoms, and a whole lot more of, do it my way or else. We certainly got change, but I sure as hell do not believe in it. Do you?
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