Just to start off I only think it’s fair to mention that I was raised as a Democrat. My Grandmother was president of her local International Chemical Workers Union for about a decade. So, I come to this with a bit of baggage, and it tends to tip me toward the Liberal side of things. Luckily, I carry an AK in the other hand, and that tips me more toward the middle.
If you look at the two present contendors for the Democratic nomination, it’s difficult to tell them apart. (Okay, if you look at their platforms it’s difficult to tell them apart.) Both talk a lot about change and giving out money willy-nilly. Big business is bad and our nation’s schools are churning out idiots. And I have to say, I agree with the sentiments. But we have a problem.
Obama’s plan to deal with our education problem is similar to something I’ve been saying for years; spend lots of money making smart little kids and you can spend less on them as they grow up. Hillary has pretty much the same thing to say on the matter.
And when they talk about the economy both talk about middle class tax credits and providing health care that everyone can afford and all these wonderful things. Both of them have the same agenda, but there’s a bit of a problem.
The problem is the language that they are using.
Obama will restore fairness to the tax code and provide 150 million workers the tax relief they need.
The President can’t do that. Remember the last Political Primer? Tax code is a job for the Legislative branch, not the Executive. And Hillary isn’t much better:
End the unfunded mandate known as No Child Left Behind.
Remember, Executive does NOT hold the purse strings, so she can’t do this. Nor can she revoke the bill, if that’s how you choose to read this statement.
The people that can do these things are members of the House and Senate. People like Hillary Clinton (D) New York and Barack Obama (D) Illinois, but they’ve never proposed that legislation.
I wish that Hillary and Barack were the first to pull this kind of subterfuge, but they aren’t. Every president I can remember campaigning has promised things beyond his power. (Remember, “Read my Lips, ‘No New Taxes!’”? Boy that was a crock.) And Senator McCain is no angel on this matter either, but we’ll get to him next time.
So, if you want my suggestion, wait until after the primaries are over and we know who is running, then write to the other one and remind them that the job they currently have is the appropriate jurisdiction to get their campaign promises fulfilled. Hell, give me a week and I’ll work up a letter you can download and email off to them.
We live in a republic, and the people that are in power are there at our request. Make certain they know what you expect, and if they don’t give it to you, get rid of them.
Tune in next time when we look at a Republican gnome.
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