"Shame on you, shame on you Congress. Put aside the politics & help our people now. There's only one group to blame for the continued suffering of these innocent victims—the House majority and their Speaker, John Boehner." – NJ Governor Chris Christie in a red-hot news conference on New Year's day
"I need this job like I need a hole in the head." John Boehner's reaction to being reelected Speaker Of The House
Now virtually all the readership knows I have no use for Boehner but my dislike is @ least equaled by the subscriber who is a two time Republican congressional candidate in NJ who recently wrote to me "I waited for Boehner to cave to change my party affiliation from 'Republican' to 'Unaffiliated.' I must say it felt liberating."
Between the New Year's night fiscal cliff debacle & not providing relief funds for victims of Hurricane Sandy sooner Republicans, in general, & Boehner in particular are being pummeled – by no less than the Keynote Speaker @ the last RNC. In the fiscal cliff case Boehner has a second chance (Debt Ceiling), third chance (Sequester), & fourth chance (Continuing Resolution) to redeem himself before the end of March. In the case of relief for Sandy victims Boehner @ least balked @ including tons of pork in the relief funding bill but still missed the main point.
By not ever providing government relief funds for victims of Sandy we have a prime example of the change in the government-dependent mindset our country needs. People who have seen their property damaged or even destroyed by Sandy, plus all of us who have compassion for these people – our friends & neighbors – are making a very bad mistake by counting on government to answer our needs, whether we have paid flood insurance premiums to the federal government or not. They simply cannot deliver.
Until the Civil War, virtually every president regularly vetoed legislation because he thought some bills were unconstitutional - mostly for violating the Spending Clause of Article I, Section 8. For instance, President Monroe vetoed bills because he believed that Congresses' spending authority was confined to general or national interests not state or local ones like rebuilding the Jersey Shore or Staten Island.
The residents rebuilt Savannah after the Fourth Congress did not provide federal help after the city was destroyed by fire in 1796. The fire did not affect the general (that is national) Welfare of the entire United States – the constitutional principle President Monroe followed during his presidency. Likewise Chicago was rebuilt after its fire, as was Galveston after its hurricane, & San Francisco after its earthquake - all without a dollar of federal government money. The philanthropy & charity of the American people coupled with the free market capitalistic spirit that has made America the envy of the world restored these cities.
Please contrast the above points with today's government-dependent mindset & all its dangers that are robbing each of us of our God given human freedoms. All of the above cities were restored through acts of genuine charity & cooperative helping hands with the affected people taking control of their lives & property.
Early in our Republic people learned to take care of themselves & Americans lived in the liberty to abundance stage of our history. Today we are between the apathy to dependence stage & the dependence back into bondage stage teetering toward dictatorship & tyranny with a small chance to reverse the momentum.
The layers of government bureaucracy the victims of Sandy have experienced while they suffer waiting for government relief provides a small idea of what is to come with the implementation of ObamaCare, comprehensive immigration reform, & all of the other Marxist plans BO has in store for America. Governments are not man's friend – ultimately they are the source of tyranny. Counting on government is counting on something that is not reliably there for you in any good way.
Recently I saw one of the people who is suffering on Staten Island say that the only restoration of his property since Sandy struck two & one half months ago was done by his wife and him thereby proving the latter point.
Doug - As you know, America has been "piggin out" at the breast of its socialistic tit since the Johnson Administration. Anyone who attempts to restrict the flow is committing political suicide. As Warren Buffett would say, "the tide went out and we can see who is swimming naked." In our case the tide went out and we can see who the Rinos are. The tragedy is, the biggest Rino is New Jersey’s Republican Governor.
ReplyDeleteNJ Congressman Frelinghuysen, acting as liaison for his region, added a $33 billion amendment for longer-term reconstruction.
DeleteLooking back at how Americans handled catastrophes in those many cities, over the years, gives me a sense of pride in the human spirit. Thanks for pointing out how we the people have helped each other to recover from crises without government aid! How in the world can we ever get back to that mindset?
ReplyDeleteGreat Blog ! You brought up a very profound subject---the role of Charity and Philantraphy. So many of our Institutions such as Hospitals, Schools, Universities, Libraries etc. where founded and funded by the wealthy of the times of their own free will. For some crazy reason, this concept has been largely abandoned in this country and the government has taken over as the provider of all things ala "Julia" from cradle to grave.
ReplyDeleteNo matter what government does, it will never completely eradicate poverty. As a Christian, I believe that helping others of my own free will, in whatever way I can is a source of blessing from my God. No where in scripture do you read that this is governments role. It is especially disturbing when my tax dollars are used for purposes contrary to my Christian beliefs.
Congress needs to get back to the basics of what governing is all about---Pass a budget, cut all unnecessary spending, and reduce our debt.