11-15-2010
Permalink
Taxpayers
Against Earmarks
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Subject: Activism in Action: The Tea Party Movement Racks Up Its
First Win of The Season!
NOTE: This is a follow-up to my earlier article:
So You
Want to Hang On to Those Earmarks? We'll See About That!
Earlier today, many news outlets, including The Christian Science Monitor,
The Hill, and
Investors Business Daily,
reported that GOP Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell had bent to
the will of the American public and changed his position regarding the
Republican party's upcoming proposal for a two-year ban on attaching
pork-barrel earmarks to legislation.
Only one week earlier, Politico
was reporting that McConnell was:
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maneuvering behind the scenes to defeat a conservative plan
aimed at restricting earmarks, setting up a high-stakes
showdown that pits the GOP leader and his "Old Bull" allies
against Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) and a new breed of
conservative senators.
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Outraged that the entrenched Republican politicians were ignoring the
clear message that had been sent to them on November 2nd, citizens
across the country contacted McConnell and his cohorts, letting them
know, in no uncertain terms, exactly what they should expect if they
continued to play the same political games to which they had grown
accustomed. Here is a copy of the letter I sent to Mitch McConnell
(KY), James Inhofe (OK), Lamar Alexander (TN) and Lindsey Graham(NC):
Dear Congressman:
Truly unbelievable! You Republicans haven't let the ink dry on
the election when you are already jockeying to override the
message that the people sent to you just one short week ago.
You have learned absolutely nothing!
So you want to hang on to your precious pork, regardless of the
harm that this fiasco has inflicted upon the country by
inflating the budget year after year with hidden perks for
favored members of Congress, and paying off special
interests—or those who have made campaign
contributions—by concealing these thefts of taxpayer
dollars from open scrutiny, honest debate and a public
justification.
WAKE UP!. The citizens of this country have had enough
of this political corruption, and we are not going to allow you
to get away with it any longer. We are through with all of
you—both Republican and Democrat—treating us
as though we were simply a natural resource to be mined for
whatever purpose strikes your fancy. We are finished with
letting you push us around. The jig is up.
The American people have sent you a clear message demanding
that, as our representatives, you restore our individual rights
by removing onerous regulations and legislation that interfere
with our freely being able to pursue our own definition of
personal happiness. On that front, you can start with the
repeal of Obamacare. We also want you to balance the budget
and start whittling away at the national debt, not by
increasing taxes, but by drastically cutting government
programs and expenditures. To perform the job delegated to
you by the Constitution, you will have no need for a single
pork-barrel project.
If you continue to oppose measures to eliminate earmarks and
other governmental reforms, and instead support business as
usual, then you are painting a big red bull's-eye on your head,
and we will be gunning for you and your like-minded associated
in the next, and the next, and the next election, until you
have all been sent out to pasture, and replaced with those who
understand the proper role of government and are prepared to
stand up and defend the principles upon which this country was
founded.
It's time to choose your side, for we are engaged in a
revolutionary war to take back our rights to life, liberty and
property from those who wish to rule as our masters. Are you
with us or against us? Please write back and let me know where
you stand.
Sincerely,
—
C. Jeffery Small
P.S. We are not the idiots you take us for -- and we have long
memories. I'm watching
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Of course, McConnell hasn't actually seen the bright light of liberty.
As one Senate staffers reported, "It was just a matter of McConnell
being able to count [the caucus] votes", and realize that he
would not win his challenge, thereby turning this into just another
pragmatic political calculation rather than adopting a principled
position. Oh well, if we can't make them see the light, let's at least
lead them down the proper path.
The organization, Taxpayers
Against Earmarks, is tracking this resolution which is coming up
for vote at the Republican Conference tomorrow, Tuesday November 16th.
You can see where the votes currently stand by going to
this page. As
of this writing, the Following Senators and Senators-Elect have
indicated that they intend to vote "No":
- Lamar Alexander (R-TN)
- Thad Cochran (R-MS)
- John Hoeven (R-ND)
- James Inhofe (R-OK)
- Richard Shelby (R-AL)
- Roger Wicker (R-MS)
While the positions of the following are unknown:
- Roy Blunt (R-MO)
- John Boozman (R-AR)
- Scott Brown (R-MA)
- Saxby Chambliss (R-GA)
- Susan Collins (R-ME)
- Mike Crapo (R-ID)
- Lindsey Graham (R-SC)
- Chuck Grassley (R-IA)
- Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX)
- Johnny Isakson (R-GA)
- Jon Kyl (R-AZ)
- Dick Lugar (R-IN)
- Jerry Moran (R-KS)
- Rob Portman
- James Risch (R-ID)
- Pat Roberts (R-KS)
- Olympia Snowe (R-ME)
- John Thune (R-SD)
- David Vitter (R-LA)
If you go to the link above, you will find telephone numbers and email
addresses for each of these individuals. I urge you to contact them
in one manner or another and let each one know exactly what you are
expecting of them. While a vote on an earmark ban may be one of the
smaller things needing to be accomplished during the next two years,
it is extremely symbolic and sets the tone for what will follow. If
we all step up to the plate on this issue, making our Congressmen and
women understand that we are watching their every action, and demand
that they start acting as our representatives instead of as our
masters, we will begin to fulfill the mission began during the
campaign season.
I extend my thanks to all of you warriors for liberty.
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