Blog

I made a presentation this last Friday to the Women of Manatee County Republican Club in Palmetto, FL. This is a group that has done all kinds of good things for their community and their state. Every community in the country would benefit if it had a club full of caring people, like this one. It was suggested during the Q& A that I rework parts of that presentation and convert it into a blog. Many felt it would be beneficial to people of all political stripes. I decided to follow through on their suggestions. Here it is.

Members of Congress have forgotten the meaning of the term “representative government.” Members of the U.S. Senate find the citizens of their state useful for just a few months before election day every six years. Members of the U.S. House of Representatives are elected every two years. Thus, they are required to put up with their voters for a few months every two years. (This is why we occasionally see House members campaign to become Senators, never the reverse). In those few months before each election, they fall all over themselves telling us they work for us. They tell us they will represent us back in D.C. When they get back to D.C. they disregard those promises and gather into their respective tribes. From that point, until the next election, they are focused on increasing their party’s power. They couldn’t care less about the will of the people. This is not true of every member of Congress. Unfortunately, it is true in altogether too many instances.

I put forth a couple of examples for those who would disagree. Americans have wanted congressional term limits for a long time. Recently, according to an 11/21 Rasmussen poll, 82% of Americans are in favor of congressional term limits. That is 87% of Republicans, 83% of Democrats, and 78% of Independents. Given these overwhelming statistics, why isn’t there an active discussion on this topic in Congress? Most Americans agree that people should be required to show an ID before they are allowed to vote. According to a 5/21 Rasmussen Poll, 75% of Americans want voters to produce IDs before voting. The breakdown was 89% of Republicans, 60% of Democrats, and 77% of Independents, think we should require an ID to vote. This is a gimme. Having said that, HB-1 and SB-1, proposed by Democrats in Congress, would REDUCE the requirement for voter ID. Yeah, Congress works for us.

Republicans and Democrats treat each other like the Hatfields treated the McCoys, and vice versa. I have often said, only slightly tongue in cheek, that if one side brought up a bill that would cure cancer, the other side would fight to keep it from passing. Forget that the bill would save hundreds of thousands of American lives every year. One side wouldn’t want the other to get the credit for such an important issue. Because members of Congress refuse to work together, it is important that we do.

It is imperative that we recognize that traditional liberal Democrats, and traditional conservative Republicans, agree on way more issues than we disagree on. We should NOT be acting like enemies. The enemies of America are those who are to the right of center-right, and those to the left of center-left. Traditional liberals and traditional conservatives must ignore those fringe elements. They are but a small minority of the American population. We need to identify those issues we agree will make America a better place. Then combine our voting power to force our representatives to pass legislation in favor of those issues. While at my presentation last Friday I learned that the leaders of the Long Boat Key Republicans and the Long Boat Key Democrats, in Florida, have recently began holding meetings together. The grassroots members of each party recognize there is a lot of common ground. That news is incredibly encouraging. A growing number of Americans are beginning to recognize that politicians will not vote against their own, or their party’s, best interests. That forces us, those who love this country, to take action at the grassroots level.

What follows is a list of issues where most Americans, regardless of political party, find consensus. 1. Term limits. This is self explanatory. 2. Should voter IDs be required from everyone, regardless of their method of voting? 3. Should non-citizens be allowed to vote? They are in New York City and San Francisco. 4. Does it make sense to continue defunding our police? 5. Should boys be allowed to play on girls athletic teams, and share locker rooms with girls, and vice versa? 6. Is it good that parents want to be involved in their children’s education? 7. Do you think America is a racist country? 8. Are black children hopeless victims? Are white children racist oppressors? 9. Over 100,000 Americans died from opioid overdoses in 2021. Most of those drugs entered via our southern border. Should we be more aggressive in closing that border? 10. Should full term babies be aborted? 11. As we move toward a carbon free economy is it appropriate for us to shut down production of fossil fuels in the USA, and replace them with fossil fuels produced by hostile foreign countries? 12. Should the government ignore our 2nd Amendment rights and force us to forfeit our firearms?

The above is a list of issues that I think the majority of Americans would answer similarly. It is time for that majority of the American people to come together and demand solutions. When Republicans, Democrats, and Independents, join together our numbers will be impossible for politicians to ignore. Look, this post is designed to convince, cajole, coerce, or beg, you to forget your political affiliation. We need to work together to do what our elected representatives will not. It is happening in Long Boat Key. There is no reason it can’t happen in other places. I hope you found this post interesting and motivating. If you did please tell your friends about it. Thank you, Bob