Republicans Can't Say "Taxes"

Banks will soon begin paying back the money they borrowed earlier this year from the taxpayers. Obama’s early initiative is proving to have been a good investment for those who pay America’s taxes. When you think about it, isn’t the paying of our fair share of taxes about the most patriotic thing a citizen can do?

(Did you notice I used the word “taxes” in every sentence above? It didn’t hurt at all.)

Why then is it that the Rs can’t even bring themselves to say the word “taxes” except when they choose to smear initiatives sponsored by the Democrats? Do they take voters in their party for complete fools, Simple Simons who can’t even find their way to the fair? It would appear so.

Of course, nobody wants to pay too much in taxes, but it is disingenuous to pretend to lead voters by promising to magically reduce their taxes and reduce government spending when you know the truth: you may succeed in lowering taxes for short term political expediency BUT you will not be able to effect a commensurate decrease in spending so long as 67 percent of the federal budget is fixed – which it is. All you will succeed in doing is raise the deficit and soon the debt – as Ronald Reagan did.

But I digress.

The American Petroleum Institute is run by a Republican. How do I know? Take a look at the TV commercials API is running on television in support of off shore drilling. A line from one of their TV commercials says:

“Increased production of oil and natural gas can help rebuild America’s economy by creating new jobs and generating more than $1 trillion for federal, state and local budgets.”

They cannot bring themselves to say “…more than $1 trillion in taxes for federal, state and local budgets.” They can’t say “taxes” because their tongues are incapable of saying the word without giving it a negative partisan connotation. Yes, they prefer to attach the word “Democrat” to it each time it is used. The Rs have succeeded for so long with the slogan – “we’ll give you lower taxes and smaller government” – that they know nothing else. Maybe they should change their name to the “Know Nothing” party. Do you think the Simple Simons of their party would ever catch on?

Ronald Reagan Statue Unveiled in Capitol Rotunda

I don’t know about you but I watched in great surprise the other day as they unveiled a statue of Ronald Reagan in the Rotunda of the Capitol. The occasion was the fifth anniversary of his death. I was surprised because there used to be a rule in the Congress that no member of Congress could be considered for such an honor until the 25^th anniversary of his death had come and gone and his reputation stood the test of time. This rule apparently does not apply to Presidents or was waived when the Republicans approved the statue idea a few years ago when they had majority control of Congress. No doubt it was seen by Republican leaders as a way to guarantee their political “saint” would have a place of honor no matter what history may say about him.

And so there it stands – a statue to honor the man who testified before the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1947 on the extent of the Communist Party’s penetration in Hollywood, a statue to honor the memory of the fiscal “conservative” who tripled the national debt during his 1981-1988 Presidency, the governing “conservative” who grew the federal government exponentially during his eight years of service, a economic “conservative” who presided over two recessions; indeed, a statue to honor the man who spent countless hours in the Oval Office regaling visitors with tales of the more than 50 B-grade movies he made during his 20 years in Hollywood.

Look, he was a wonderfully affable man who made us feel good about him and about the America he saw, shining like a “city on a hill.” He was a great confidence builder. And no one could read a Peggy Noonan speech any better than our 40^th President. But shouldn’t more be required before one gets a statue in the Rotunda? I think so.

Of course, neither party is in a hurry to erect a statue to Bill Clinton. If not for his amoral ways, they might have considered one, but no, his actions of moral turpitude besmirched his reputation, eroded his credibility with the American people and weakened the President’s moral authority on the world stage…so much so that one member of Congress wrote an op-ed in the Washington Post suggesting that his actions may actually require his resignation. But didn’t he give us a strong economy, creating millions of new jobs, putting more people at every economic level on the road to prosperity? But that darn blue dress! So much for the Clinton statue.

Neither man was perfect. The only perfect man we have had in recent memory was George W. Bush. We know that because, in answer to a reporter’s question at that now famous news conference, Bush said he could not think of even one mistake he had made. “Oh, some of the people I have appointed have disappointed me,” he said but no, he could not think of a single mistake he personally had made. Well, the least said about that one, the better. Suffice it to say, there will be no statue to Bush 43 in the Rotunda anytime soon. History will make sure of that and it won’t need 25 years to make a determination.

If you wonder why President Obama is taking on so much, tackling so many issues, launching so many initiatives, and seems to be busy on literally all fronts, maybe it’s because many of his predecessors squandered their time in office, preferring the road of political expediency, enjoying the perks of office, spending countless days on vacations, doing little to address some of the nation’s most vexing problems, and thus disappointed the American people. I have the sense President Obama wants to give the American people something more substantial upon which to judge his service – and I suspect he is willing to give them a full 25 years to evaluate his time in office.