You Put Your Left Foot In

Was just reading Pat Buchanan's latest article. He makes a very good case that should give Americans of either political persuasion reason to pause before pulling that lever.

He puts forth the case that if the recent spate of polls are accurate, the American people are about to be subjected to the most far left Federal Government that anyone could imagine. Some say even farther to the left than FDR's administration. And that is saying something. A lot of people are still around from that time period even if most of those were just children or teenagers at most.

During the 2000 election my 70 something neighbor and I were talking politics. The race was between Bush and Gore of course and while I ended up voting third party, I could not for the life of me understand his rational for voting for Gore. He stated sheepishly that he was voting for Gore for no other reason than that he was a Democrat. Period. Yet he couldn't stand Gore and thought that he would be a disastrous president. I kid you not. No matter what the argument though, he was a Democrat because of FDR. And by God he felt he owed FDR. His generation grew up in some very hard times. Times that only those that lived through it could even begin to understand the austerity of a Great Depression. I've met a lot of older people my parents age who think the same way about FDR. Those of the "Greatest Generation" look fondly on a time when the Federal government was completely controlled by Democrats.

There have been many more years that the government is 'divided'. In that the congress, or one house of it, were controlled by a different party than the Presidency. Such a division of power hasn't really turned out all that well for the people over the last several decades. It seems that the Democrats and Republicans will find a way to pass the legislation that the government wants passed no matter what and usually legislation that benefits the people gets blocked time after time unless the people raise a big enough ruckus as in the case of the McCain backed Immigration bill. And more recently the Wall Street Bailout. In either case, many Congress people should lose their jobs over these votes alone. But chances are better than even that they will still be in office in January 2009.

So let's presume that trends will remain static and Israel doesn't attack before the election. Obama is the president and the Congress has veto proof majorities. If the Republicans are so terrified, and want to terrify the People into voting for them to ward off this evil; why doesn't a Republican President sign or revoke some executive orders to at least attempt to shield the American public from the horrors? Is that allowed? The Presidents certainly aren't shy about Executive Orders are they? Certainly not, below is a list of recent presidents and the number of EO's each:

Recent presidents:

GW Bush 268, so far

Clinton 363

G. Bush 165

Reagan 380

Carter 319

Ford 168

Nixon 345

Johnson 323

Kennedy 213

Eisenhower 481

Truman 893

FD Roosevelt 3,466

So President Bush, we're nearing the end of your time in office and you are faced with living in a country that, polls show, loathes you. Read some blogs, read some newspapers, for God's sake read something and realize that you have so alienated your party and base that the Democrats are a shoo-in. And that scares many in your party and on the radio talk shows.

What do you do to protect the people? Do you rescind a couple dozen Executive Orders that allegedly enact Martial Law on the Republic at large? No? Okay how about closing up some of the more onerous Federal Alphabet agencies? Oh sure, the next guy will probably re-authorize these things but in the months that it would take, the People might realize that they didn't need that agency after all. How about disarming the Park Rangers and put them back to looking out for bears and picnic baskets instead of 'enforcing' the law. How about telling the boys in the military that there are dozens of countries around the world that haven't been involved in a war for many years and that you 'want to give that a try'? Some of those countries are even rumored to be 'civilized'. Perhaps just as a prank, President Bush could recall as many troops as possible before January 2009.

Barring a sudden pang of conscience on the part of the current Administration, the next party in power will have such tools as Torture, surveillance, and at least one war, just to name a few in it's tool box. To top it off , other good news for the Democrats is that President Bush's administration has invented a perpetual motion machine. And it prints money! These are powerful tools and none of them seem to be in any danger of going away before the Democrats take over.

This election season has lasted for longer than any other campaign in history and it shows. But I think there is a little apprehension behind the elation of 'turning the page' on this administration. Some realize all the danger the next four to eight years can hold yet we're hopeful for the promise. The promise of an America that begins to care more for America. A country that doesn't feel the need to involve ourselves in other countries affairs. If Liechenstein and Zimbabwe have a diasagreement, so what? How about we mind our own business for a while. We're hopeful for a Country that begins to spend more on bettering the health and well being of its own citizens before killing the innocent citizens in a country we can't find on a map. I've heard it said that War is how American's learn geography. Well, I'm tired of learning geography. The governments education system has made sure that I know where Japan is, where Germany is, Korea, Viet Nam, Grenada, Lebanon, Iraq, Panama Canal, Iran, Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq again, et al, etc.

Pat Buchanan and others are blowing the trumpet of warning of a Left of Center 'take-over of the Federal Government. My question to them, is: Can they be any worse?