Republicans, Conservatives and The Tax Tea Party

The republican party and conservatism does not define each other and has been that way since the election of Ronald Reagan as President.  The last 3 republican Presidents and members of their party in congress have by their actions proven there is no such thing as a conservative politician.  The same holds true for many republican leaders who are no longer in congress but still play a major role in the republican party decisions such as Newt Gingrich, Dick Armey, Tom DeLay and others.

 

Then you have those in the news media like Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Bill O'Riley, Niel Cavuto and others who I will refer to as the "group" who preach conservatism but in fact are right wing radicals who care nothing about the principal foundations our country was built on. 

 

The "group" and those mentioned above have banded together and high jacked true conservatism and replaced it with right wing ideology, then created a base to promote and practice that ideology.  The result has been to divide America, deficit spending and debt for 20 years, a transfer of wealth from the middle class, failure to regulate corporate America and the economic situation the country finds itself in today.

 

The American people in the last 3 elections, two congressional and one Presidential, made a decision to reverse the ideology policies of the republican party and put the democrats in control.  As a result the republican party has no real leader today that has any credibility.  The "group" will not support any republican who puts country first that is why they are promoting and leading the current tax and tea party.  They can not compete with new ideas so they try to create an issue for the new President.  At the same time they are silent on the subject of the cause of what is taking place in America today, republican ideology. 

 

What the republican party needs is a new leader who is willing to stand up to the present leaders of their party and the "group" and put the country first.  The days of beating on ones chest and proclaiming, "I am a conservative" and that makes me better than any one else are gone.  The republican party has failed to offer the American people any constructive direction. 

Who's Side Are They On?

Louisiana representatives Charles Boustany and Steve Scalise's letter to the eidtor of the Times Picayune dated 4/17/09 is just another scare tactic to maintain the status quo of corporate welfare to the Oil and Gas Industry.  Congress has already given that industry over a year ago $7 or $8 billion of corporate welfare at a time when oil was over $100 barrel and gasoline $3.00 gallon.

 

They now say the government should be giving them more to increase production.  What is stopping that industry now from increasing production?  Oil is over $50 barrel and gasoline around $2.00 gallon.  The rig count both nationally and in Louisiana has been going down.  That reflects supply has overtaken demand because the people have cut back on their driving habits and are using less fuel.  That is good sense by the consumer and good for the economy, they can spend their money on more productive things like consumer goods, health insurance and education.

 

Mr. Boustany and Scalise need to leave the pockets of corporate America, especially the oil and gas industry and their lobbyist.  They preach conservatism and then cater to the special interest groups, then use the Cap and Trade legislature passed by the U.S. House to scare the people.  The oil and gas industry has made record profits for the last several years, they can afford to do what ever need to be done on their own.  Using tax payers dollars to give the oil and gas industry to increase production is wasted money. 

 

The public needs to also remember it is members of congress who stack the tax code with loop holes and goodies that allow corporate America to pay less than their fair share of taxes and shields a good portion of their revenue from tax with offshore accounts.  If any one believes corporate welfare will allow business to reduce their products costs to consumers, they need to study economics and learn that it is greed that fuels corporate America. 

 

The status quo seems to be Mr. Boustany and Scalise's agenda.  The American people voted the opposite way in the November elections.