Read My Lips (and Ignore my Hands)!

Trusting either of the two primary political machines is like deciding which rattlesnake you should put in your pocket today...

Who in this building do you trust?

(HARRISVILLE, N.H.) - Trusting either of the two primary political machines is like deciding which rattlesnake you should put in your pocket today

According to an article titled "Senators vote to ban earmarks — then grab them", written by Andrew Taylor and published by the Associated press, the majority of Senators are verbose in their support of banning earmark spending, yet only two (Orin Hatch of Utah and Bob Corker of Tennessee) were sincere enough to withdraw the earmarks they had applied for earlier.

Most of these elected officials had obviously hoped that the all-to-typical Washington politics as usual handling of the U.S. voter’s discontent with obscene spending would go unnoticed. The old shell-game ploy of “watch my lips not my hands” was put into play by the vast majority of these solons, believing that the majority of voters would only remember what they said and either never learn of the earmarks they had applied for or forget that they had applied for earmarks.

Is it possible that Orin Hatch and Bob Corker are the only two honest individuals in the U.S. Senate? Well, that is possible but it is also possible that a few were so busy with other things that they simply forgot to pull their requests for earmarks and it is also possible that a very few never applied for earmarks to begin with.

When you add the two Senators I mentioned earlier to the few possibly forgetful individuals and the few who initially cared enough about your tax bill to avoid requesting earmarks to begin with, you would probably be able to count them on your fingers and find that you had a finger or two unused for the count.

This disgraceful representation of callousness in the Senate to the demands of the taxpaying public should be telling every voting U.S. citizen that the fight to acquire honest representation is far from over.

It is actually in an infantile stage. We have all heard the leaders of the House of Representatives and the Senate expound on how they were going to “Clean-up Corruption” in their respective domains only to watch as case after case of corruption was smoke-screened, white-washed, and/or rationalized away.

Clearly, it is ultimately up to the taxpayer and voter to police these august houses of corruption. “How do we do that?” you might ask. It is simple really. Start keeping track of what your own representatives do, how they vote, what votes they bypass, what votes they are not present for, and how much they work to avoid raising your taxes. All states track this information and it is available to the public... usually via your state’s own website.

You may have to do a bit of hunting and research to find it (depending on your particular states website) but it is there.

For right now, I have Orin Hatch of Utah and Bob Corker of Tennessee marked down on my spreadsheet as probably being honest individuals who listen to the taxpayer. That could change but if it does, I will know because I will not stop watching. I happen to vote for the individual rather than the party.

I believe that every taxpaying voter should do the same. Trusting either of the two primary political machines is like deciding which rattlesnake you should put in your pocket today... But, that is just my opinion!

Writer Robert Collinsworth is an American who isn't hesitant to talk about the good side of his country, and that is a welcome thing in this day and age. Salem-News.com admittedly, is very critical of both American politics, as well as those of other nations that we perceive is being wrong in their motives and actions. At the same time, within these structures we criticize, are many outstanding people who make each day a better place for all those around them. They embody and personify the American spirit that is sometimes fleeting, but always present. These are some of the things Robert takes into account when writing commentary that is designed reach people, to "get them thinking" in his words, and indeed it does. Salem-News.com's goal is for all people to be on the same page, we appreciate Bob's more conservative approach toward that same goal."

You can write to Bob Collingsworth at this email address: colli2@webryders.net