We each need to Become a World-Class 'Ass-Ache'

"Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them" - Charlie Reese

'Politicians' Courtesy: motifake.com

(HARRISVILLE, N.H.) - Do you know who Charlie Reese is? Well, you will know who he is and will probably remember his name for a considerable period after reading this article.

Orlando Sentinel's Charlie Reese

Charlie Reese was a syndicated columnist who worked for the Orlando Sentinel until he retired on August 30, 2008. He was a journalist who was plainspoken and honest.

Highly respected by his peers and virtually all who knew him, he has many awards to his credit and has had his articles made a formal part of the Congressional Record.

His coverage of many of the events spanning his 53 year career in journalism is used by many publications as an example of how to do things right.

According to Snopes.com, the following article titled “Looking for someone to blame? Congress is a good place to start!” was published in the Orlando Sentinel, on March 7, 1995. Although this article may not be the best he has written, Charlie Reese will long be remembered for it.

It cuts out the fat and quickly gets to the meat of the issue. Folks, take the time to read the article I am about to quote because the core issues Charlie Reese describes in this article he wrote in 1995, are still with us today and most, if not all, may be reaching critical mass:

“Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them.

Have you ever wondered why, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, we have deficits? Have you ever wondered why, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, we have inflation and high taxes?

You and I don't propose a federal budget. The president does. You and I don't have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of Representatives does. You and I don't write the tax code. Congress does. You and I don't set fiscal policy. Congress does. You and I don't control monetary policy. The Federal Reserve Bank does.

One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one president and nine Supreme Court justices - 545 human beings out of the 235 million - are directly, legally, morally and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country.

I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered but private central bank.

I excluded all but the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason. They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman or a president to do one cotton-picking thing. I don't care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash. The politician has the power to accept or reject it.

No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislation's responsibility to determine how he votes.

A CONFIDENCE CONSPIRACY

Don't you see how the con game that is played on the people by the politicians? Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party.

What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of Tip O'Neill, who stood up and criticized Ronald Reagan for creating deficits.

The president can only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept it. The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating appropriations and taxes.

O'neill is the speaker of the House. He is the leader of the majority party. He and his fellow Democrats, not the president, can approve any budget they want. If the president vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto.

REPLACE SCOUNDRELS

It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 235 million cannot replace 545 people who stand convicted -- by present facts - of incompetence and irresponsibility.

I can't think of a single domestic problem, from an unfair tax code to defense overruns, that is not traceable directly to those 545 people.

When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise power of the federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist.

If the tax code is unfair, it's because they want it unfair. If the budget is in the red, it's because they want it in the red. If the Marines are in Lebanon, it's because they want them in Lebanon.

There are no insoluble government problems. Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they can take it.

Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exist disembodied mystical forces like "the economy," "inflation" or "politics" that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do.

Those 545 people and they alone are responsible. They and they alone have the power. They and they alone should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses - provided they have the gumption to manage their own employees.”

Since Charlie Reese wrote this article, the President, Speaker of the House, the majority of Congress, and the political party in power have all changed . . . some several times . . . But, the problems facing our country have not. Those who Charlie Reese correctly blamed in 1995 are still the ones we should blame today. These same 545 individuals have added noticeably to the problems identified by Charlie Reese in 1995.

The President, Congress, and the Supreme Court may view Charlie Reese as an world-class “Ass-Ache” for correctly and publicly pointing out who is responsible for the problems our country faces but we should view him as a someone to look up to . . . someone who had the courage to stare political correctness and governmental pressure in the face and inform us of exactly where the bear squatted in the woods. We also owe a debt of thanks to the Orlando Sentinel for being one of the few newspapers at that time with the foresight, courage, and integrity to publish Charlie Reese’s editorial.

Did you ever notice how when one sheep says “Baaa” a number of other sheep will chime-in or if a few sheep begin running toward the pasture gate how most of the flock will follow? Well, that is how the career politicians who are currently running our country (into the ground) see us . . . as a flock of sheep to be herded. The mass media is being used as sheep dogs and the IRS does the shearing.

Year after year, we watch as the rights granted to us by our constitution are stepped on by our own government. We watch as that same government spends more than we can repay to please lobbyists and their respective political parties and thus assure that re-election campaign contributions keep rolling in. We have witnessed a move of Social Security moneys into the General fund where any politician who could garner a vote could tap them for use by pork-barrel projects. We have seen the Post Office, Medicare, and virtually every other entity run by our government, either become insolvent or fatally cumbersome at the hands of the very government that runs them.

“Where does it all end?” you might ask. Well folks, that is up to us. We can continue to be led as sheep to the shearing or we can exercise one of the most important rights U.S. citizens have ever been granted . . . the right to vote. Forget about political parties because if you really look at their record, you will agree with my opinion that all political parties are as crooked as a dog’s hind-leg. Forget about publicized platforms and campaign promises because history proves that they are forgotten within seconds after acceptance speeches are made. Do your own research. Examine the background, experience, voting record, history, friends, and actions of the individual running for elected office. Then, vote your conscience based on what the country needs, what the state needs, what your town needs, what your neighborhood needs, and what you need. We can take our country back folks. It may take some time and time is running out, but we can do it. Those 545 individuals are not the heart and soul of our country . . . we are... and, that is not 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