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Is House Speaker Pelosi Being More Presidential Than the President?
Nancy Pelosi is in the Middle East this week trying to find common ground with countries that the Bush administration has spent the last six years criticizing, maligning and accusing of being terrorists. Could it be that the Speaker of the House has the better way?
Many feel that the only way to win the “War on Terror” is with the support of countries that have had disputes with the U.S. in the past. One thing that was learned in the post cold war openness of Russia was that despite all of the rhetoric of the cold war, the people of Russia weren’t that different from people in the U.S. Of course there were differences and some particularly stark ones in the area of political views but overall, the Russians loved their kids, wanted a peaceful existence and hoped to leave the world better than they came into it. Will we find out similar things about the Middle East if we cool down the saber rattling and name calling? After nearly fifty years of mutually assured destruction (M.A.D. being a very appropriate acronym given the madness of the cold war), we found peace with Russia. We found peace through dialogue and diplomacy. Some argue that we “won” the cold war by outlasting the “commie bastards” and building more bombs than they could but what did we gain by it? Did it make the world any better? Are we any safer with all of those nuclear weapons in the world that weren’t here before the cold war?
With Ms. Pelosi’s trip to the Middle East she is doing the things that actually build peace. She is talking to the leaders of the nations that are the best equipped to help us stop the violence. If you only talk to the people that support you, you can never resolve the problems with the nations that oppose you. War does not facilitate peace overall despite what some leaders would have you think. From WWI we got WWII. From WWII we got the cold war, Korean War, Vietnam War, The Six Days War (and every other conflict involving the state of Israel), The Afghan – Soviet War, etc. From the Afghan – Soviet War we got 9/11 and the war in Afghanistan and on it goes. The losing side or wronged bystanders usually find a way to take some measure of revenge down the road unless they are utterly annihilated. War does not bring peace. War brings more war and the people who suffer are not the people giving the orders.
A real leader has the vision see that peace comes through dialogue and cooperation between nations and works toward peace without bombs and “collateral damage”. Perhaps it’s time for the old mindsets from America’s past to step aside and let people with a realistic vision for future peace take the lead. The old ways haven’t proven to be terribly successful. Thousands of dead Americans and tens of thousands of dead Iraqis is not success and is by no means progress nor has it made America any safer. Every day we refuse to talk to our “enemies” is another day that they can find another reason to hate us. We can’t kill everyone that hates us without committing genocide on a global scale. So the question becomes, how many more have to die for there to be a “win” for America so we can stop this current madness?
I for one applaud Nancy Pelosi in her efforts to begin a dialogue. Thank God someone in Washington has the sense to seek peace in the most likely manner to achieve it.
Troy Wilson-Ripsom - Staff Writer - Give your feedback on this article.
Independent View From the Campaign Trail
On Taxes:
Recently, I came across an article in the Wall Street Journal ( 3/21/07 Page A18) which parallels my views on the subject almost exactly. This article was written by Jeb Hensarling, Chairman of the Republican Study Committee, a group of over 100 conservatives in the House of Representatives and is titled “Contract Renewed”.
The article states:
The time has come for each member of Congress to show political courage. We must stop politicking and work to provide real solutions to the serious problems that our nation faces.. On March 21, 2007 Dick Armey, one of the authors of the original Contract with America, will be joined by taxpayers from across our country at the Capitol to endorse the American Taxpayer Bill of Rights, which was developed by the Republican Study Committee. These rights represent a renewed contract with all Americans to restore accountability to the halls of Congress. Here’s a glimpse:
1. Taxpayers have a right to have a Federal government that does not grow beyond their ability to pay for it.
2. Taxpayers have the right to receive back each dollar that they entrust to the government for their retirement.
3. Taxpayers have a right to expect the government to balance the budget without having their taxes raised.
4. Taxpayers have a right to a simple, fair tax code that they can understand.
I think they are on the right track here, pretty much. Let’s look at those more closely.
1. Taxpayers have a right to have a Federal government that does not grow beyond their ability to pay for it.
Our current debt is approximately $8.8 trillion dollars or over $29,000 for every man, woman and child in America . How did we ever allow it to get this big? This has to stop now. We are not in debt because we don’t pay enough in taxes, we are in debt because our politicians spend too much. It’s our money, not theirs.
If you or I or anyone gets too far into debt you have to cut back and only pay for the necessities until your finances are more in balance. That is exactly what needs to be done with the nation’s finances.
2. Taxpayers have the right to receive back each dollar that they entrust to the government for their retirement.
I would take this one step further by saying that taxpayers have the right to receive back each dollar that they entrust to the government for their retirement plus a reasonable rate of return. Most of the younger generation does not believe that social security will be around for them when it comes to their turn to retire. The system must be modified to ensure that it is or Social Security is just another tax.
3. Taxpayers have a right to expect the government to balance the budget without having their taxes raised.
Income taxes are just the tip of the iceberg. We are taxed for trash, water, gasoline, telephone, property, vehicles, you name it. If the politicians can find a way, they will slap a tax on it. At one time those taxes made “some” sense since they were established to support the items that were actually being taxed. However, as time went on, more and more taxes have found their way into the general fund instead of being used for the purpose for which they were intended.
So I have two suggestions:
First, if a tax is on a specific item, gasoline for instance, that tax money must be used for what it was intended to be used for – maintaining and building roads, bridges and other infrastructure.
Second, we must have a balanced budget amendment. That is the only way to ensure that Congress will propose budgets that are within our ability to pay for them out of our current income.
4. Taxpayers have a right to a simple, fair tax code that they can understand.
The current tax code is ridiculously complicated. So much so that approximately 60% of taxpayers pay someone else to prepare their taxes and that should truly not be necessary. In order to get better and more complete compliance with paying taxes we need to make the whole system much simpler and easier to use. For that reason, I strongly believe in a flat tax system.
Although I agree wholeheartedly with the above four proposals, it is interesting and amazing to me that a group composed of 100 House members have come forward with this “Contract” given the fact that they are probably a lot of the same people that are responsible for the 43% increase in the Federal budget over the last 5 years. It is, however, a step in the right direction.
Frank McEnulty - Independent Candidate For President - Give your feedback on this article. | Visit the Campaign Website
