Conversation overheard on a street near the nation's Capitol building.
Person 1: (In a panic) What was that loud boom? Was it an earthquake? A sonic boom? Are we under attack? Where is the nearest fallout shelter?
Person 2: Don't worry. It's just the sound of Republicans caving. You'll get used to it after a while. It occurs quite often, especially around this time of year. Relax.
Yes, it's an all too familiar sound in Washington, D.C. No one is surprised by it.
You may not be able to hear the boom or feel the tremors emanating from Washington, D.C., from your spot in the hinter lands, but the results are felt by every American: a sluggish economy, joblessness, higher prices, stagnant wages, vacant buildings and ailing businesses.
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Democrats believe in big government. They never see a government program or a spending bill they can't support unless, of course, it doesn't spend enough. They believe the masses need a Big Brother government to meet all of their needs.
Republicans, on the other hand, believe in personal responsibility and a limited government. They trust the free market to provide the wide variety of goods and services we have come to expect. They know that competition and innovation drives down prices and creates jobs. They believe that most essential government services should be left to cities and states where the people's representatives are more accountable.
But, let's be clear. We didn't get a federal government with its tentacles in virtually every aspect of our lives, a $17 trillion national debt and more than 80,000 pages of onerous federal regulations without a lot of cooperation from Republicans.
Now, the party is in a dither because some Republicans want to tie raising the debt ceiling to the repeal of Obamacare, a wildly unpopular measure that was ramrodded through Congress, misrepresented to the American people and threatens to bankrupt the county.
Wow! Who could be against that except hard-line Democrats who can't admit (in the words of one of its principal architects) that this bill is a "train wreck" and, of course, Mr. Obama himself.
So who else is against that? Republican representatives in Congress, including most of the leadership who have grown so comfortable in office that they are unwilling to stand on principle and risk everything to do what is right for the country. They are afraid they can't defend their position when Obama takes a hard line and shuts down the government. Why, they could lose their seats in Congress have to get real jobs!
They argue that this approach is doomed to fail and that history agrees with them. They point to a similar scenario that occurred in 1996, when the Republican-led Congress stood up to Bill Clinton and he shut down the government. Under Speaker Newt Gingrich, they didn't have a plan for that. Unfortunately, 17 years later under John Boehner, they still don't.
All Mr. Boohoo wants to do is coast. He wants to put everything on hold until 2014, when he hopes that we will elect enough Republicans to give them veto-proof majorities in the House and the Senate, and then he will do something.
Oh, yeah!
Why should we believe him when he has done nothing but complain since he took the speaker's gavel?
Mr. Boehner: "We control only one-half (boohoo) of one-third of the government! (Boohoo!)"
Yes, Mr. Boehner, but, when it comes to spending, it is the most important piece of this puzzle we call our government.
By law, all spending bills must originate in the House of Representatives. Not a dime gets spent unless you allow it. So stop Obamacare and the thousands of non-essential government programs dead in their tracks until we get this budget balanced and get our economy back on track.
Sure, there is going to be a lot of groaning and whining, but right now most of it is coming from you.
You can begin by taking care of business. Congress should be in session, not going on a month-long recess with only four of the 12 spending bills that make up the federal budget passed. This is shameful!
Don't worry about what the Senate may or may not pass or Obama may or may not sign. Just do your job and let the chips fall where they may.
Presently, our citizens know that if they vote for Democrats, the economy may continue to sputter, but they'll get free stuff. If they vote for Republicans, they'll get nothing but empty promises.
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