From outside the box

I wrote a letter to the editor a couple of years ago in which I tried to make the point that George Bush was just to liberal for me. The subtle humor and the point that I was trying to make did not come across well in that letter. What I was trying to say was that the republican party, under George Bush and the republican congress, had become everything that they had always blamed democrats for being. Bush had a deal worked out with congress that if they gave him free reign on the war in Iraq, in return, he would not veto any of their spending bills. So for 6 years government grew, government became more intrusive into our personal lives, spending went thru the roof, and the national debt doubled. These are all things that the republicans have for years criticized the democrats for doing, when in reality, they are the ones that have always done these things.

The republicans went thru the roof when Clinton lied about having sex. Can you imagine if Al Gore had been elected along with a democratic congress and went into Iraq and escalated the national debt as Bush and the republican congress have done since Clinton left office, how the right wing would have reacted? They would have been outraged to say the least. And don't use 911 as an excuse because Al Gore would not have invaded Iraq over 911. He would have vetoed a lot of the bills that came before him because of the excessive pork, he would not have given homeland security the invasive rights they now have, he would not have allowed the national debt to be where it is at today, and he would have kept government at the manageable levels that Clinton bought it down to after 12 years of Bush senior and Ronald Reagan.

It is said that we best teach that which we most need to learn. I don't believe that. We best teach that which we know the best. But I do believe that we best "preach" that which we most need to learn. And that is so obvious with the republican party right now. They have been preaching values they no longer have the right to preach. Since Eisenhower, can somebody please tell me one republican president who has shrunk government, lowered spending, bought down the national debt, or did anything to make government less intrusive in our lives? Being against gay marriage, medical marijuana (even hemp), womens rights, euphanasia, the right to buy cheaper prescription drugs from other countries, and every other personal practice that does not hurt other people is not getting out of our lives. Gun control and corporate regulations, thats where they believe in staying out of our personal lives. And now the right wing spin machine is hard at it trying to turn "Hillary" into a bad word. After all the damage the republicans have inflicted upon this country over the last 6 years, the trillions in debt they have racked up, the bloated government they have created, the personal rights they have eroded, and the failed mismanaged war in Iraq, they should just shut up and let somebody else have a chance to try to fix their messes.