Please! Let the Senate find some sanity this new year!
By Felicia (Fee) Benamon (01/09/06)
As we welcome the New Year, I am focused on the gubernatorial and senate elections that will occur later this year. Frankly, I'm tired of all the political posturing, all- out grabs for funds on needless pork projects (bridges to nowhere), and senators who are only concerned about their political careers and not about the people.
Republican and Democratic senators have disappointed me. Democrats don't want to work with the President on anything or pass any legislation that will be beneficial to the American public. Instead, they play partisan politics, putting up constant road blocks to any important issue that needs to be addressed or passed. Few Republican senators stand strong and sometimes waver in their support of President Bush. Since Republicans enjoy the majority in the House and Senate, they need to start working for the people as if they do have the majority. They have a mandate from us, and we expect them to be top notch.
Now, the Senate is embroiled in a fraud scandal with senators on both sides taking bribes from power lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who recently plead guilty to such charges. The Senate is full of people who we've sent to Washington, who are only thinking of themselves and their pockets. These people need to go by November.
Democrats have succeeded in blocking many issues that could have benefited our country and Republicans have wavered, often striking deals with the Democrats that have watered down President Bush's agenda. Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) comes to mind. Remember the Gang of 14 senators who decided to lay out conditions on judges to be confirmed because of a threat of a filibuster by Democrats? If Democrats would have allowed an up or down vote on judicial nominees, there wouldn't have been a need for a group of senators to separate from the rest of the Senate to "strike a deal".
Sen. McCain was right up front. He is notorious for wavering back and forth, I sometimes wonder if he is confused. I mentioned in an earlier article how he confronts the issue of the possibility that the U.S. could be torturing terror suspects. Why is his mind on terror suspects' rights? It should be on working to protect the American people. To me, Sen. McCain's torture amendment undermines our mission to effectively get information from terror suspects. Have some confidence in the leadership of the Bush administration, man! We are not sadistic as a nation, but we do recognize the need to keep our citizens safe.
The issue of whether to allow drilling in ANWR came before the Senate in 2005, only to be shot down. As a matter of fact, this issue has floated around for many years and senators have just put it aside, as if we aren't facing a problem with high gas prices and dependence on foreign oil. This time, they kicked it to the curb:
ANWR Defeat Called 'Big Blow to Energy Independence'
By Randy Hall
CNSNews.com Staff Writer/Editor
December 22, 2005
(CNSNews.com) - A research institute in Washington, D.C., is calling Wednesday's vote by the Senate not to open Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to oil exploration a "big blow to energy independence," but an organization that promotes the preservation of wildlife habitat hailed the decision as a "hard-won environmental victory."
"ANWR is important not only for the oil it could provide, but for the precedent it would set," said H. Sterling Burnett, a senior fellow with the National Center for Policy Analysis. "With oil selling for more than $50 per barrel, drilling on other public lands could contribute billions of barrels of oil that currently are off limits to drilling.
"ANWR should have received an up-or-down vote," Burnett stated. "But political maneuvering by Senate Democrats beholden to environmental lobbyists has once again prevented that."
The Senate voted on Wednesday to reject an amendment from Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) attaching oil exploration in the Refuge to the Defense Appropriations bill, Burnett said, continuing a trend the chamber has maintained over several years even though the Clinton administration argued that such drilling could be done in an environmentally friendly manner.
(see article link below)
***
Surprisingly, the Clinton administration saw something good in this.
According to the article, the wildlife in ANWR will not be harmed...they are flourishing. So why are senators listening to far left environmental groups?! Why are they listening to people whose goal is to play on people's emotions about destroying the environment...especially in the quest for oil? That's nonsense, we could be on our way to energy independence but there are people who are holding us back because of politics!
Race issues
I saw Americans pull together after Hurricane Katrina and we became a family again. But the finger pointing on the Bush administration's response to help victims of Hurricane Katrina got nasty. There were accusations that the Federal Government waited too long to respond to those in need of help in the New Orleans area. Let's make something clear. Local and state officials are the first responders in case of an emergency. They must then ask for help from the Federal Government to intervene. The Federal Government will not charge in and take over emergency operations in a state unless asked. We should be asking the question, "where were the local leaders?". Were they not accountable for leaving the people of New Orleans in a lurch?
But as usual, many looked to President Bush to work miracles. And the criticism of a slow federal response flowed. Instead of working together in the Senate and working to get what Katrina victims asked for and deserved, people like Sen. John Kerry were too busy pointing fingers.
It's amazing how Floridians handle hurricanes. Evacuations may not always go smoothly, but people do what they can and help each other, and state officials always seem to be on the ball to alert citizens, and help them to properly prepare.
During Hurricane Katrina, the issue of race was to the forefront. Let me just say that Hurricane Katrina affected people of all backgrounds. No one race of people suffered more than the other. Some are crying that blacks were treated unfairly during Katrina...conspiracy theories surfaced that the levees were blown up deliberately to affect the New Orleans black population! These are accusations used to further divide and cause negative feelings in our country. It is so harmful.
Let's be mindful that those who live on the coastline of Louisiana lost their livelihoods, their businesses, and their homes were leveled. This was not a predominately black area. Rich and poor suffered. As a matter of fact, Sen. Trent Lott (R-MS) lost his home to Hurricane Katrina. So you see, everyone was affected.
The aftermath of Katrina should not be used to spark racial tension. Hurricane Katrina should be a lesson that we should pull together as a family in times of struggle. Let's not forget that, and let's leave race out of it please.
Necessary protection for the American people
With the liberals and certain Democrat senators crying over wiretaps and constitutional rights of American citizens, they didn't stop to think about President Bush's constitutional right to protect us. He has used his powers legally in order to conduct necessary surveillance on Americans who are suspect of participating in terrorism. It's been done before, Clinton did it as well:
'Warrantless' searches not unprecedented
By Charles Hurt
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
December 22, 2005
Previous administrations, as well as the court that oversees national security cases, agreed with President Bush's position that a president legally may authorize searches without warrants in pursuit of foreign intelligence.
"The Department of Justice believes -- and the case law supports -- that the president has inherent authority to conduct warrantless physical searches for foreign intelligence purposes and that the president may, as he has done, delegate this authority to the attorney general," Clinton Deputy Attorney General Jamie S. Gorelick said in 1994 testimony before the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
That same authority, she added, pertains to electronic surveillance such as wiretaps.
(see article link below)
***
But now, in a feverish effort to slam President Bush for using his war time powers, certain Democratic senators are railing that the President illegally used surveillance techniques to gather info. on Americans. Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) went as far as asking Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA), who is on the Senate Judiciary Committee, to hold hearings to find out if President Bush abused his position with surveillance of Americans. Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) spoke out against President Bush's spy program as if her husband didn't use the same powers during his Presidency! He utilized them during peacetime with no complaints, so how absurd that she would lash out over this!
Here we have a President who is interested in protecting the lives of Americans, and he has to do that through surveillance of American citizens who are suspect of being involved in terrorism. Are these senators just interested in their political careers and how they will look to leftist supporters, or are they concerned with the safety of Americans? Makes you wonder.
There has also been some uproar over the monitoring of Muslim areas for radiation. Well if Muslims in America have nothing to hide, they won't be offended. They will cooperate and understand that we must do whatever is necessary to protect this country, and that includes them, if they are not radical and consider themselves American. They would be thankful to the government for conducting searches on mosques for radiation material.
With a hopeful heart for a great year
After reading what I've said, you now know why I mentioned that I hope the Senate gets its act together, and finds some shred of sanity and decency in 2006. I welcome 2006, hoping that senators will work together in the best interest of the American people, and will not take the approach of going it alone with their own agendas...separating from the rest of the Senate body.
Whatever issues the President puts forth, I'd expect a vote on it, not political attacks or filibusters.
We should be watching closely. Seems quite a bit of senators are up for re-election. And none should be spared a close review of their performance over the years.
Serious issues came before the Senate in 2005, and they were ignored or put aside. I do not want to see a repeat of this in 2006. There is too much at stake for our country, and the partisan politics in the Senate have to cease.
I hope American citizens become more involved in the political process and hold those who are not doing their jobs in Congress accountable. If they are not willing to work for us, give them the heave-ho.
I wish our country the best this new year! God Bless America!
Related Reading:
ANWR Defeat Called 'Big Blow to Energy Independence':
http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewNation.asp?Page=\Nation\archive\200512\NAT20051222a.html
Kerry blasts Bush on federal response to Hurricane Katrina:
http://www.thehill.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/Frontpage/092005/brief4.html
'Warrantless' searches not unprecedented:
http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20051222-122610-7772r.htm
Barbara Boxer letter to Specter:
http://boxer.senate.gov/news/record.cfm?id=250074
Hillary Clinton Blasts Bush 'Spy' Program:
http://newsmax.com/scripts/printer_friendly.pl?page=http://newsmax.com/archives/ic/2005/12/30/124754.shtml
US Senate-Up For Reelection in 2006:
http://www.fecinfo.com/2006senate.htm
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