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| Letter writer cites ‘Absolute power corrupts absolutely’ adage |
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There is an old adage, “power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Now that the Presidency, the US Senate, and US House are all under one-party rule, we are seeing Indiana’s power at the national level diluted, not only with the stimulus, but also with cap-and-trade, representation, and the Census.
On Feb. 17, President Obama signed into law the $787 billion economic stimulus. The same day, at the February board meeting of the Eastern Indiana Development District (EIDD), Executive Director Nancy Kinder announced Indiana would receive $12 billion of this amount (1.5 percent of the stimulus, although we have approximately 2.0 percent of national population).
That same day, at his New Castle Town Hall meeting, Rep. Mike Pence commented that only 5 percent of the package is for roads and bridges. So much is loaded with pork, that we have mortgaged the future of our children and grandchildren, who will have to lower their standards of living to pay back money we borrow today.
However, according to the Muncie Star Press of June 21, www.recovery.gov claims Indiana will receive only $2.3 billion. Then, at the June 23 EIDD board meeting, Deputy Director Brian Bergen announced Indiana will now receive only $480 million, rather than $12 billion, and that Michigan would receive a larger share than planned. Indiana, North Dakota and Wyoming are the only states with balanced budgets, yet look where it has gotten us. So much for fiscal responsibility.
On June 26, by a vote of 219-212, the U.S. House of Representatives passed cap-and-trade legislation. The bill now moves to the U.S. Senate. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the average American family will pay $175 more per year (New Castle, Ind. Courier Times, June 27).
However, on April 16, Pence warned attendees at a New Castle and Henry County Chamber of Commerce luncheon that, if cap-and-trade passes, the average Hoosier family will pay $3,200 more per year in increased electricity bills and other indirect costs. This is because of the Midwest’s dependence on coal-fired power plants.
If cap-and-trade passes the U.S. Senate, then the East Coast and Left Coast will get their way, at the expense of Indiana and the Midwest.
On Feb. 26, the U.S. Senate passed the D.C. House Voting Rights Act (S. 160) by a vote of 61-37, which would give the District of Columbia de facto statehood with a voting member in the U.S. House of Representatives. It now moves on to the House.
Does this mean American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands are next? With a population of 3.8 million, Puerto Rico could even demand six seats in the House.
D.C. already has three electoral votes and these five territories already have representatives on Capitol Hill, who are allowed to vote in committee, though not on the House floor. For them to become full voting members violates Article I, Section 2, and Article I, Section 8 of our Constitution, according to George Will (Muncie Star Press, Feb. 8).
For the D.C. House Voting Rights Act, our one-party government entered into an unholy alliance with the state of Utah, which nearly qualified for a fourth Congressional seat after the 2000 census. According to Will, a deal was struck with Utah’s two Republican U.S. Senators (one of whom later backed-out) to award Utah a fourth seat in exchange for their votes for the D.C. House Voting Rights Act. This would expand the U.S. House from 435 to 437 members for the first time in 96 years. What’s next? Awarding of U.S. Senate seats to D.C. and four other territories? Despite his Illinois residency, Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. may become more than just D.C.’s self-proclaimed “shadow Senator,” after all.
Most cynical of all, after Gov. Bill Richardson (D-N.M.) bowed-out of consideration for Secretary of Commerce, President Obama nominated Sen. Judd Gregg (R-N.H.). This was done in hopes of Gov. John Lynch (D-N.H.) appointing a fellow Democrat to replace Gregg in the U.S. Senate.
When White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel realized the Department of Commerce is in charge of the Census, he announced a plan to move the non-partisan Census from Commerce to the White House. After all, our next Census will take place in 2010, with results in 2011, and reapportionment of new Congressional Districts in time for 2012.
Thankfully, Sen. Gregg also bowed-out of consideration.
Thanks to their high numbers of illegal immigrants and pork-barreling members of Congress, states like California, Texas, Florida and Rahm Emanuel’s Illinois already have disproportionate representation in both Congress and the stimulus package, leaving states like conservative Indiana short-changed yet again.
Please urge Senators Lugar and Bayh to vote against cap-and-trade, and to fight for a fairer share of the stimulus for Indiana. Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.V.) has not yet gone to “the great pork barrel in the sky,” but as a Hoosier, I’m tired of Indiana subsidizing places like West Virginia and getting the short end of the stick.
Nate LaMar, President
Henry County (Ind.) Council |
| 11/18/2009 |
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