POST-GAZETTE - Res Publica

In the Swim of Things

by David Trumbull

August 21, 2009


Self-identified conservatives outnumber self-identified liberals in all 50 states of the union, according to the Gallup Poll. Even Massachusetts has more self-identified conservatives (30 percent) than liberals (29 percent, with 38 percent identifying as “moderate”).

Yes, President Obama appears more and more another Bill Clinton whose excesses helped fuel voter outrage that gave us the magnificent Republican victories in 1994.

The President said congress needed to pass the stimulus package quickly, before they had time to read it. The Democrats did, with no support from Republicans in the House and merely three Republican votes in the Senate. Now, months later, economists report that the economy is already recovering before the bulk of the stimulus money has been spent and it is manifestly clear than any benefit to the economy will be vastly offset by the crippling future debt in this package of special interest pork-barrel spending.

One Republican-in-Name-Only Senator, Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, voted with the liberals on the stimulus and has since officially joined the Democratic Party. He can be seen at town halls defending Obama’s indefensible plan to put every aspect of your medical care into the hands of Washington bureaucrats. His constituents are not happy. Nor are the people who show up at any of the town halls open to constituent participation (as oppose to an Obama photo-op “town hall” where Democratic Party operatives hand-pick the attendees).

Massachusetts Congressman Barney Frank got on earful at a recent town hall. At least he was not as arrogant as New York Congressman Eric Massa who stated that he would vote for government take-over of your health care even if it meant that the voters of his district would throw him out of office. Boston’s Congressman Stephen Lynch has announced a health care town hall for August 27th beginning at six o’clock at Curry College in Milton.

I say let’s keep on having these town halls. The more voters learn about socialized medicine they less they like it. The thought of a government panel deciding who gets what services and when horrifies. And the notion that the government can run medical care more efficiently than physicians and other medical professionals would be laughable if it were that Obama and his crew are deadly serious about it.

Fortunately the Democrats again prove to be their own worst enemies. Just as the health care debate heated up so did our long-awaited summer. As temperatures hit the 90s, the Patrick mal-administration on Beacon Hill announced the closure of public swimming pools. Seems they hadn’t planned for warm weather in August, showing once again that those who think government is good at providing public services are all wet.

[David Trumbull is the chairman of the Boston Ward Three Republican Committee. Boston's Ward Three includes the North End, West End, part of Beacon Hill, downtown, waterfront, Chinatown, and part of the South End.]

--30--