Republicans Start the Year Off with Typical Stupidity

I guess Republicans didn't get the message in the election.  Losing the Presidential election and losing seats in both houses of Congress didn't drive it home.  So they just keep pushing their tired, ridiculous agenda.  Within the first few days of the new year, I've read about two extremely stupid bills being proposed by Republicans (gives me a good idea of what to expect for the next two years). 

First, while the Violence Against Women Act and the Hurricane Sandy Relief Bill go unapproved in Congress, Republican Michelle Bachman announced that she introduced the first bill of the 113th Congress to repeal the Affordable Care Act.  Despite passing similar bills 33 times in the last useless congressional session that didn't go anywhere, Republicans apparently don't mind wasting millions more passing the repeal (the first 33 times cost an estimated $50 million to taxpayers). 

This morning, I read news of another Republican that has decided to waste taxpayer money by introducing a bill that would allow public schools to require the recitation of the Lord's Prayer.  Indiana state senator Dennis Kruse, who attempted and failed to get creationism taught in schools last year, filed a bill that would allow Indiana schools to force children to recite the Lord's Prayer, although the bill allows for individual students to opt out.  In this case, the Republican in charge of the Indiana state senate was intelligent enough to recognize that this bill is an unconstitutional waste of time.  He assigned it to the rules and legislative procedures committee and said that it was a clear violation of the first amendment. 

That leads to the question of why these legislators are introducing bills that they know will fail.  The answer is that they want to make a statement.  They believe that their agenda should be forced upon the rest of us, regardless of whether we want it or not.  They choose to make a statement that costs us millions of dollars.  Meanwhile, they complain about frivolous government spending. 

This just illustrates the hypocrisy of the Republican agenda.  They say they want to stop spending, but waste millions on bills they know won't pass.  They say they want smaller government, but want to write more laws restricting the freedoms of specific groups.  Ask them why, and they'll tell you that there's a difference between conservative fiscal policy and conservative social policy.  Of course there is, that difference is called hypocrisy. 

I can respect a true libertarian.  They don't want government intrusion at all.  They want very little government in either fiscal or social policy.  While I may not agree with much of their agenda, I can respect them for having a solid belief and applying it to all aspects of government. On the other hand, today's conservatives are simply hypocrites who only push their ideology as far as it benefits their agenda.  They are perfectly willing to compromise their ideology to make a statement about their beliefs (which is ironic because they refuse to compromise with anyone who believes differently in order to get things accomplished).  Maybe this is why their party is imploding...no one, not even their own party members, can really a group that doesn't live up to its ideals and proves itself full of hypocrites over and over.  Hopefully all of this silliness and waste ends after the 2014 election when many of these people are removed from office. 

Slight of Hand: Conservatives Can't Debate Romney

I've noticed lately that every time someone posts a discussion about Romney, the conversation ends up being about President Obama.  Actually, I noticed this a while ago with some of the conservatives which whom I routinely have debates.  I had hoped that it was a localized phenomenon, but sadly I was wrong. 

Does this sound familiar to anyone who has tried to discuss Romney's many failings with a conservative?

"But look at what Obama did!"

That's all I seem to hear anymore.  Romney economic plan a joke?  But Obama increased the debt!  Romney proving he is a complete failure at foreign relations?  But Obama didn't have any experience and look at the riots in Libya and Egypt!  Romney obviously trying to hide something in the tax returns that he refuses to release?  But Obama hasn't given us all of his educational records!  Romney dismissed 47 percent of Americans as not his problem?  But Obama is a radical Muslim communist!

I like to call this recent tactic by conservatives, "slight of hand."  They are like magicians trying to hide what they are doing in one hand by making you focus on something else in their other hand.  The problem is that they don't really have any way to defend Romney's complete inadequacy as a candidate because he is practically indefensible.  By his own admission he doesn't have any complete plans for the country.  He is relying on certain "principles" to guide his policies and actions.  But try to bring that up with a conservative and you'll get a discussion of Obama's policies.  

I love debates.  They are a big reason that I do this blog.  I think that, as long as we keep an open mind in a debate, we open ourselves to new perspectives that help us learn and grow.  But that doesn't work if a debate is simply a forum for pointing fingers at Obama without actually discussing the issue.  I would love to see a conservative debate something posted about Romney without using the word Obama.  Just once.  You never know, maybe if they had some good points I might look at an issue differently.