Greg Awtry

I have a good friend, and for those who frequent this Monday newspaper column, it may surprise you when I tell you he is a liberal Democrat. Like most good friends, we have something in common; in our case one of those things is our interest in politics.

The other day we were having our own “beer summit,” discussing our usual topic. We spent the first few minutes posturing as we always do and as is most often the case, we agreed the country is a mess, and we actually agreed on most of the problems our country has. Where we disagree is on the solutions.

Sounds just like Washington, doesn’t it? And in a way, it is. But the difference between Washington and our beer summit, and it is a big difference, is that we can sit down at the same table. We can come to a consensus. We can agree the government is broken. We can agree to disagree and find common ground on which we can begin to solve problems.

Another difference — and this is the really big one — unlike our elected officials we are not prisoners of a political party. Regardless if you think the problems in our nation, and there are many, like deficit spending to the tune of $13 trillion, illegal immigration, Social Security and Medicare going broke, federal bailouts, the growing tax burden, or the fact half of us pay no federal income tax at all, the overseas wars, the loss of jobs to foreign countries, corporate greed, the list can go on and on, but regardless of the problems, it is our political parties, and their unwillingness to sit around the same table and have legitimate constructive discussions that is the single most devastating problem we face today.

Now, here is where our conversation took a strange twist. My friend said he reads my “Monday Rantings” each week, and once, just once, why couldn’t I write something positive? I replied because people may not be interested in reading another story about my granddaughter!

He said, ”No, seriously, why don’t you write something positive about this country?”

I said, “Fine, help me find something positive.” An awkward moment of silence, which in itself was not such a bad thing, since our glasses were near empty and it gave us a chance to refresh. Now, finding something positive about our great nation is not a difficult thing to do, but finding something “Politically Positive” obviously is.

So while we pondered for a political positive, we found time to agree the first thing to do is to get rid of the entire current U.S. Congress because they have so spoiled the stew it is probably necessary to throw out the whole batch and begin anew. We also agreed that regardless of how disconnected we feel from the current congress, it is the only process we have at our disposal if we want to change the course of this nation.

So where are the positives? In the people. It is a positive that we are still in charge and we get our power from the United States Constitution and we exercise that power in the voting booths. It is a positive that we have a well educated populace and regardless of which side of the aisle you favor, we know how to solve problems. It is a positive we can change our elected officials every few years if they are not responsive to our demands.

It is a positive we live in an age of extreme communication which alone gives us more transparency than ever before in our history. It’s a positive that there is still a deeply rooted sense of patriotism and that the people will not let this grand experiment in self governing end by the hands of incompetent partisan fools who care much more about keeping their good job than doing a good job.

It is a positive that people on all sides are fed up, mad as hell, and aren’t going to take it anymore. It is a positive that we have Americans capable of righting the wrongs, of repairing the broken, of restoring the strength and of rescuing our children’s future. It is a positive we the people have vision and are re-engaging in our self governance.

And it is a positive that a conservative and a liberal can actually sit down over a cold beverage and do more in an hour than the Washingtonians can do in several terms in office. Finally, it is positive that true patriotism does not belong to a political party, but to the people, and that true friends who love our country can reach the same destination traveling different roads.

Friends, it is still good to be an American!

How many times have you said, “Where’s a policeman when you need one?” Seems like you see them all the time when you are pushing the posted speed limit just a little, but where are they when you have a tailgater right on your rear, close enough you can count their cavities in your rear view mirror? We all say, “Where is the cop now?”

Same with Congress. Seems like we see them all the time, complaining about the state of the country, but where are they when you really need them? The two biggest differences between the cops and the Congress is that the police are on the job every day, actually doing what they were hired to do. The cops are out there solving problems while Congress is back there creating problems.

Take a problem, any problem, trace it back to its roots and many times you will find the trail leads right back to the same U.S. Congress that talks about solving it, and talks about solving it, and talks about solving it.

Where do you want to begin? Illegal immigration is a hot topic right now, let’s start there.

In 1986, the last time major legislation regarding illegals was passed, an amnesty was granted to millions of folks in exchange for the promise by Congress to seal the borders. Oops! Forgot to do that, or should I say Congress was too cowardly to do that. So, 24 years and millions of illegal immigrants later, the cowards are doing what they do best; still talking about it, but afraid to do anything about it. They created the problem and are too cowardly to fix it.

Next, what about our 13 trillion dollar national debt, growing by four billion dollars a day? Congress holds the purse strings in this nation and every single penny of the debt can be traced right back to them. What are they doing about it? Spending even more money of course, taking us further into debt. Why? Because they are cowards, too afraid to look the American people in the eye and say, “We screwed up. We promised you more government than we can afford, so we are borrowing money from communist countries like China just to give you what we promised. Oh, by the way, we don’t have any plans to pay this off, but that’s okay, because we are hoping your grandchildren will.” The United States Congress created the problem and is too cowardly to fix it.

The economy, big problem, right? How is Congress to blame for this mess? They have created an overregulated, overtaxed conglomeration of bureaucratic red tape, making it increasingly difficult to do business here, forcing manufacturers overseas in astounding numbers, taking with them millions of jobs and the opportunity to create true wealth right along with them. Congress passed liberal lending laws causing the mortgage crisis, then in standard cowardly operating procedure, blamed the financial industry. Congress doesn’t create wealth; it consumes it. They know how to create jobs and grow the economy. Cut taxes, it works every time, but once again they are too cowardly to fix the problem.

So why exactly is Congress so afraid? Votes. If they do anything it may cost them votes. Can’t do anything about the immigration problem. It’s an election year. Can’t do anything about balancing the budget. It’s an election year. Can’t do anything about fixing Social Security, Medicare … it’s an election year.

Cowards didn’t build this great nation. It was built on the backs of people who risked everything they had. And they did it in the greatest land of opportunity in the history of the world. The early Congresses understood that. They didn’t create jobs, they created opportunity, and in doing so, they created a people with more courage and strength in practically every single one of us than exists in the 435 cowardly lions now permanently living in a make believe Land of Oz.

What a bunch of cowards. They are too afraid to do their job just so they can keep their job. Where would our country be if We The People did that every day? I think we need to send them all right down the yellow brick road. Then we’ll bring in some folks who aren’t afraid to do the right thing.