I received an e-mail over the weekend from a friend. She was excited because of a story that had run in the Albany Herald saying that Sanford Bishop was siding with the Blue Dog Democrats, and he is opposing the Universal Healthcare plan as it currently stands. His biggest concern is that the bill needs to be deficit neutral and not add to the national debt. I find that interesting since that was never a concern when he voted for the stimulus package and brought home more pork than any other lawmaker in Georgia. The deficit wasn’t a concern when he voted for the War Supplemental Appropriation bill that had $108 billion going to the International Monetary Fund. Why care about the deficit now? The treasury ought to adopt the tag line of the famous potato chip commercials, “Spend all you want, we’ll print more.”
Still, there was a glimmer of hope that Bishop was finally listening to us, his constituents. Perhaps he was just using common sense. Maybe the Tea Parties have gotten to him. Then another friend sent me a link from Stand With Dr. Dean. This dashed all hope of Bishop using common sense or listening to the people. Instead, it just proves that he is a sneaky politician. He told the Blue Dogs that he was hesitant about the bill which was printed in the Herald for his constituents to read. Then he told Howard Dean that he is in favor of the bill. It seems like Bishop is trying to have it both ways.
Bishop doesn’t mind voting yes for tax increases. He voted yes on the Cap and Trade bill which is little more than an energy tax. Some estimates say that it will increase each household energy bill by $3,000 a year. Georgia will be hit hard because of coal fire plants like the one coming soon to the Albany area. Bishop’s district. Small businesses will be hurt by Cap and Trade because they often cannot adjust energy consumption when making products or providing services, and passing along the increased energy fees to the consumers in an economy like this one is suicide. The district told him these concerns and he still voted for it.
Now it seems he will vote for the healthcare plan based on party line rather than principle. The bipartisan Congressional Budget Office says that the healthcare plan will tack on another trillion dollars to our deficit and only provide coverage to a third of the people without current insurance. I just read an article from FreedomWorks that estimates taxes will go up by 25% to help pay for Universal Healthcare. Small business, the engine of this economy, will be hit once again! Can’t Sanford Bishop see the result of his votes or does he simply turn a blind eye to it for the sake of the donkey?
Would you like to find out more about the proposed healthcare bill? I urge you to make plans to attend a very special town hall meeting this Thursday, July 16, 2009 at the fire station on Leslie Hwy in Leesburg, Georgia. The meeting will start at 7pm and we have a fantastic panel composed of doctors, nurses, and insurance companies. Dr. Willie Adams will be there to represent the medical profession and local government. Ed Rynders will be present to represent state government, and an invitation has been sent to Representative Sanford Bishop so he can hear some of our concerns. Please make plans to join us!
Very well done!
“And in area news, local fire station federal grant mysteriously in jeopardy.” Okay, I could not resist being a wiseacre but the whole public debate of issues thing does hit the actually citizens/voters…which is a good thing since they are the people who elect the same cats over and over. I guess I am saying leaders do what the people want so making the electorate better inform ultimately produces better results if not new leaders. It’s like I was reluctant about questioning the intelligence of W because it was like saying the American people were dense for selecting him.
W was not dense and every current member of the Georgia congressional delegation is smart (in my opinion) so the delicate question is how do you tell the people that what “they” want is not bright—if you feel that is the case. Bishop came to congress with a different personal opinion than many rural Georgians but respects the representative process of Jefferson and Madison so much that he will do what the people want. So yes, the Tea Party stuff is healthy because those functions are providing information for the people so they can make more informed decisions. And if the people demanded a different path, leaders would head in that direction or deal with the results.
If election results indicate that the majority of the voters in a political subdivision like the actions of the leader, that leader must be doing what they want—even if knowledgeable expert disagree with that course of action. There are those who would say that the leader should then work to change the mindset of the voters—basically telling them that they are wrong. Okay, my head is starting to hurt thinking about this stuff so I am going to back off commenting and blogging daily but I will be reading because you make an interesting point.
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Slyram,
It is my opinion that the people in the district have been supportive of Bishop because they liked him as a person. Until recently, nobody was really paying any attention to what he was doing in Washington. The example of my post was that the Herald says that he supports the Blue Dogs and Howard Dean says he is in line with the progressives. Where is he really? The people in the “political subdivision” (as you put it) think he is taking a fiscally conservative stance. I doubt that they will check his vote once it is cast because they are too busy living their lives, paying bills, and taking care of their children. They trust that he is REPRESENTING them.
I don’t think that the leader should change the mindset of the voters, just be honest with them. He shouldn’t sell himself as a fiscally conservative Blue Dog if he is really a progressive. The electorate thought they have been voting for the Blue Dog.
Good points, Bill. You are shaping the debate well and discussing actual issues.
.-= Slyram´s last blog ..Test The Waters vs. Congressional Campaign =-.
The administration and the leaders in Congress have repeatedly told the American people that we are in the most troubling economic times since the Great Depression. Yet Sanford Bishop has only presented two resolutions to the House for consideration. One to honor the life of life of Millard Fuller and another to expand the boundaries of the Jimmy Carter National Historic Site. During the toughest economic times we’ve faced as a country in decades, one must ask of Mr. Bishop, “Is this the best that you can do?”
The constituents of the 2nd congressional district of Georgia deserve a leader that will actually work for the people, and not just show up to vote!