On Tuesday, 6 November, 2006, we conservatives took a drubbing. Collectively, we had the opportunity to show the American people what the Republican Party stands for. Unfortunately, that is exactly what happened. The War in Iraq is of concern as is the War on Terror. But where was the war on “Big Government” addressed in a believable fashion to the voting public?

The American public is fed up with special interests driving government spending. These special interests have become so powerful that, in recent months, they have landed at least one self-bloated Congressman in prison and numerous others forced to resign in disgrace, or defeated at the polls.

The House and Senate leadership are perceived as being weak and ineffectual so as to be laughable. This weak leadership is the only plausible explanation that conmen like Randy Cunningham are able to conduct their activities with impunity.

As long as we do not exhibit true leadership, we will remain in an uphill struggle against the liberal entitlementists. It is time for the federal government to get out of businesses that are not specifically spelled out in the Constitution. This revered document was written specifically to limit federal government and not to empower it.

The massive controls exercised by the federal government are becoming so onerous that they are crushing the spirit of initiative from the American people. Entitlements have become the norm. Whether it be an entitlement for a minority individual, or a specific class of people, citizens or not, the federal government seems to be in the business of wealth re-distribution. The most effective way they can redistribute the wealth is in the form of taxes. Ronald Reagan tried to show us the way, but those lessons have been lost. What happened to the idea of self-reliance? The answer to that is simple. The current tax structure has become so burdensome that it seems that the best way to exist is to try to get as much back as possible. Individual achievement and success are quickly becoming unknown qualities in Americans, much as they have in most of Europe.

A couple of other areas that I see the federal government overstepping its boundaries are:

Education: It is not the function of the federal government to educate our children. That has been traditionally the business of, at best, local government, and at worst, state government.

Business: Control of business with the exception of interstate commerce, is no place for federal intervention. The only reason control of interstate commerce was even mentioned in the Constitution was to prevent conflicts between states in this area.

One area that the federal government has become woefully lax in is immigration. This also can be laid at the feet of special interests. With the explosive growth of the Hispanic population, no elected official wants to risk losing this block of voters. What happened to the attitude of just a generation ago of pride in becoming an American, of scorning lawlessness? Today, it is more an attitude of the Hyphenated-American. We take pride in being a Black-American, Hispanic-American, Chinese-American, and Japanese-American. Being proud of one’s heritage is a good thing, but if that pride is so great, why not return to what you are so proud of. My great-grandfather came to this country from Belgium. My maternal great-great-grandfather was a Creek Indian. I am an American, not a Belgian-American or a Native-American.

Conclusion

For conservatives to regain the seat of power in Congress, they must convince voters:

1. They are going to cut off special interest (read earmark) spending. This includes bridges out in the middle of nowhere going from nowhere and going to nowhere.

2. They are going to enforce immigration. New laws are not needed. Just enforce the ones that are already there.

3. They will get out of areas of control that are not specifically enumerated in the Constitution. That means eliminating numerous cabinet-level departments. The first should be the Department of Education; followed by the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

4. They will scrap the 16^th Amendment. Politicians have been campaigning on restructuring the tax code for decades. The Internal Revenue Service has proven, within itself, that the current tax code is broken. One tax-payer can call two or more different IRS offices and ask the same question and get the same number of diverse answers as the number of offices called. This action is long overdue.

5. They will hold each other accountable to the laws of our land. We are looking at a potential House majority leader who has been caught on tape of potentially taking bribes in the Abscam sting. Why has no one prosecuted him?

A major change of direction for Conservatives must take place, or we will continue to live under the shadow of a liberal agenda that will dominate our landscape for at least the next two years.