The Bill Keith Report
News And Commentary
August 21, 2014
Greetings to our readers in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and 59 foreign countries.
If you believe the information in this edition of The Report is worthwhile, please pass it on to your friends and contact your congressional representatives about the issues.
Friday, Aug. 15, 2015
The Rulers in Washington
Who Rules America?
“The public be damned!” ~~ William H. Vanderbilt, railroad magnate, 1882
A shattering new study by two political science professors reveals that WE THE PEOPLE have little to no impact on government in this land, according to The Hill. Rather, the analysts found that wealthy individuals and business-controlled interest groups have undue influence on all public policy.
“This study should be a loud wake-up call to the vast majority of Americans who are bypassed by their government,” The Hill reported. “To reclaim the promise of American democracy, ordinary citizens must act positively to change the relationship between the people and our government.”
The new study “Testing Theories of American Politics: Elites, Interest Groups, and Average Citizens” was made by authors Martin Gilens of Princeton University and Benjamin Page of Northwestern University. They examined data on 1,779 national policy issues. They wanted to gauge the preferences of average citizens, the rich elite, and special interest groups. They used statistical methods to determine the influence of each of these…groups on policy outcomes…”
What the learned is startling! The influence of ordinary Americans is “non-significant, near-zero level.”
They note that part of the problem with ordinary citizens is that they have poor voting records. “More than 90 million eligible Americans did not vote in the presidential election of 2012 and more than 120 million did not vote in the midterm elections of 2010.”
“Ordinary citizens in recent decades have largely abandoned their participation in grassroots movement,” they said. “Politicians respond to the mass mobilization of everyday Americans as proven by the civil rights and women’s movements of the 1960s and 1970s. But no comparable movements exist today.”
According to the authors, if WE THE PEOPLE were to get organized, we could reclaim American democracy and “challenge the politicians who still echo the view of old Vanderbilt that the public should be damned.”
Comment: Back in 2010, the Tea Party exercised tremendous influence over the midterm elections. They spoke with one voice for lower taxes, smaller government, a balanced budget, and political accountability to the people. However, the mainstream news media and progressive members of Congress continually attacked and made fun of the movement and drove many people away until today it is only a shadow of the past.
The Tea Party certainly is not perfect, but I believe we need its voice today — or some other comparable voice. Otherwise, WE THE PEOPLE will continue to languish and be ignored in Washington, the state houses and even in local governments.
What Issues Are Most Important to Americans?
Are the issues most important to the average American citizen ignored by President Obama and the Congress? This imperial president and the kings of Congress seem to care very little what we think.
For instance, the Affordable Care Act. The vast majority of the American people preferred to keep America’s healthcare system — the best in the world — just as it was. But Obama/Reid/Pelosi and a democratic congress rammed it down our throats. And the additional cost to government is in the billions of dollars.
Next, immigration. Again, polls reveal that the vast majority of Americans want to stop the hordes of illegal aliens coming into this land. But the feds refuse to enforce our laws governing immigration and now there are between 12- and 20-million illegals here. Also, by next year Department of Homeland Security expects 250,000 children from Central America.
What about the national debt? The feds receive $250 billion a month from taxpayers. That is a whopping $3 trillion a year. Yet our national debt grows larger every day and is expected to reach $20 trillion by the time President Obama leaves office.
During his six years in office, WE THE PEOPLE have paid $2.8 trillion just on the interest on the national debt. Do the math and that costs the taxpayers $1 billion plus each day — just interest on the debt.
This year that interest will reach $484.1 billion.
Next, the overwhelming majority of WE THE PEOPLE believe in a strong military yet the President and Congress plan to reduce our military to pre-World War II readiness. This act does not represent the will of the American people.
Finally, the American people want the President and Congress to work together. But their relationship is totally fractured and there appears to be little hope they will ever resolve their differences.
But it can be done. President Ronald Reagan (republican) and U. S. Representative Tip O’Neill (democrat) worked together to pass important legislation for our land that led to the creation of 21 million new jobs during Reagan’s eight years in office.
Also, President Bill Clinton (democrat) and U. S. Rep. Newt Gingrich (republican) worked together to reform the welfare system and led Congress to adopt a balanced budget.
It’s quite apparent the Obama administration and the Congress care very little about the will of the American people. They do not care and they do not listen. They all should be replaced ASAP.
Illegal Immigrant Children Sue the Feds: Demand Lawyers
You are not going to believe this! A number of illegal immigrant children from Guatemala and El Salvador have filed suit in federal court charging their processing was illegal because they weren’t represented by taxpayer-funded attorneys when they arrived in the U.S.
The lawsuit, filed for the children by an immigrant advocacy group in Seattle, says the feds are violating due process by allowing some children to go through the legal system alone, the Los Angeles Times reported.
“The lawsuit was filed on the same day Justice Department officials announced plans to expedite immigration court proceedings for unaccompanied youth and families, moving them ahead of other cases to be heard by an expanded corps of immigration judges,” the forward space Times reported. “The department also plans on expanding existing legal assistance programs for those in removal proceedings.”
Comment: For anyone who still believes our country follows the rule of law, think again. Here we see a blatant disregard for the law where our government is providing high-salaried attorneys to represent children from other countries who are breaking our laws just by being here. And the taxpayers — who are just like a bunch of sheep among government wolves — will be asked to pay the billions of dollars to insure that we Americans don’t do anything “illegal” to all the “illegal” hordes who are coming into our land.
Illegal Immigrant Children and the Rule of Law
If I ask a butcher, baker, candlestick maker or Indian medicine man, no one will be able to tell me why this government is providing lawyers to represent the 250,000 illegal immigrant children (expected by next year) coming into this land from Central America and Mexico.
Where in the Constitution does it say that children entering this land by breaking established federal law should receive legal representation?
Where does it say WE THE PEOPLE, the taxpayers, should pay the enormous legal fees for these children’s lawyers?
Here’s the crux of the dilemma this country faces. Back in 2008 — at President Obama’s behest — the U. S. Congress passed a law known as the DREAM Act. It provided permanent residence to illegal children and young people who came to this country as minors and lived here for five years or others who have graduated from high school here.
So, because of the new law, Mexican drug cartels believed they could make millions of dollars transporting children from Central America to the U.S. They spread the word all throughout those lands telling the people that if the children could get to America they would become citizens and have welfare, food stamps, clothing, and free education. So the so-called “coyotes” or “people smugglers” began bringing tens of thousands to the U.S. and raking in millions of dollars.
The White House and Congress were caught off guard and did nothing to dispel the rumor about how the children coming to this country would automatically become citizens. Now, no one knows how to take care of the tens of thousands of children, many who have infectious diseases, none that speak English, and their only support must come from WE THE PEOPLE taxpayers.
Remember the “Cash for Clunkers” Program?
Remember the so-called “Cash for Clunkers,” the 2009 government program that was supposed to jump-start the automobile industry and clean up the environment?
Here’s how it worked. Anyone who owned a car — regardless of condition — could get a $4,500 car allowance toward the purchase of a new, more fuel-efficient car. The feds put $3 billion in the program.
However, a new economic study that measured the impact of the program, say it may have been a clunker itself, according to Fox News. About 700,000 vehicles were traded in through the program.
The National Bureau of Economic Research says the government program may have slowed down the economy. Their study reveals the program actually decreased industry revenue by $3 billion over a nine-to-11-month period, Fox reported.
“While the program’s fuel-efficiency restrictions led to the purchase of more fuel-efficient cars, Americans ended up buying cheaper cars than they otherwise would have, the study found,” Fox reported.
Comment: Here is another example of why government should stay out of the auto business — and every other private and free enterprise. But today, many elected officials believe that all wisdom resides in Washington and they should tell all of us how to run our lives and even what kind of cars we should purchase.
What Do Christians Do Now?
Note to Reader: The following excerpts were written by Dr. Donald Wildmon, a United Methodist Church minister and founder of the American Family Association – a courageous man I greatly admire. ~~ Editor
+++In 1973, the Supreme Court said it was OK to kill unborn babies. Since then, we have killed more than the entire population of Canada.
A woman’s choice? Half of those who have died in their mothers’ wombs would have been women. They didn’t have a choice. It’s called abortion
Me? I go to church, the minister preaches, I go home. That’s what Christians do now.
+++First it was in dingy, dirty theaters. Then, convenience stores. Then, grocery stores. Then on television. Now it is in the homes of millions via the Internet. It is called pornography.
+++At one time it was perversion. We kept it secret. We secured help and hope for those who practiced it. Now it is praised. We have parades celebrating it and elected officials give it their blessing. Now it is endowed with special privileges and protected by special laws. It is called homosexuality.
+++At one time it was wrong. But then the state decided to legalize it, promote it, and tax it. It has ripped apart families and destroyed lives. No longer do we have to teach our children to study and work hard. Now we teach them they can get something for nothing. We spend millions encouraging people to join the fun and excitement. Just look at the big sums that people are winning. They will never have to work again! It is called gambling.
+++Not long ago, Christians were the good guys. But now any positive image of Christians in movies or on TV is gone. We are now depicted as bad guys — greedy, narrow-minded hypocrites. The teacher can’t have a Bible on his desk but he can have Playboy. We can’t pray in school, but can use foul language. It’s called being tolerant.
Dr. Wildmon’s comment: Yes, all these things came to pass within 30 years. Where were the Christians? They were in church! All these things are for someone else to deal with. Times have changed. Involvement has been replaced with apathy.
But don’t blame me. I didn’t do anything. I go to church, the minister preaches, I go home. That’s what Christians do now.
THE BILL KEITH REPORT AND COMMENTARY August 21, 2014