George Washington was right

"The alternate domination of one faction over another, sharpened by the spirit of revenge, natural to party dissension, which in different ages and countries has perpetrated the most horrid enormities, is itself a frightful despotism. But this leads at length to a more formal and permanent despotism. The disorders and miseries, which result, gradually incline the minds of men to seek security and repose in the absolute power of an individual; and sooner or later the chief of some prevailing faction, more able or more fortunate than his competitors, turns this disposition to the purposes of his own elevation, on the ruins of Public Liberty.

"Without looking forward to an extremity of this kind, (which nevertheless ought not to be entirely out of sight,) the common and continual mischiefs of the spirit of party are sufficient to make it the interest and duty of a wise people to discourage and restrain it."

George Washington, "Farewell Address"

Translated from late-18th-century English, our first, arguably greatest and certainly most humble President warned that political parties do more harm than good, and should be discouraged at virtually any cost, because they lead to the despotism of the party in power over the party out of power and, finally, to a person who "turns this disposition to the purposes of his own elevation, on the ruins of Public Liberty. I am afraid in my soul that we have reached that point.

A personal anecdote to prove that a pox is appropriate on BOTH their houses: I was considering at one time running for district court judge here in Bexar County, Texas. Not having participated in the local party politics, I looked up the Bexar County Republican Party chairman and made an appointment to discuss how one goes about running for judge. I explained who I was and what I thought made me a good candidate for judge. When I finished, he told me I was just what they were looking for: a bilingual Anglo military veteran with good connections and a background as a trial attorney.

"Now", he said, "we need to get you over to see Jim [no last names for this post]".

"Who is that?", says I.

"The kingmaker", says the Republican Party Chair. "If he likes you, we'll support you as a candidate."

This is a name I'd never heard before. I began to realize that there was a power behind the power, and a price to be paid to get support from my own party. It disgusted me and played a large role in my decision not to run.

I have no doubt the same shadow players exist in the Democrat power structure, and in fact once received unsolicited a call from a friend who is a "player" in the Democrat party, asking me not to support a particular female [Republican] candidate for judge because "she hasn't paid her dues". I knew this candidate was (and still is) an excellent attorney and a person whose judicial temperament was above reproach, and that dues had nothing to do with her qualifications. The call, like my conversation with the party chairman, made me sick to my stomach.

Call me naive; call me silly. I just believe that party affiliation should not be the touchstone of our decisions to cast our vote. I am a conservative; many Republicans aren't. I have Democrat friends for whom I have voted repeatedly for judge, despite knowing full well their party affiliation. A friend of mine, Charles Gonzalez, currently a United States Representative from Texas, received my vote as a judge and, the first time around, as a candidate for House of Representatives. He was a very good judge, but showed himself to be a party hack as a politician, and I stopped voting for him (sorry, Charlie - I still love ya!).

Things have to change. We must stop allowing politicians to have 10 and 20-year (and more) careers in office. That's not how the Founders meant the system to operate. Nobody can keep his or her sense of what's going on outside the beltway, or city council chambers, or Austin, for more than two terms. Entitlement has become the rule, and NOBODY's entitled to my tax money in the form of pay and benefits for life.

It all fits together: party politics leads to party hacks and party bosses; blind, unthinking ballot casting leads to party despotism and the kind of win-at-all-costs alley fighting we've seen over the last 20 years, with elected officials thinking more of lining their pockets and consolidating their power than of working for the interests of their constituents and of the nation. Any politician who sneers at the principles of integrity first and service before self should be subjected to the full fury of his or her constituents. Why do we stand still for the Foleys, Clintons, Sanfords and Franks of our current political landscape?

Washington was right: party politics are the root of all kinds of evil, regardless of the party. Find out where your candidate stands, don't just vote the straight ticket! Your future and your country's future demand it.

"We Need Your Help!"

So it's been a couple weeks since anything hacked me off enough to write about. Here's one: I am tired of being insulted by the people who are supposed to represent my views.

I gave a couple hundred bucks - once - to the Republican National Campaign Committee, and agreed to serve on their Business Advisory Council, thinking this might be an opportunity to offer up some observations or suggestions, me bein' a small business owner and all. Imagine my delight (can't you just?) when Chairman Tom Cole notified me that I'd been selected for the honor of being an "Honorary National Chairman - Texas" for all my contributions to the cause. At this point (after playing with the little wooden gavel they mailed me that had a solid brass plaque proclaiming my achievement), I started thinking, "Wait - have I actually made a substantive contribution other than my two c-notes? Hmmm...." Surprise of surprises, I then started receiving "personal" faxes from the selfsame Tom Cole, telling me how delighted he was, yadda yadda yadda, and (you guessed it) asking for more money. Fool me once, shame on you...I wasn't about to be fooled twice. Sent my polite declination (I kept the cool gavel, though), and have continued getting the "personal" faxes (and phone calls, and letters) telling how important I am to the conservative cause and seeking my input (and my money).

Look - in '94, we sent a Republican majority to Congress, the first majority in 40 years, and excitement and anticipation were high that ethics and integrity were making a comeback. Twelve years later, we lost the majority, partly because the people we sent to represent conservative, small government, anti-pork values took less than two years to become completely enslaved to the same system they ostensibly were elected to clean up.

So when my own party starts telling me how "we need your help to return conservative values to Congress", I get a real and increasing pain in the hind parts. That, and I start thinking, "These people really do think I'm a rube!" A twit. A tool, a pawn, a yawping yokel. Further alliterations fail me - I'm dangerously close to the fate of Screwtape when he got so apoplectic he turned into a large caterpillar.

I didn't stop being a conservative. The party of Lincoln, the party of conservatism turned from principles to profit and power above all else, betrayed and left rank-and-file conservatives holding the reins of the valiant Reagan steed. It's time to reject the perfumed princes. It's time for tea parties, not just in protest of the horrendous "stimulus" and bailout packages, but in protest of those who presume to speak for conservatism but in reality just want, to quote Mel Brooks, "their phoney-baloney jobs" back.

And We Pay These People For What?

It seems the United States Congress has once again leapt before it looked. Even if I believed in government bailouts of foolish private industries, the "stimulus" bill that passed the Senate yesterday contains exceedingly more government growth money than private business stimulus money. What sickens me is that I'm not confident that a single Senator who voted for this bill actually read the bill before voting. The vast majority simply voted for it because it's a short term fix for which they can claim credit (no pun intended, but certainly apropos) with the local rubes when they go home for an undeserved break. Others voted for it because they bought into the administration's hype that the world as we know it would end if our grandchildren and their children didn't throw money at the problem right now.

Understand, the Obama administration has no lock on fearmongering: the bailout bill of September last was also a knee-jerk, fear-driven reaction to a problem created partially by private industry running before the whip of Barney Frank and his ilk, who demanded loan money be provided to people with no business committing to a mortgage. Rather than simply letting processes already in place (the Bankruptcy Code) work to resolve the looming personal and business financial failures, a majority of both houses of Congress listened to Chicken Little and vomited out an ill-considered and unmonitored $700 billion.

If all it takes to be a congressman is voting on stuff you haven't read, on the advice of people who have no intention of giving you information that might dissuade you, I say we should just rotate the congressional seat among us. Send whoever's next up there to raise his or her hand at the appropriate time. Of course, we could avoid the bother just by training a few chimps to do so. At times, I think we'd be better off...

The Republicans, with the exception of the three typical traitors, voted properly against the Senate bill. My good friend Charlie Gonzalez (D-Tex), for whom I have great personal respect and with whom I disagree on almost everything politically, and Ciro Rodriguez (D-Tex), who appears to be nothing more than a MALDEF/Dem party hack, both voted for the House version. My prayer is that each will be held accountable for the vote he or she cast. But I'm not hopeful.