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Just add an ‘h’ to the above.

7/01/2023

Debt deal reveals values of political parties
Verna Benham Jun 14, 2023 2

Congress finally reached a deal to keep our government from defaulting on its debts — whew! Some of us wonder why it always comes down to the wire, causing angst and damage to our country’s reputation. But there were unexpected positives: For once, Congress actually worked together in committees.

A recent column was headed, “McCarthy Earns the Speakership” — there were doubts, as it took an embarrassing 15 ballots to elect him as speaker. Would he be strong enough? His predecessor, Democrat Nancy Pelosi, controlled her caucus with an iron fist. Republican John Boehner, by stiff-arming the far right, lost both desired legislation and his job.

Kevin McCarthy kept a promise to return the House to regular order: conducting business in committees, having debates, offering amendments. Leaders of all caucuses were represented — the far right, center, defense hawks, culture warriors. No one got everything they wanted.

The far-right desire for deeper spending cuts and repeal of Biden’s climate and energy bills didn’t pass. Nor did far-left attempts to avoid caps on spending and increased work requirements for food aid. Everyone had opportunity to participate in hammering it out —Congress doing its normal job, not seen in so many years — it’s like a miracle.

Why did the Democrats fight so intensely against requiring able-bodied men, age 18-54, with no children, to work part-time for food stamps? It’s their base — people kept dependent on public dole so they’ll vote Democratic. It’s also why they so fiercely opposed a cap on spending.

In 1996, President Bill Clinton signed a Personal Responsibility Act (with work requirements) that was successful. Ten years later, Brookings Institution found welfare caseloads down by 60% and child poverty decreasing each year. In 2004, the poverty rate of black children hit its lowest level in three decades, said Manhattan Institute. Tough love regarding responsibility benefited all.

Contrarily, the administration rewarded those staying home with more money than working. Our labor force is still not fully back after the pandemic. Labor productivity dropped 2.1% in the first quarter, the fifth straight quarter of negative growth. A thriving, energetic populace is not the desire of leftists — rather compliant citizens. For similar reasons, they don’t push for improved public schools nor support better choices, charters etc., which might enable getting out of the ghetto.

Headlines: 1) “Schools Ditch Homework, Deadlines.” Why? “Traditional grading favors those with a stable home life.”

Are flexible study times likely to improve work in chaotic families? A top student said work habits deteriorated, even among honors students.

2) “Funemployment Can Be a Blast” — MBA graduates talking plans; let’s hope they also had other inspiring goals.

We deplore moves to destroy the strength of character of our citizenry, which remind us of communists’ destruction of the art and culture of China, its religious and traditional values as it assumed control. Even as Western democracies fought communism during the Cold War, it was creeping into our leading universities, which then quietly began promoting the ideology through our public schools.

After years of hidden progress, current actions to remove remaining roadblocks to their power are more openly revealed:

• Leading universities — keep pushing Woke ideology, allow no other voices.
• Schools — keep dumbing down material; confuse the children’s beliefs, harming their mental and physical health.
• American corporations — attack them, claiming abuse; insert Woke regulations harmful to operational success.
• The press — keep the mainstream supportive; discredit and silence dissent. Social media — useful for sowing discord.
• House of Representatives — work for dysfunction, inability to negotiate issues.
• Senate — press for D.C. statehood — two more senators to close out Republicans.
• U.S. Constitution — ignore the carefully built-in protection of freedoms (speech, religion, property ownership, etc.).
• Supreme Court – discredit its legitimacy, use legal and physical threats against justices.
• President Trump’s huge support base — portray MAGAs as idiots, despite their support of policies benefiting America vs. leftist efforts to tear it down.

Americans must not be oblivious or indifferent to the strategies of this coercive ideology. If moderate Democrats see and understand that these are leftist tactics aimed at one-party rule, and fervently join the fight against it, there’s some hope of healing our differences and restoring good will.

The heart and soul of America is freedom, hard to recover if lost. We must diligently teach our children how blessed we are. Much of the world longs for such freedoms. Everyone’s actions are important in preserving America’s free way of life.

Kerrville resident Verna Benham spent 20 years traveling the globe as U.S. Foreign Service employee, then as wife of foreign correspondent Joe Benham. She lived in Bolivia, Taiwan, Chile, Brazil and Argentina

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Some days, we are lucky! Could it be that election days will be appearing on the calendar in the not too distant future and people want to be re-elected?

kommonsentsjane