Passing thoughts, as we celebrate St. Patrick’s this week; if you did not get your fill of “malarkey”, just watch mainstream media and any quotes from the elite Ds clamoring for Tim Allen’s favorite quote from “Tool Time” – MORE POWER!! An old adage attributed to a British lord over 130 years ago was “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” That has been proven clearly, after seeing what has transpired in the past 55 days…. in both DC and Springfield.
In the first two weeks of the Biden presidency (ugh), drunk with power after nearly 50 years on the public dole, more executive orders were issued than the last several presidents combined during that same time. After promising to remove Trump restrictions at the border, Biden seems surprised the flow of illegals to our southern border has increased exponentially – NOW telling them on ABC “Don’t come over“? Meanwhile, after years of media and liberal screams about separation of minors at the border, the current administration’s actions in the same manner are increasing – yet NO cameras are allowed to document the conditions of the minors.
Down the street, the Democratic house holding a slim majority, drunk on that same power in the past month has passed through three bills demonstrating what horrors come from knowing there is no counter-balance to stop unreasonable actions:
— Equality Act: forcing government dictates as to sexual orientation and gender identity upon religious schools and organizations, trampling private individuals rights (heretofore protected by the Constitution);
— Covid19 relief Act: pork-loaded bill that the Congressional Budget office had determined spends a sizeable percentage on nothing related to pandemic relief THIS year, but instead contains nearly 15% for “Democrat wish-list” items; examples included the $15/hour minimum wage, rail projects in Silicon Valley, foreign affairs, general grants to state and local governments and limited payments to taxpayers – while only 10% goes toward actual direct medical relief (vaccines and testing);
— HR1: A broad attack on our election system, mandating from DC how states organize their election laws (early and absentee voting, clearing voter rolls, expanding suspect mail-in voting, prohibiting ID to vote laws, etc.); while there is mention of non-partisan re-districting included in the bill, one has to wonder whether that will make it through to a final version.
To its credit, the Senate scaled down the Covid19 bill before it passed – but it still included MILLIONS of dollars in wasteful spending – including stimulus payments to illegal immigrants at the cost of citizens who failed to qualify for those same checks! But stay tuned – while there were some calmer voices in that chamber that reigned in government overreach (thy name is Pelosi), those same voices are backing away from prior stated objection to killing the filibuster in the Senate (the only thing stopping utter socialist take-over of Congress it seems at this point). Just two short years ago, people like retiree Joe Biden, Senators Dick Durbin and, hmm, Kamala Harris were decrying mention of ending the filibuster (a long-standing tradition in that body that allows for greater deliberation before votes); now, hungover with the power of a tie vote in the Senate, all three have done a 180 degree shift. You read about it in the mainstream news, right….?
DC is not alone in the tyrannical, “2021: I can get away with anything” camp; enter Gov. Pritzker and his Democrat-held legislature. Pritzker continues fiddling while Illinois burns – extending limitations on public accommodations (bars, restaurants) while refusing to provide scientific evidence that transmission is heightened ONLY at such facilities (grocery and big box stores can stay open however?). Meanwhile, other states have relaxed restrictions for months and not faced the increased positivity rate for COVID19 seen here. Under the guise of an emergency, Pritzker continues to change the rules (first we could not overwhelm the hospitals, then we had to reduce the positivity levels, then we had to wait for a vaccine, NOW we have to wait until a majority of seniors have been vaccinated…. WHAT NEXT?). Another example – after forcing landlords to provide rent-free housing, the state Supreme Court provided some due process rights while allowing evictions to continue in specific circumstances; but there remains an order prohibiting the sheriff from effecting ANY eviction (thanks to Pritzker).
We can take some solace in IL with the fact that the King is dead – Michael Madigan retired from being speaker and from his House seat. We can’t expect to go from gloomy storms to bright sunshine immediately, but we can hope his concrete-filled hand will be absent from further actions in our state. However, Madigan hand-picked his successor as speaker, and recent legislative bills (including the police reform bill) show that the rank and file may be MORE socialist than before. Given Pritzker’s statements favoring a fair redistricting procedure, let’s push this year to see that next year’s maps look better than our current ones (where congressional districts touch two states or look like earmuffs).
What to do now? Illinois once had limited government, with reasonably split officials between the two parties – there was even a time in the 1990s where nearly ALL state officeholders were Republican (as well as both state House and Senate)! We can work to right this ship, and to do so we have to start local. Get involved with the WCRCC as a precinct volunteer, a grassroots supporter, an election judge or even a candidate yourself! If you want to change the course and do nothing but hope, you must accept the blame when your children and grandchildren ask how we moved from a constitutional republic to a socialist society…..
