Dumpster Politics...
Politics has become a filthy game. It is beyond dirty.
We find that a Republican staffer reveals Democrat strategy. The information that he revealed came from a Congressional computer and should not have been there. The whistleblower had to be fired. The real question is why are government computers being used to disseminate political strategy? Has politics become the business of Americans?
Senator Schumer has been pushing for personal privacy. He grilled the Supreme Court nominee on the subject. Yet two of his members of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee were stealing the social security number of a political opponent in order to obtain a copy of his credit report. Where was the Senator’s outrage?
Having been around politics for a quarter century I can say that politics has become a place where dirt and gotcha rein over the issues and the facts. Unfortunately, this phenomenon is found at all levels of government. It is not restricted to one particular political party. It is not restricted to red states or blue states.
In 2000 the citizens of Susanville debated the idea of having natural gas or not. In 2005 those same citizens are now debating why the natural gas system is not successful. There is no doubt that this issue will be the focal point of the June 2006 elections.
In 2002 the voters of LMUD removed four members of the Board. Electric rates were the focal point of the election. The voters hoped to replace the Board and get lower rates. LMUD is now looking at raising meter fees and adjusting electricity charges. There is no doubt that this issue will be the focal point of the November 2006 elections.
It is perfectly legitimate to ask the incumbents about their positions on these issues. It is perfectly legitimate to ask challengers similar questions. Unfortunately we will likely hear words that don’t promote good public discourse. People will be called liars or worse. What they did 15 years ago will be thrown into the mix without providing any value.
Extremism has crept into our politics. Some have decided that if they yell loud enough then what they are saying will be accepted as fact. This causes the public to ignore the discussion of the issues.
Lassen County’s local governments have some important issues confronting them. Everything from utility rates, to government services and Dyer Mountain must be addressed by government. How the public responds to government actions will define if and how this County will grow.
Dirty and vile politics will not help us reach a consensus (you know, a little give and take) on these important issues. Dirty politics will contribute to the public not participating in important discussions for fear that they will be called names and intimidated.
It is time for elected officials to make sure the facts are presented to public --- the complete facts. Erroneous statements must be addressed so that such statements do not become facts. I know that this is not “what we have always done” but it must be done. Failure of leadership in this area and the pure hate by opponents of the status quo causes good people to not want to put their name in the hat and run for election.
It is time to raise the bar. It is time to stick to the issues. We must have more than a handful of citizens participate in the debates yet to come. It is important that the best civic leaders are willing to take on the role of elected leadership. We must cool the rhetoric and stick to the facts.
We find that a Republican staffer reveals Democrat strategy. The information that he revealed came from a Congressional computer and should not have been there. The whistleblower had to be fired. The real question is why are government computers being used to disseminate political strategy? Has politics become the business of Americans?
Senator Schumer has been pushing for personal privacy. He grilled the Supreme Court nominee on the subject. Yet two of his members of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee were stealing the social security number of a political opponent in order to obtain a copy of his credit report. Where was the Senator’s outrage?
Having been around politics for a quarter century I can say that politics has become a place where dirt and gotcha rein over the issues and the facts. Unfortunately, this phenomenon is found at all levels of government. It is not restricted to one particular political party. It is not restricted to red states or blue states.
In 2000 the citizens of Susanville debated the idea of having natural gas or not. In 2005 those same citizens are now debating why the natural gas system is not successful. There is no doubt that this issue will be the focal point of the June 2006 elections.
In 2002 the voters of LMUD removed four members of the Board. Electric rates were the focal point of the election. The voters hoped to replace the Board and get lower rates. LMUD is now looking at raising meter fees and adjusting electricity charges. There is no doubt that this issue will be the focal point of the November 2006 elections.
It is perfectly legitimate to ask the incumbents about their positions on these issues. It is perfectly legitimate to ask challengers similar questions. Unfortunately we will likely hear words that don’t promote good public discourse. People will be called liars or worse. What they did 15 years ago will be thrown into the mix without providing any value.
Extremism has crept into our politics. Some have decided that if they yell loud enough then what they are saying will be accepted as fact. This causes the public to ignore the discussion of the issues.
Lassen County’s local governments have some important issues confronting them. Everything from utility rates, to government services and Dyer Mountain must be addressed by government. How the public responds to government actions will define if and how this County will grow.
Dirty and vile politics will not help us reach a consensus (you know, a little give and take) on these important issues. Dirty politics will contribute to the public not participating in important discussions for fear that they will be called names and intimidated.
It is time for elected officials to make sure the facts are presented to public --- the complete facts. Erroneous statements must be addressed so that such statements do not become facts. I know that this is not “what we have always done” but it must be done. Failure of leadership in this area and the pure hate by opponents of the status quo causes good people to not want to put their name in the hat and run for election.
It is time to raise the bar. It is time to stick to the issues. We must have more than a handful of citizens participate in the debates yet to come. It is important that the best civic leaders are willing to take on the role of elected leadership. We must cool the rhetoric and stick to the facts.
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