Donkephant

There’s been an amazing amount of focus on the race to fill Senator Ted Kennedy’s seat in the U.S. Senate. As I type this, the polls are open and everyone is reporting a large turnout of voters.

Part of the reason for both of those things is what hangs in the balance. If the Republican candidate wins, he would be the pivotal 41st vote that could throw the cog in the gears of the health care reform bill. There’s a third party (Libertarian) candidate, who doesn’t really stand a chance, but I think he would caucus with the GOP as far as the health care bill would go. Either of these candidates could end the bill’s run. Not to mention that the district has been a Liberal hot spot for centuries. And, despite that, all the polling leading up to the vote indicate that the Republican has a better than good chance of coming out on top.

So many conservatives are rallying to the side of their candidate. There have been tons of money flowing in from around the country on both sides of the line.

But, where were all of those people in 2008? There’s been a huge awakening in this country and we’ve seen an influx of new blood, so to speak. If even half of those people had been active in the last election, perhaps we wouldn’t need to be going to the extremes that we are now.

An excellent reason to stay active as best you can. What better incentive than loss of liberty.

I was sent this link to a YouTube video earlier today. It’s called “America Rising: An Open Letter to Democrat Politicians” and it’s rather good. It’s done in the style of a action/drama movie trailer. Take a look.

I like it.

Long time North Dakota U.S. Senator Byron Dorgan announced that he would not be running for re-election in the coming 2010 elections. Despite his claims that he isn’t running because of threats of ND Governor John Hoeven running against him or a threat of losing his position, I don’t think there’s much doubt in many eyes as to that being the exact reason.

I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt and assume that part of it is that he’s been a senator for 30 years. But, when I look at that, I have a hard time not thinking that he saw a hard race coming and just felt like he was just too old for the battle. And it would be a hard battle. And likely a losing battle at that. Even without Hoeven having publicly announced his candidacy, he was polling with a 10-20 point lead over Dorgan.

Dorgan hasn’t exactly endeared himself to the conservative base of North Dakota. Yes, he’s a Democrat, but he represents a largely conservative state. It’s a funny state though. It votes conservatively for President, and usually for Governor as well. The state house and senate usually run conservative as well. But, all of it’s U.S. representation has been Democrat for decades. So, he’s had a pretty secure position for a while. But, his votes on the health care and stimulus bills have turned many of his constituents against him.

I’ve only lived in the state for a hair over a decade, but I have a very hard time not celebrating his departure. Good bye Senator Dorgan. I’m not going to miss you.

I’ve seen a few articles (I’ve lost the reference but if you find it let me know) where U.S. Senators and Congressmen have been quoted as saying that they aren’t there to do what is best for their state, but to do what is best for the United States. And it makes me mad every time.

The purpose of a U.S. Senator or Congressman is to act as a representative of his/her constituents. It’s the basis behind the idea of a representative government. You know, that whole thing that started a revolution. If a representative is no longer acting in the best interest of their state and is instead worried more about the best interests of the federal government, they are no longer representing their constituents and should be asked to step down from their position.

Senators and Congressmen, it is your obligation to do what is best for your state no matter what. You represent us, not the U.S. government. If what is best for the state happens to coincide with what is best for the U.S. then we can accept that, but if it does not, you must not be seen to go along with it. Unfortunately, you’ve gotten away with it for far too long and it has become the status quo. I think 2010 might be the start of a change for that. I can only hope that the shake-up is enough. I fear that it won’t be.

Instead, you could just do your jobs and maybe then you could keep them too.

Inspired by Clint who was able to hand deliver his letter to Congressman Pomeroy’s office in Bismarck. Here is the letter that I e-mailed to Pomeroy. You can send him one too! Do it today. Feel free to use any of the below letter in your own. It’s pretty personalized in the middle, but the start and end should be easily re-used.

Congressman Pomeroy,

You don’t know me, but I am a constituent of yours from Jamestown, ND. I am writing to you today because I feel very strongly about the subject.

You and your fellow Congressmen are scheduled to vote on House Bill #3962. While I cannot argue that we do need some sort of reform in health care, this bill is not the way to do it.

Let me give you an example. My wife recently started a business. A business that is contributing to the well-being of our family and contributing to our local economy. If Congress passes this bill, her company will be forced to either provide health care for the employees, or pay a tax so that they can have the public option. Even if we agree that the tax would be the cheaper of the two options, it is still a 8% tax! In the case of my wife’s business, that wouldn’t just force the firing of employees, but would likely shut the business down. In effect, it would be taxed out of existence.

This is just one example of many why you MUST vote NO on this bill. It is not good for the country and it certainly isn’t good for North Dakota, a state that I know you love.

Please do the right thing for North Dakota on Saturday.

Finally, I thank you for your many years of service to this country and this state. But, I feel that I must remind you that the people of this state and this country are watching. We are watching like we have never watched before. I won’t threaten your position, as that ultimately is at the mercy of the people of North Dakota. But, it will be awfully hard to explain why you voted yes on a bill that raised taxes on businesses by 8%, raised taxes as a penalty to those that cannot afford health care (how is that helping them?), raised taxes on “medical devices” that include drug store items such as condoms and tampons, and establishes the beginnings of a Government run health-care system (which is unconstitutional, I might add.).

Again,
Thank you for your time, Congressman.

Today, in 1889, the State of North Dakota was officially made part of the Union. 120 years later, we are still going strong. We have the strongest economy of the states. We are innovative while remaining conservative. It can be done, let North Dakota show you how!

Happy Birthday North Dakota!