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Republicans ready to lead

Last January, President Obama and a Democratic Congress swept into office under the guise of ushering in a new era of hope, change and bipartisanship to a country battling its worst financial crisis in nearly a century.

Sadly, though not surprisingly, Obama and Washington Democrats abandoned these empty pretenses shortly after taking office, shunning the needs of our country in exchange for a the chance to check off items of an arch-liberal agenda using only further rhetoric as an excuse.

Americans watched as Senator Arlen Specter cast the deciding vote for a $787-billion stimulus that, supporters promised, had to be rushed through Congress in order to keep the unemployment rate under 8 percent. By October, unemployment rate reached double-digits while our hard-earned tax dollars were listed as being sent to phantom Congressional Districts on the White House’s Web site for tracking the money.

We saw a Democratic House, including Congressman Paul Kanjorski,  pass the national energy tax known as “cap-and-trade” that, if made into law, would have a devastating effect on Pennsylvania’s coal and natural gas industries and raise energy taxes by an average of more than $,1200 per family.

But it was the push for government-run health care, at a price tag of more than $1 trillion, that would expose the Democrats’ complete disregard for the input of the American people.  Day after day and month after month, Pennsylvanians joined their fellow citizens across the country in standing up and speaking out against government-run health care and noting that it will cut Medicare, kill jobs, and drive a government-sized wedge between patients and their doctors.

Yet President Obama and the Democrats wouldn’t listen, doing whatever it takes, including keeping cameras away from negotiations and forcing Pennsylvanians to pay for the health care of Nebraskans, just to score a political victory. While their constituents called for a thoughtful, step-by-step approach to making health care more affordable, Democrats used tactics like closed door meetings and 1 a.m. votes in order to pass this awful piece of legislation.

But, as Democrats ran wild with their newfound power, it became increasingly evident that Americans are keeping score. By April, rallies were being held around the country to protest the fiscally irresponsible policies of President Obama and the Democrats in Congress. In the following months, the Republican Party would see a tremendous upswing in the number of new volunteers and candidates for office, all of whom are searching for ways for their voices to be heard.

In the coming year, the Republican Party looks forward to standing as the voice of limited government and fiscal discipline. Democrats have proven that they are unable, and perhaps worse, unwilling to put the needs of their country ahead of themselves.

All these things have us headed toward a big year for the Republican Party.

January 14, 2010 at 1:58 pm

--Michael Barley

Tags: Barack Obama, Republican Party

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