Monday, Oct. 26, 2009

Vote out harmful politicians

There was a time in the South when families didn't rely on public institutions to maintain domestic decorum. If polite company was coming to visit - like the pastor, relatives from the city, friends well-versed in the social graces, or almost any new acquaintances - we believed it was our responsibility to keep the black sheep in the family from embarrassing everybody.

For crazy Aunt Michelle, who'd talk your ear off about foreign spies hiding in her underwear drawer, we'd give a jigsaw puzzle and some cookies and lock her in the attic. For Cousin Joe, who drank too much and got foulmouthed, it was the canning cellar where he could search for something fermenting to his heart's content.

My point is that almost every extended family had eccentrics who couldn't control their rude, crude, lewd, or socially unattractive behaviors in public. Yet we found effective but kindly ways to keep them from ruining important family occasions, especially in front of guests at the homestead.

Our extended family of South Carolinians finds itself in a similar plight today with our state's Republicans, many of whom have somehow gotten elected to high office. Tourists (the "polite company" in my analogy) are our state's most lucrative source of income, the majority being generated in our coastal counties including the Grand Strand. Yet our Republicans constantly project extremely unfavorable images of us throughout America and internationally, and show no ability to control their tongues, zippers, negativity, dishonesty or other shameful actions. By regularly humiliating themselves in public with impunity, they make South Carolina the laughingstock of the country.

They also present serious geopolitical and socioeconomic threats to the rest of us during very dire economic times. It's difficult to add up, but according to local and national news reports our Republican federal officeholders, governor and general assembly have cost South Carolinians many millions if not billions of dollars this year alone. Additional losses in tourist income and other business are incalculable. We simply cannot afford to let these Republican black sheep keep ruining our area's reputation any longer!

Unfortunately, hiding these problem children away from polite company is easier said than done. Given the predominance of black sheep Republicans in our state, there aren't enough attics, barns, and cellars to hold them all. So I offer three modest proposals for your consideration:

First, vote them out of office at the first opportunity. While this will take time, the best way to reduce the damage a village idiot can do is to get him out of the spotlight. (Please note: I do not advocate voting for any and all Democrats, many of whom have odd eccentricities of their own. We should find the least partisan candidate with the strongest personal credentials who has the best ideas for solving real problems.)

Second, we should stop trying to change these black sheep Republicans' bad actions in office by reasoning with them. If they were logical, understood valid evidence, or cared about us, they wouldn't be the embarrassments they are in the first place.

Third, as much as possible, we should treat these people like islands in the stream and just flow around them. Let them rant and rave and yell and scream all they want: Calling President Obama a Nazi socialist illegal alien African Muslim; believing that profit-motivated insurance company clerks care more about our health than service-trained government employees would; deluding themselves that paying 150 percent more for health care than any other country to rank no better than 21st in quality of health makes America's health care system "the best in the world"; ad infinitum, ad nauseum. Let's send them a clear message: "If you don't want to benefit from Obama's new policies, fine. Get out of the way so the rest of us can!"

Remember; the only difference between these black sheep Republican office holders and the rabid voters who elected them is that the politicians can spell their foolish words correctly.