Ol' Dad Knew Best

As of Thursday, June 14, 2012

This past weekend I read Jim Seever’s letter, “Who Has Amnesia?” (June 1). In this case, his “dear ol’ daddy” was right.

I would vote for a gorilla over our current president. Heck, maybe even Mickey Mouse.

Lloyd Barnes

West End

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Courseaire 11 months, 2 weeks ago

LB - So very narrow minded are you. Though I don't care much for Obama's politics, the biggest blame lies directly on our "in it for themselves" Senators & Congressmen. We need term limits, period!

clarabelle 11 months, 1 week ago

Sounds like the trailer park ol lloyd lives finally got electricity for that 20 year old computer.

Wonder if it is a laptop..........so he can take it to the outhouse with him.

coffecreme 11 months, 1 week ago

Hahaha clarabelle

jimt 11 months, 1 week ago

Coursaire,

Technical point, to be "narrow-minded" presupposes a mind. I think the writer fails this test.

How will term limits transform Congress? How would term limits stop 48 or 49 Senators, of either Party, from filabusting legislation they oppose, regardless of the grounds on which they base their opposition? How would term limits stop dozens of tea party "type" (type in this case meaning NO COMPROMISE, ever) members, whether liberal or conservative, suddenly realize the true politics is the "art" of the possible and engage in (gasp!) compromise, rather than "my way, period!!!"?

You might want to purchase Norm Ornstein's and Thomas Mann's latest book on Congress, "It's Worse Than It Seems." It's a two-day read. Keep in mind that Ornstein is slightly right of center, he's been a congressional scholar at the American Enterprise Institute for over two decades and Mann's slightly left of center, he's been a congressional scholar at Brookings for over two decades. They spend 3 pages on term limits over the course of a 200 page book.

With respect, I don't think instituting term limits will address the core problems. The core problems are gerrymandered districts in the House and the cost of running for election. The Supreme's applified this problem, and basically turned the United States into a country, of the rich, by the rich, and for the rich with the "Citizen's United" decision. It's estimated that Romeny's SuperPacs will spend as much, if not more than the official Romeny campaign. "Safe" districts, due to gerrymandering, mean only vote in Congress to please your base, or even get more extreme than your base, after all, who else are they going to vote for? The only Republican House members who are facing primary challenges are those who have a tea party candidate running to their right. So to avoid that complication, even "moderate" House Republicans become more and more conservative/tea partyish to avoid a primary challenge.

We need to void the Citizens United decision in some fashion, significantly reduce the time and money spent on election campaigns, and make the majority of House districts truly competitive. The result of the three reforms, taken together (each is essential), will produce a Congress that actually works together to solve national problems, IMHO.

There's another core problem which will never ever be addressed because it is politically impossible, and runs counter to the political interests of incumbent Senators; and that is the tremendous over representation in the Senate of small population states. California, Texas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Ohio, New York, Massachusetts, Michigan and New Jersey make-up over 50% of the Country's population, yet only have collectively 20% of the votes in the Senate. I think the Founder's wanted to make sure that small states were not "tyrannized" by the majority population of big states, but this extreme distortion of representation ought to be reduced.

dustyrhoades 11 months, 1 week ago

"Conservative" lately means someone who hates the current President more than he loves the country.

geoffcutler 11 months, 1 week ago

And "Liberal" lately means someone who hated the last president more than he loves the country. We don't hate this president, just what he has done to our country. We'd like it back now, and thanks for the memories.

dustyrhoades 11 months, 1 week ago

I know you love the guy that crashed the economy into a wall and got us wrapped up in two wars he didn't pay for, Geoff, but not wanting to go back to the policies of those days isn't hate, it's patriotism, something these people suffering from Obama Derangement Syndrome don't appear to understand. They're even opposing policies, like the individual mandate that their candidate once supported and claimed were a model for the entire country, because they're Obama's policies now.

I say again: Romney supporters have no principles at all, they just hate Obama more than they love their country.

geoffcutler 11 months, 1 week ago

I did not love Bush... but nice try. The left's hate of him, however, makes our feelings about Obama pale by comparison. How short yours, the media's and the rest of the left's collective memory.

LSM 11 months, 1 week ago

Conseravatives do not hate President Obama, only his policies and lack of leadership abilities. Mr. Rhodes, write one of your columns on the benefits of just why someone should vote to have him as President of the US for another four years. Tearing down one person to make another look better never is very convincing in politics, people who vote are paying attention.

geoffcutler 11 months, 1 week ago

True, but let's please not forget how Bush, whether one liked him or not, was treated. The media played a willing role, whereas, with Obama... he's given a free and silent pass.