Lawmaker Arrogance - State and National – Commentary by Steve Scroggins

A core goal of the Georgia Heritage Coalition is to promote and restore good government for Georgia and all Americans.

The 2004 Georgia Flag FAIR VOTE bill is just one example. We are demanding that our Georgia lawmakers represent us, the people of Georgia, rather than outside special interests. We are demanding that they implement OUR will, not theirs.

The elections of 2002 were a state-wide mandate for a Fair Vote on the Georgia State Flag. Specifically, the people want a chance to restore the 1956 Flag of Honor that was stolen in 2001 by way of corrupt back-room deals in which the lawmakers of our State defied the will of the people and just did what they wanted in exchange for 30 pieces of silver.

Certain lawmakers were and are unwilling to simply repeal the act that removed our flag of honor. Instead, they crammed another flag down our throats in 2003, and adding insult to injury, they’re calling the March 2004 referendum a “choice.” Please.

It’s not asking too much to let the people decide in a referendum. With a Fair Vote, the General Assembly can clearly see the will of the people and enact it.

Clearly, we the people of Georgia, must show the folks in Atlanta just who is in charge. Is it us? Or them? The 2002 election was just a warm up. The anger remains and it grows and the shockwaves of surprise will be even larger in 2004.

We have a similar “arrogance” situation at the national level. It’s a different issue, but the arrogance, elitism and the core question are the same. Does the U.S. Congress represent the American people and their constituents? Or do they act only on self-interest and accordingly on behalf of the special interests that own them?

We have some politicians who will sell out anything or anyone to hold onto their power and privilege. They are, after all, human beings and sinners like the rest of us. AND…they have a really sweet deal. (More on this below.)

Social Security has been a major concern for some time. It’s been called the “third rail of American politics.” Anyone who has dared to propose serious reform (touching that rail) has been politically destroyed. Few issues have more demagoguery and fear-mongering associated with them. Reform has been promised for decades and promises proliferate as demographic projections paint the financial doom of the system as inevitable. (Remember the “lockbox” joke? Where did that Lockbox go?)

There is NO incentive for anyone in the U.S. Congress to risk any true reform. Not yet, at least. They won’t do what’s right for the people if that requires them to take too much risk. Any sense of honor and duty they have is tossed aside in favor of political survival.

See the link below for an example of demagoguery...but this time it's not Congressional demagoguery. There is a message circulating on the Internet in a number of forms and it's basically false now (it was true before 1984). I fell for it myself, though I am generally skeptical of any issue trumpeted by email from sources I don't know. Because it once was true, and because it is typical of the arrogance we find in Washington, it's easy to be misled. Thanks to an alert reader, I have been scolded for promulgating Internet Urban Legends.

Thank you, alert reader, for slapping my hand on this. The link below is to www.snopes.com, which is a site dedicated to exposing Urban Myths.

Urban Legends on Congressional Pensions Exposed

While I make no excuse for not checking the facts on this issue, the fact that this email is so widely circulated proves that there are many people who believe our government is out of control. Propagandists typically use an element of truth (government arrogance in this case) to spread lies on related subjects.

Sounds familiar at the Georgia level, doesn’t it? In the last ten days, we’ve heard rhetoric from Georgia politicians that basically comes down to…“We defied the people of Georgia on the state flag vote. So what? Can’t we just move on?”

How do we overcome this arrogance and elitism in our Government? By changing the people we elect to run it. Talk is cheap. The politicians must be shown---with action---that defiance has real consequences in elections. Just ask Roy Barnes. Ask Tom Murphy.

We need to show (apparently repeatedly) the people in Atlanta that Georgians really are in charge. Some of these politicians remain convinced that some issues will blow over and that special interest money will win their elections. It’s our duty as citizens and it’s in our self-interest to give them the lessons they need. You see, folks, corporations and money don’t vote. People do. And votes are what win elections, not campaign war chests. Just ask Roy Barnes.

When politicians ignore your demands for Fairness and justice, the question remains: What are you going to do about it? We know this is Georgia and it ain’t Missouri…but these politicians are saying, “Show me.” This is what we do in grass-roots organizations like Georgia Heritage Coalition. We put together a team, bring in players with various talents, and then we show them. Join us and, together, we’ll show them.

Steve Scroggins is Adjutant of the Lt. James T. Woodward Camp 1399, Sons of Confederate Veterans, in Warner Robins, GA and a frequent GHC contributor of parody and political cartoons and graphics.