If only all candidates for political office met the following standards.
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I vote for political candidates that meet these criteria.
The candidate must be empathetic. He must demonstrate, not just say, what Theodore Roosevelt declared long ago: “The welfare of each of us is dependent fundamentally upon the welfare of all of us.”
He must be honest. If he criticizes his opponent, his message must be completely factual. No half-truths, no misrepresentations permitted.
He must be intelligent, inquisitive, broadly knowledgeable, and resourceful. He must recognize that there are no simple solutions to complex problems but still be committed to strive to solve them.
He must be open to opposing viewpoints. He must respect his own value judgments but he must also know that others may have valuable ideas to contribute.
He must strive to serve all of his constituents.
He must not be a finger-in-the-wind politician. He must have the courage to fight for what he believes is right.
I honor, respect, and wholeheartedly support Peter DeFazio, John Kitzhaber, Arnie Roblan, and Jerry Rust. I will not vote for their Republican opponents because I agree with these statements:
“Since greed is not self-governing, hardly anyone raking in the dough ever stops to say, ‘That’s it. Enough is enough!” – Bill Moyers and Michael Winship
The Republican Party “is against anything that supports the common good and undercuts the profits of corporations and the rich.” – Henry A. Giroux
“Disgust tends to stick around. This is why so much time, effort, and money is dedicated to painting the opposition with negative feelings.” – Joe Brewer
“Suspicion is the companion of mean souls, and the bane of all good society.” -- Thomas Paine
Printed September 11, 2010, in the Siuslaw News
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A local Republican resident had to answer back.
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Okay, I think I get it, finally. Democrats good, Republicans bad.
One reader uses empathy as the prime determinant for this vote. Empathy? Maybe for a grief counselor, social worker or college professor.
I would have thought that our elected officials should be honest, intelligent, accountable, and have a sense of integrity regarding their responsibilities as our representatives in this republic based on democracy.
Is it really compassionate to spend trillions of borrowed dollars on distinctly unstimulating projects and then pass the bills on to our kids and grandkids?
Wouldn’t we all benefit more from a dynamic job and wealth-creating economy in which government is the servant of the public and not its fearsome master?
Carlton Smith
Printed September 22, 2010, in the Siuslaw News
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I was in a snarky mood when I wrote the following. What would be your answer?
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Multiple choice question:
What best explains why lock-step Republican House and Senate members want the Bush tax cuts for the rich permanently extended but oppose extending unemployment benefits?
A) The tax cuts will provide jobs and grow the economy,
B) The unemployed are lazy and need to get off their duffs,
C) Fiscally responsible, Republicans are concerned about the deficit,
D) Republicans place their own and corporate America’s interests ahead of the welfare of the country,
E) Whatever Fox News says.
Printed December 3, 2010, in The World
December 4, 2010, in the Register-Guard
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According to Carlton Smith and most other Republican voters, the Democrats are responsible for our country’s huge national debt. I felt the need to present facts to disprove that false talking point.
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Regarding taxation, the national debt, and which political party to hold responsible, historical facts need to take precedence over Republican Party mythology.
A Siuslaw News letter writer recently wrote: “The answer is not to tax.”
Facts – The highest personal income marginal tax rate in this country has been 50% or higher in 58 of the 97 years that the federal income tax has existed. The past 23 years it has been no higher than 39.6%. Low tax rates and ill-advised fiscal practices instituted by Republican administrations have preceded hard economic times: 1925 through 1931, a 25% rate and the Great Depression; 1988 through 1991, a 28% rate and sky-rocketing national debt; 2003 to the present, a 35% rate and our present economic mess.
The letter writer wrote: “The position that the rich are not paying a greater share of the tax bill is incorrect.”
Facts – Official US poverty numbers indicate we have the highest number of poor people in 51 years. The real incomes of middle-class families are lower at the end of the business cycle of the 2000s than they were at the beginning. The richest 1 percent have an average annual income of more than $1.3 million. They more than doubled their share of the total US income between 1979 and 2006. The US has the greatest inequality between rich and poor among all Western industrialized nations. Income disparity in the US is as bad now as it was right before the Great Depression.
The letter writer also wrote: “The Democrats have spent us into this hole, and they now want the Republicans to bail us out by taxing the rich.”
Facts – Between 1944 and 1972 the national debt rose from about $201 billion to $437 billion. Presidents before Ronald Reagan actually tried to keep the national debt in check. Reagan’s “voodoo” economics and huge defense spending increased the debt (in 8 years) by 260%, to $2.6 trillion. None of the spending went to education, infrastructure, or programs to help the poor. During G. W. H. Bush’s 4 years the debt rose another $1.4 trillion.
Under Bill Clinton’s 8 year tenure, the debt increased by $1.6 trillion. The debt was $5.728 trillion when George W. Bush began his first day as President. Tax cuts for corporations and the rich, reduced taxes on capital gains and dividend income, estate tax reductions, wars of choice and Medicare Part D put on the credit card, terrible trade imbalances: the debt climbed by $4.899 trillion to $10.627 trillion by the time Barack Obama was inaugurated President.
As of December 10 of this year, under Obama, the debt has risen to $13.847 trillion. Most of that borrowing was done to attempt to stave off the devastating consequences of Bush II and previous Republican administrative national defense and economic policy.
Conclusion – The modern Republican Party practices the adage: “A lie repeated often enough becomes the truth.” Historical information reveals that GOP administrations tax less and borrow more. Additionally, they facilitate unbridled greed, which ultimately causes, except for the very top income earners, severe economic hardship.
Printed December 18, 2010, in the Siuslaw News
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