Elections have consequences
By Congressman Alcee L. Hastings
The November 6, 2012 election will impact events for many years to come.
Our job, it seems to me, is to avoid the usual pitfalls when apathy (not voting) outweighs responsibility.
When I say our job, I am not speaking to African Americans. I include Democrats, Independents (who have the same values), Labor Unions, civic, social, political organizations, and most of all you and me.
It will be extremely difficult to get all of the above mentioned entities and individuals motivated to protect their interest. But we must try.
So this, and a few more editorial opinions, will highlight what’s at stake in the upcoming election and some actions that need to be taken.
The very first thing on the ballot will be the Presidential election. I have repeatedly said that we should re-elect President Obama.
“It is true he was dealt a bad hand,” said former Governor Jeb Bush. He went on to say that President Obama should stop blaming his brother, former President George Bush. This statement comes from a man who helped steal the 2000 election. Need I say more?
So just what does President Obama blame former President Bush for doing or not doing? How about an un-necessary war in Iraq, a war that cost us 5,000 lives, countless injuries, and more than a trillion dollars and counting? Add to that the regional instability that continues.
How about a decade of tax cuts for the wealthiest in our society? Remember these are the tax cuts that Republicans, led by Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan, want to extend. These are the tax cuts that are supposed to cause the “job creators” to flood us with 12 million jobs, according to Mitt Romney. How absurd!
Ask them these questions: if tax cuts for the rich people create jobs, why were 700 thousand jobs a month being lost when President Obama assumed office? Why did the banks need a bailout? Why was the auto industry (General Motors and Chrysler) about to go belly-up?
You see, the bush tax cuts were in effect for nearly a decade before many people had heard Barack Obama’s name.
Ask them about the unpaid for 75 billion dollar hand out (Medicare donut hole) to the large drug companies.
Oh, and ask them why “Leave No Child Behind” was such a dramatic failure?
Finally, ask them what is their beef with teachers, fire fighters, and police officers?
The 800 billion dollar “Stimulus Package” did not do everything that was needed. But, it did save a lot of jobs for working families.
So President Obama’s critics and opposition will ask “are we better off now than we were 4 years ago?” I answer, absolutely, how did those 8 years of George bush work out for you?
This election is about much more than slogans, and a man who helped steal an election (Jeb Bush), and one who loves America so much that his money is at work in accounts in Switzerland, Bermuda and the Cayman Islands.
You and I don’t have much money, but at least ours is at work in American banks and credit unions.
By the way, don’t forget to ask why won’t Mitt Romney release his tax returns? President Obama did. ‘Nuff said.
We need to vote, and vote big! If we don’t we get the consequences we deserve.
Congressman Alcee L. Hastings (D-Miramar) serves Florida’s 23rd District Washington Office • 2353 Rayburn Office Building, Washington D.C. 20515 • Tel: (202) 225-1313 – Fax: (202) 225-1171 – Broward County Office, 2701 W. Oakland Park Blvd Suite 200, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33311 • Tel: (954) 733-2800 • Fax: (954) 735-9444 • Palm Beach County Office, Delray Beach City Hall, 100 NW 1st Ave., Delray Beach, FL 33444 • Tel: (561) 243-7042 • Fax: (561) 243-7327