Define the RINO

I am not going to transcribe Larry Kettle’s letter today, 31 January 2014, “RINOS:  The fewer, the merrier.”  It is the typical diatribe that is actually not worth repeating.  Instead, I am going to suggest a few things about what “RINO” has come to mean:  Herb Huseland’s “My Turn” column in the same Coeur d’Alene Press regarded GOP political extremes in particular, to be more of a religion.  If you weren’t solidly in support of it, then you must be an apostate.  I’ll agree with him to that extent.  Only, every few days, weeks, months, or years; the GOP keep shifting the goal post on where they want the political/religious platform to be.  Anyone who was originally satisfied with where those goal posts once stood, would become a new apostate with this abrupt change in the political climate!  To me, that says a great deal about the people who are supposed to be “guiding the party.”  Looks more like they are encouraging lemming like behavior toward the nearest cliff.

We already do know that extremists among the GOP have no use for the Affordable Care Act.  It is a “disastrous” law because 1.  I said so.  Or 2.  Because this is more about opposing anything a Democratic President says and does anyway.  If former Arkansas Guv and one time Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee; wants to ban “RINO” because he is being constantly labeled with it, out of some political criticism of himself, maybe he’d rather have the appellation of “crazy.”  Something that a lot of GOP are in the camp of.  So, the Affordable Care Act was supposed to be a “bail out of the insurance companies,” was it?  Did Mr. Kettle do any particular whining about Medicare Part D, when it for certain bailed out big pharma?

Now there is this next question that I have of what is best for the country.  This week’s “Inlander” duly informs its readers about Mike Baumgartner of Spokane, sponsoring legislation with regard to those receiving unemployment benefits.  They should do hours of community service to receive those benefits at all.  This, so the state senator doth say, will keep them connected to the job market.  Probably not.  Unless the “good” Senator wants to define where and under what circumstances, such a “community service” would see that unemployed individual, rehired into a new job in the near future.  In other words, the GOP wouldn’t understand what being positively proactive is.  They’ll complain lustily about anything, and do nothing that actually helps anyone.  Well, except the well-heeled and well-connected special interests of course.

And then there is the question of “limited government.”  That always shows up in the diatribe of choice, and fails to address the fact that the GOP aren’t necessarily fiscally prudent and are only opposed to an “expansive government” when they aren’t in charge of it.  When they are, especially at the state level, they are more than happy to forget such constitutional niceties as the first Amendment and Article 6.  Plus the fact that the fourteenth amendment says that certain rights are guaranteed at the state level.  That’s because they push anti-aborticide legislation or go public with their refusal to allow “Muslim cemeteries.”  But of course, a coal washing chemical spill coming from a now bankrupt chemical plant in Virginia:  It has the potential of being a toxic pollutant, people were told not to drink it, cook with it, or bathe in it; but the plant itself went unregulated.  With pending lawsuits, it immediately sought bankruptcy protection.  I guess that when you are a big business interest, money will pave the way for a lot of things: government when you want it and government that will stay out of your face until you make a major mess of things.  Then it is entirely likely, that when the latter does happen, it will be the taxpayers holding the bag.

And finally the ice storm screw up in Atlanta, Georgia.  And the GOP in charge who created a gridlock literally, that shut down some major freeways.  They knew this storm was coming.  They informed their constituents that they were ready and “on top of it.”  And the Apocalypse arrived.  CNN was all over it, “The Daily Show” was addressing irony city, between some member of the “leadership” receiving some award; along with images of miles of snarled traffic that plainly showed, why he shouldn’t have earned it. 

How about this, making people the first priority?  Governor Butch Otter of Idaho wants to substantially reduce the grocery tax credit and turn a portion of it into a tax refund.  If Mr. Harley Duff is correct, those who would stand to benefit the most, would be the same people who would need it the least.  Oh yeah, oppose aborticide, in the name of “conscious oppose dispensing birth control pills, but let’s not make it easy for kids to have food on the table or good education and jobs to look forward to.

“Republican In Name Only,” huh?  I have a better argument, “Christian nation,” not so much?