Common Sense Nonsense

If I had a dollar for every time a politician or candidate described themselves or their plans as "common sense" I would be in my 40 car garage sipping a martini as my Transportation Team washes my Aston Martin DBS instead of ranting to you. They washed the Bugatti earlier of course ;)

Here is another example of this on display in the Illinois Carry forums courtesy of Congressman Bill Foster (D). In response to his support for H.R. 6691 he writes:

"I am a strong supporter of 2nd Amendment rights and I support the constitutionally protected right of law-abiding citizens to own firearms. I also support existing gun safety regulations that use a common-sense approach to keeping guns out of the hands of criminals. By encouraging responsible gun ownership and vigorously enforcing our gun laws, we can reduce the number of tragic incidents of gun violence and improve public safety in our communities. I have demonstrated my commitment to fairness by ensuring that public lands stay open to responsible hunters and their firearms."

What does "common sense" mean exactly Congressman? If you deem Wikipedia as a reliable source they refer to it as:

"consists of what people in common would agree on: that which they 'sense' (in common) as their common natural understanding"

A few questions for the Congressman then:

1. What do conservatives and liberals have in "common" on gun control versus the right to bear arms?
2. What do conservatives and liberals have in "common" on life?
3. What do conservatives and liberals have in "common" on taxation?
4. What do conservatives and liberals have in "common" on oil production?
   
5. ... and the list of questions goes on and on.
   

Using "common sense" is a politician's way of not divulging what they really believe versus what might seem reasonable at the moment. And no, I do not believe conservatives should use it either.

Here is another interesting part of the Congressman's remarks. He writes:

"While I do not sit on either of these committees, I am supportive of these kinds of measures and will keep your thoughts in mind should it come up for a vote."

What does this statement mean exactly? Will you vote yes for the resolution or not? This is clearly an example of a politician "keeping his options open". He says to the constituent "I am supportive" but does not actually say whether he will vote yes or not.

As I stated in my last post ... Congressman Foster is neither a Businessman, a Scientist or a Democrat. He is a Politician.

Transparent Transparency

I just received an email update from Congressman Bill Foster (D) announcing his new congressional website. So I spent some time browsing it last evening to see what he has to offer constituents of the IL 14th District.

I found one section in particular very interesting. While not required by law to do so, he has opted to publicize appropriation requests he submits. He calls this section of the website the Transparency Report. To quote the Congressman:

"As a firm believer that a transparent government is a more accountable one, I have worked to ensure that my constituents have full access to the work that I am doing on their behalf. Using the Appropriations Requests tab, you can view the requests that I submitted to the House Appropriations Committee earlier this year."

So while I agree with his assertion that Congress be accountable for how they spend our money, I have an issue with a couple things:

First, you say "the requests that I submitted ... earlier this year". What about the ones currently being requested? What about the ones you plan to request? Maybe I am just being a stickler about words, but Congressman are you really being transparent and disclosing all your requests or not?

Second, you list all the areas in which you hope to spend money here in the District, but how about a list of the savings? You made financial responsibility a key component in your campaign messaging. In fact, you say on your campaign website:

"It is common for our representatives in Congress to come home to and proudly announce their pork projects: a million-dollar road improvement here, a fire engine there, and so on. But what you never see in those press releases is that every single year our district is taxed to pay over $500 Million in interest on the debt ..."

In addition to listing all the items you have requested to spend our money on, where is the list of savings you have helped identify? What portion of that "$500 million in interest" have you helped chip away at? Now that is a list I and other voters would love to see on your new website. You ran on financial responsibility, so why don't you value savings more than transparent spending?

Finally, you criticize representatives above by calling out their pork projects such as "road improvement here, a fire engine there, and so on." Hum, then I am confused. Let's look at what appropriations you have asked for thus far:

• $6 million for road widening
• $4.1 million for I-88 interchange
• $2.2 million for street project
• $1.9 million for parking congestion
• $1.4 million for an airport road

Huh? These (and this is not a complete list) equate to $15.6 million of our money. Now I am not suggesting these are unnecessary projects, but this list contradicts what you campaigned on. You campaigned on paying down debt versus spending money we don't have. So instead of coming home and "proudly announce" pork projects you chose to publish them on your website instead? Does that mean you are "proudly virtually announcing"? Maybe you can coin the term "Announce 2.0" and show us how web savvy you are ;)

The point is this. People in this District are tired of politicians saying one thing and doing exactly the opposite once elected. Clearly your actions thus far prove you are no different. You are neither a Businessman, a Scientist, nor a Democrat. You are a Politician.

I have had the opportunity of meeting and discussing issues with Jim Oberweis (R). He is truly a fiscal conservative. One thing I know for sure ... Jim values every dollar you earn and will work diligently for you to keep it.