Does money buy a listening ear?

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Last week legislators from the state Republican Party began what they called a “listening tour,” and here is who they are listening to, according to Roby Brock’s “Talk Business”: “Last week, the caucus began a ‘listening tour,’ starting with a business roundtable and fundraiser in northwest Arkansas that brought bankers, businessmen and big-wigs from the corporate giants in the region to the table. Cong. Steve Womack (R) and Lt. Gov. Mark Darr (R) were co-hosts for the event along with corporate sponsors, such as J.B. Hunt, Tyson Foods, Cox Communications, SWEPCO and several lobbyists.”

It’s an abomination to call a corporate-sponsored fundraiser with lobbyists a “listening tour.” It shows how completely out of touch even lower-level legislators are with the common citizens. If you write big checks, they will listen.

For example, Tyson executive Archie Schaffer is said to be one of the biggest proponents for “the barrio,” a re-districting plan that would gerrymander through several cities to produce a Hispanic majority state representative district. Not even all the Latinos like that plan and for sure the Tea Party types don’t. Not all the Hispanic community in Rogers looks forward to being a sub-set of the community in Springdale.

Aside from a few big-wigs and a slice of the Springdale Hispanic community, nobody on the ground wants it, yet “Representative” Charlie Collins, with support from GOP chair Doyle Webb, has been adamant in support of the idea.

In the aftermath of that meeting, it was discovered that it was a violation of campaign finance law for a federal office holder, Congressman Steve Womack, to raise soft money for stateraces. He has said that the money should be returned to the donors. The state Republican Party has said they will call the donors and ask them if they want it back. Whether or not thisis still a violation of the law will likely be a matter for the courts to decide. What a fiasco!

In case you think I am just bashing Republicans in a partisan manner, let me be clear. Both the D.C.-controlled political gangs we call “parties” share culpability for their essential roles in bringing this nation to both fiscal and moral ruin.

And frankly, we the people share some of that blame, for disregarding the responsibilities which go hand in hand with the blessings of self-government with which our forefathers entrusted to us.

The Democratic Party is loathsome. It is powered by a few megalomaniacal billionaires who have dreams of controlling the world. It’s “intelligentsia” is a stunted PC group of college ivorytower types who repeat to each other the same failed ideas with no true thinking outside the box tolerated.

Throw in a few demented Hollywood folk that are unable to form stable and functional families, and are separated from the reality the rest of us live in by fame and fortune all out of proportion to their real contributions to society, and you have the top of the party.

The base of the party consists of disparate groups of parasites with their hands out, lusting to use the power of the state to rob and pillage their neighbors who have earned more because they have served others better. The parasite cannot continue to grow faster than the host without killing both organisms. When the host is no longer able to sustain these groups, I predict they will turn on each other with utter ruthlessness, since it is only a common desire to use the state to loot those more virtuous than themselves that binds them together.

We the People have lost our government because we don’t control the two political clubs through which access to the ballot is gained.

◊◊◊

Editor’s note: Mark Moore is the lead writer for an Internet blog on matters pertaining to Arkansas culture and government, Arkansas Watch, and on Tuesday nights is the host of an Internet-based radio program, Patriots on Watch. He can be reached through The Times at [email protected].

Opinion, Pages 4 on 07/20/2011