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Politics : Impeach George W. Bush -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Mephisto who wrote (8464)	12/10/2001 8:59:36 PM
From: Mephisto	Respond to of 93284

The Bush Syndrome Bruce S. Ticker, Already John Ashcroft is picking on an entire state, Oregon. Not only did followers of Ronald Reagan name an airport after the right-wing president but they want $400,000 spent on sign changes and related expenses. And while New Yorkers still struggle after the Sept. 11 attack they are denied needed funds from President Bush and the right-wing controlled House of Representatives. So what else can happen? When the people of these states and affected communities even question such moves, the Capitol Hill bullies are poised to pounce. Three Republican House members from Sunbelt states ought to collaborate on a book entitled Governing by Intimidation. Rep. Lamar Smith of Texas sought to put Oregon in its place; Rep. Robert L. Barr of Georgia kicked sand in the faces of citizens of Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C.; and Rep. Bill Young of Florida stared down New York, of all places. For Portland's refusal to interview foreign visitors for terrorism, the whole state of Oregon was threatened with the loss of federal law enforcement payments. Smith, who chairs a House crime subcommittee, sent a letter to ASHCROFT, the attorney general, characterizing the city's decision as seemingly inconsistent with the national war effort and contrary to an effective and cohesive national law enforcement strategy, The Portland Oregonian reported. Ashcroft had asked state and local police to help interview 5,000 foreign visitors, but the Portland city attorney advised local officials that the interviews might violate Oregon law. Four other Oregon cities soon followed suit. And while this nation's 281 million citizens faced terrorist threats, the attorney general had a short time earlier tried to block Oregon's doctor-assisted suicide law. Democratic Rep. Earl Blumenauer, who represents part of Portland, declared that the assault on Oregon continues. I find it ironic with all the problems we've got to contend with that somehow we'd be focusing this much attention on Oregon, Blumenauer said. Smith, whose district covers Austin and Midland, was not available to respond to the newspaper's inquiries. Barr, who represents much of Atlanta's suburbs, was more ambitious as he dictated to Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia. A $60 billion transportation bill which was passed by the House the other week requires Metro, the Washington region's transportation system, to graft Reagan's name to its National Airport Station signs. Metro responded that requests for a name change must originate from the jurisdiction in which the train sits. The Democratic-controlled Arlington County government said it wasn't interested in renaming the station, according to The Washington Post. Barr at one point threatened to block Metro's federal funding. He said in a statement that he was gratified my colleagues in Congress saw fit to cut through the partisan rhetoric and bureaucratic red tape thrown up by Metro and pass simple language requiring them to finally recognize the lawful name of the airport...Entities that receive hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars should not allow the partisan views of its leadership to be the deciding factor in which laws they will or will not follow. The airport was renamed after Reagan three years ago in legislation sponsored by Barr, who played a major role in impeaching another living ex-president. The name change would cost about $400,000, Metro officials told the Post. While signs at the airport station would have to be replaced, Metro would also need to change the brown pylons that list stops at 29 other Blue and Yellow Line stations; install new maps in all 83 stations and inside each rail car; and reprint several thousand Metro pocket guides. Finally, Smith appealed to New York representatives' sense of patriotism when they pleaded for more recovery money for their state. Young, who represents St. Petersburg and chairs the House Appropriations Committee, told committee members they would appear disloyal to their president if they defied his demand to add no new spending, according to The Boston Globe. Somehow I can't believe that this is the kind of discourse that our founders envisioned when they devised the Constitution. There may be times when the positions of ultra-conservative representatives have merit and deserve serious consideration. And that's their problem: They won't give serious consideration to the concerns of anyone with a different viewpoint. We can ask who Smith, Barr and Young think they are. We can rant that threatening other states is outrageous. These guys are arrogant bullies who must think that with their control of the House they can get away with anything. Somewhere along the line they forgot their role is the honor of participating at such a high level in a democracy. In many countries they would be lucky to be alive if they were out of power. Their intimidation tactics threaten not only their targets but also other Republicans who might be politically vulnerable, and any loss of services - especially cuts in the Metro transit system - would harm conservatives just as much as it would hurt the rest of us. And they might consider that what goes around comes around. If Democrats retake control of the House next year, what will happen to federally funded programs in Austin, St. Petersburg and the Atlanta suburbs? Reprinted from The Bush Syndrome: thebushsyndrome.com article.php?sid=6&mode=nested&order=0