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According to the Associated Press, President Obama later today will be signing the executive order that prohibits federal funding for abortion.  Rep. Stupak and other “pro-life” democrats will be invited.  It will be a private signing. (AP)

What a contrast  to the almost college-party atmosphere that surrounded the signing of the health care reform bill.  Festivity surrounds the enactment of a rotten bill that among other things provides for abortion.  Closed doors and no ceremonies accompany an act that saves babies.

Does Rep. Stupak know that he already has been lied to?  He insisted on a public signing of such an order.  In a recent interview with Fox News, Rep. Stupak fully admitted nothing is stopping President Obama from rescinding his order the very next day.  Yet – instead of voting no so that some sort of law could be codified about abortions – he instead put his trust in a president that has no ideological reason to stop abortions, and who has consistently broken campaign promises in order to get things done.

Abortion is not a private matter.  A study done by Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health shows that 93% of all abortions are done for purely social reasons.  These reasons include:

• Feels unready for child/responsibility 25%
• Feels she can’t afford baby 23%
• Has all children she wants/other family responsibilities 19%
• Relationship problem/single motherhood 8%
• Feels she isn’t mature enough 7%
• Interference with education/career plans 4%
• Parents/partner wants abortion >1%

Less then 7% are for hard cases like rape, incest, or the health of the mother. (Fact sheet, PDF Download)

What do these numbers say about a society that allows for the routine murder of a baby for such trivial reasons?  What does this say about a President who has done everything to ensure that a woman can kill her baby and has done nothing to protect that baby itself?  What does this say about the foolishness of Rep. Stupak who have now allowed a bill to go into law that does nothing whatsoever to protect the unborn?

Mr. Stupak and others will find that they will have to answer for their foolishness.  And it won’t be done in private.

Pundits and politicians lately have been harping on the growing distrust between the Senate and the House. One blog commenter even said “If the House and the Senate do not trust each other, how can the American people trust the government.” He is correct, and it is one sign that the Founding Fathers really knew what they were doing.

John Feehery

John Feehery has an excellent article over at CNN entitled “Can the House trust the Senate?” His opening two paragraphs just about say it all:

When the Founding Fathers decided to create a bicameral legislative branch, they were trying to make things difficult for the federal government to grab power from the people.

What the Founding Fathers may not have foreseen was how much the House and the Senate would grow to dislike and distrust each other. Why is this important now? Democrats in the House may have to take the political risk of voting to pass the health care bill based on assurances from the Senate that the upper chamber will eventually modify the law to change some things House Democrats don’t want.

The Founding Fathers set up a Congress that had two competing interests – the House that represented the people, and the Senate that represented the states. These two houses of Congress were always meant to be at odds with each other – in order to protect the people it was meant to serve. James Wilson (1791):

…a single legislature is calculated to unite in it all the pernicious qualities of the different extremes of bad government. It produces general weakness, inactivity, and confusion; and these are intermixed with sudden and violent fits of despotism, injustice and cruelty. (Of Government, The Legislative Department, Lectures on Law)

Add to this bicameral house an entire government with branches that share different powers equally. The entire government is meant to be at odds with itself – with a certain amount of distrust and perhaps hostility –in order to protect the Republic which it serves. The Founding Fathers built in this level of distrust within the government, because they had a healthy distrust of government itself. Thomas Jefferson: “That government is best which governs the least, because its people discipline themselves.” They slowed down the government – making it difficult to govern and pass laws – precisely because they wanted a limited government in the first place.

In this insane push towards a Health Care Reform – we can take comfort that the distrust that is going on is entirely healthy.

A new poll by Rasmussen Reports indicates that 75% of Americans are at least somewhat angry with the government.  45% are listed as “Very Angry.”

I have always hated government by poll data.  I believe strongly in a Republic form of government – elected officials who are then to rule in the best interests of the country.  They answer to their constituents at election time – but during their term in office are to vote their conscience.  Republics assure that the passing whims of the masses do not become lasting tyrannies of the people.  Governing by polls – t0 me – often comes too close the dreaded full Democracy that the founding fathers of this country worked so hard to avoid.

This latest poll, though, could be important.   It describes a growing disconnect between what Rasmussen describes as Mainstream and the Political Class.  Here are some of their findings:

The divide between the Political Class and Mainstream voters, however, is remarkable. Eighty-eight percent (88%) of Mainstream voters are angry, but 84% of the Political Class are not.

Forty-nine percent (49%) worry the government will try to do too much to help the economy, while 39% fear it won’t do enough.

As the economy continues to stumble along, 59% of voters believe cutting taxes is better than increasing government spending as a job-creation tool, but 72% expect the nation’s elected politicians to increase spending instead. (Rasmussen Reports)

One way to read this report is that Americans are upset with the gridlock and the politics that has become routine in DC.  Nothing gets done because of political bushwhacking – or – things only get done after payouts and costly concessions.  Americans are mad not at what policy is – but HOW the government is working.

While this argument holds some truth – Americans are indeed tired of the political stunts of both parties – I believe that there is something more going on.  I think Americans – from both parties as the poll shows – are finally waking up that government is not the answer.  I think some of this anger is a frustration is that the average American knows how to fix things – but is hindered by a federal system that prohibits them from doing so.

Case in point.  The biggest item on the block right now is a nationwide lack of jobs.  9.7% of the American population – give or take – cannot find a job.  (Business Week)  Yet, potential employers are faced with so many expenses that are rolled into hiring the work force that they need – from unemployment tax to social security to FICA to insurance – that it is far cheaper to go without that extra person.  Ask any contractor in Campbell County, Tennessee why they cannot hire full time help and they will tell you that for the first two weeks of every month no one works – that is when the government doll check arrives. Workers will only do anything at the end of the month – all under the table of course – because their “Crazy Check” has already been spent.

Restaurants and fast-food joints have historically been the entrance place into the workforce for many people.  Because these places pay minimum wage – they were never designed to be “living wage” areas.  But, as the minimum wage goes up less and less job force entrants will be hired.  The minimum wage is a great example of the government trying a quick fix – higher wages – that only ends up with lower employment and higher prices.

Americans are finally – I think – starting to tell the government that we can fix it – just stay out of our way.  Let me hire someone at the wage I negotiate with that individual – not some inflated wage that is not determined by the market.  Don’t make us pay taxes on hiring someone – nor subsidize those who are not working.  Do not spend money on jobs bills when we can put people to work more effectively – and more cost efficiently – than any government program can.  Don’t give us grants, loans, or subsidies – just stay out of the way.

I think this anger will continue to grow.  The poll indicates an increasing division between those who hold public office – and the rest of us.  Thankfully – there is more of us.

By repeatedly issuing statements and holding seminars, Evangelical Christians gave DaVinci Code author Dan Brown a tremendous amount of free advertizing for what was a mediocre movie at best. By railing and decrying the Tim Tebow commercial, liberal women’s groups did the same for what turned out to be a very tame commercial.

Just go back and read the headlines: Women’s groups call for CBS to pull Tim Tebow Super Bowl ad (LA Times), Stop Anti-Choice Super Bowl Ad (Women’s Media Center), Tell CBS that using the public airwaves to promote an anti-abortion message will lose the network both respect and business (Feminist Majority Foundation). These are just a few of the organizations that rallied and pushed CBS – to no avail – to pull the ad from the network.

I imagine somewhere at CBS today a savy ad exec is telling her bosses, “See, I told you so.” What in fact was a very tame – and a little hooky – ad became a national event. I – like countless others around the nation – stayed glued – looking for that one commercial. If there had been no pre-game angst about the ad – it probably would have gone unnoticed by most. It was the first set of commercials – following a somewhat funny commercial starring Betty White and Abe Vigoda. It would have been lost in the endless commercialism – and alcoholism – that marks this annual meeting of the gridiron titans. Instead, this 30-second, white background, country music commercial will probably land in the top ten.

I imagine the blogs and airwaves will be crowded with spins and backpeddling. From the Huffington Post:

After much anticipation, the ads have now been released — and the Heisman winner tackles his mother! They do not contain any overtly pro-life message and are tamer than many may have expected. The ads mostly consist of Pam Tebow, Tim’s mother, talking about her son. The former Florida quarterback only speaks at the end of the commercials. (Tim Tebow SUPER BOWL AD VIDEO: See Tebow TACKLE Mother Pam)

Focus on the Family – who sponsored the ad – is a pro-life group committed to the very serious problem of unwanted pregnancies. This commercial, however, focused on the tenacity of a mother to give birth to a child in a very uncertain situation. It was a commercial about the strength of mothers, of their commitment to their children, and the joy of families. Hard to find the hyped-up hate there.

So, thanks Dan Brown for showing us that conservatives can give voice to something that should have just been ignored. And – thanks Women’s Media Center, Feminist Majority Foundation, and others – for not learning that lesson.

Senator Chris Dodd (D) of Connecticut announced today that he will not run for reelection.  Despite the joyful news of getting rid of one of the country’s most corrupt Senators, the GOP needs to be careful in their response.

Democrats are loosing 4 seats to retirement this year.  While Republicans are loosing 6 seats for the same reason – the Democrats are considered more at risk.  (Fox News)

Republicans, however, have to overcome two major hurdles.

First is the division in their own party between conservatives and moderates.  Moderates such as Olympia Snowe and others have continuously disappointed Republicans across the country by voting with Democrats on key issues.  They have embraced the idea of bi-partisanship – not understanding that the Democrats aren’t giving up anything.

Meghan McCain writes on her blog:

I am very proud to have the opportunity to speak on how the Republican Party can continue to find ways to be more inclusive and return to its core values and beliefs. Some photos from the weekend are below. (http://mccainblogette.com/)

These people and others do not realize that the reason why the GOP lost the election in 2008 was precisely because it got away from its core values and beliefs – though not the ones that Meghan is talking about.

Fortunately, RNC chair Michael Steele is waking up:

RNC Chairman Michael Steele, appearing Wednesday on “Fox and Friends,” said the right-wing populist movement “puts in stark relief where the American people are” and asserted it’s important for the GOP to “understand this so that we can move towards it, embrace it, and then move into the future.” (UPI.com)

About time – because I continue to believe that if the GOP will embrace its core values of limited government, less taxes, and individual freedom – they will win just about every time.

The other obstacle is overcome a very persuasive ignorance in this country.

This audio clip is from a few months ago, but it illustrates an ignorance that got President Obama and the Democrats elected in the first place.

Unfortunately, no amount of reasoned discussion will overcome such an incorrect view of government.  However, we must try.  The conservative movement must be in the cities, in the community centers, on campuses, and in churches.  We must be reaching out – providing for basic needs, but also educating at the same time.  Instead of Acorn, we should be the Oak Tree – strong, stately, and helping people get to the point where they can be Oak Trees themselves.

Goodbye, Senator Todd.  We will not miss you.  Here’s to hoping that we elect responsible Senators who will wipe out all the mess you have caused.