Keown to Bishop: Votes Speak Louder Than Words!
Yesterday Congressman Sanford Bishop sent out a common sense, conservative sounding Op Ed calling on Congress and Speaker Pelosi to extend tax relief to all Americans. I agree with the content of his Op Ed -- higher taxes are not what we need during these trying economic times - despite the continual push from the democrats in Washington.
What shocked me about the piece was not the conservative message coming from the same Congressman who supported Barack Obama and Speaker Nancy Pelosi, it was that on the same day he sent this piece went out across the district, he cast a vote that directly blocked any measure to stop the onslaught of higher taxes set to go into effect January 1st. Ignoring the content of his own Op Ed Congressman Bishop voted for adjournment in the House, a vote that blocked an effort to provide tax relief before running home to focus on his reelection campaign. 39 Democrats actually sided with the Republicans and voted against adjournment for this very reason. Unfortunately for hard working Americans, Bishop was not among them, and the House adjourned with just enough votes to stop those pushing to stop the massive tax hike that is looming on the horizon.
Yesterday Rep. Bishop voted for adjournment and higher taxes then went out and immediately told the good people of the 2nd District that he opposes those same taxes. I'm sorry Congressman, but you just cannot have it both ways. The way I was raised, actions speak louder than words, and when it comes to politics and our representation in Congress, I believe that votes speak louder than words. You cannot campaign one way, and then vote in direct contradiction.
Congressional approval is at an all time low, and I personally believe that much of the frustration towards incumbents stems from the lack of consistency we see from so many of our officials. They campaign as public servants, yet govern as self-serving, self-dealing, arrogant, out of touch, and somehow seem to believe that they are better than everyone else. These attitudes are demonstrated when Congress passes measures that the public is overwhelmingly opposed to, when Congress continues with out of control spending and a runaway national deficit, and when our Congressmen vote for higher taxes while claiming to be opposed to them.
It is time for consistency from those elected to positions of public trust. It is time for officials to govern as they campaign. It is time to put the people before the politicians. And it is time for our Congressman to own up to the fact that his votes do not match the words he uses to try and convince the voters to keep him on the job. I'm running for Congress because I believe the 2nd District deserves honesty, ethical leadership and consistency from our Congressman.
As your next Congressman, we will not always agree on all things, but I promise that I will listen to you, I will put your needs above my own, and I will govern exactly how I campaign. That is my pledge to you