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Opinion & Editorial Don’t Get Run Over
Don’t get between Senator [Claire] McCaskill and the “political center” or you could get run over and have serious injuries. In her pell mell run to the right, Sen. McCaskill now says she is seeking ways to “modify” the individual mandate. Yes, that Sen. McCaskill who was the loyal supporter of Obamacare for two years of Sarah gut wretching, heated debate Steelman about the individual mandate, its desirability and constitutionality. Republicans and Tea Party activists consistently said it was neither desirable nor constitutional. And Claire’s fellow Democrats, and the MSM called us “crazy,” “extreme,” and “out of the mainstream.” Even after Obamacare was turned back by 71 percent of Missourians, Claire didn’t openly question the mandate until after the November election - guess she was hoping the conservative revolution would not materialize at the ballot box. In fact, back in August 2010, after Missourians resoundingly registered their opposition to “Obamacare” and the individual mandate, McCaskill said that this overwhelming defeat for “Obamacare” was due to “a lack of education about the bill” and “people. . .don’t realize there’s going to be more access and affordability and more choices.” In other words, we Missourians are just not very bright and are uneducated about these complicated matters. She just sort of patted Missourians on the head and urged us to get back to our guns and religion. Now, and because it seems to fit her re-election needs, she is “moderating” her position and “moving to the center.” This is exactly what is wrong with politicians. If you believe in something, believe in it and fight for it; don’t sway in the political breeze. I am very comfortable being the candidate the Democratic politicians call out of the mainstream and extreme, who has, and will, oppose the individual mandate-period. Sarah Steelman is a former Missouri State Treasurer, former Missouri State Senator, and a professor at Missouri State University. Steelman lives in Rolla and is a candidate for the United States Senate.
Brighton Jay If a voter is trying to figure out who Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill is by the rhetoric coming out of her office lately, that person may decide that she is a centrist Democrat—what with talks of balanced budgets and government reforms. What that voter would not realize would be the rhetoric changes according to whether it is an election year versus a non-election year. Just two-and-a-half years ago she was fawning over then Senator Barack Obama as if he were the new Moses, come to save the American people from captivity in a barren land. Whatever rhetoric comes out of her office, whether it is to endear herself to a president for political gain or to ingratiate herself to the voters in Missouri, the one place where interested and educated voters can go to find out the truth is straight back to her voting record. Her record shows a consistent support for the “tax and spend” economic policy that has us in the fiscal hole we are in, as well as bigger, more intrusive government, controlling areas of our lives the federal government has no place being. The latest example of Sen. McCaskill’s true colors were displayed for all to see this month when she, once again, ignored the will of Missouri voters and voted ‘no’ on the repeal of the health care bill. Even after Missouri voters overwhelmingly showed their displeasure with the health care bill by voting 70 percent – 30 percent for Proposition C this past August, the senator thumbed her proverbial nose at them. Does she truly believe she is so smart as to tell us what is best for us and ignore our will as the people she was sent to Washington, D.C. to represent? Does she really think we Missourians are that preoccupied and uninterested to not notice her hypocrisy and arrogance? The arrogance of this vote cannot be ignored. We, as Missourians, must mobilize the voting base and make sure in 2012 that Claire McCaskill reaps the consequences of ignoring her constituents. It is time for the voters to send her into retirement once and for all.
To submit a letter to the editor or become a contributing columnist, e-mail the managing editor Tim Krakowiak at tim@semotimes.com.
Bandwidth Battles
Ten years ago, my father was a telecommunications contractor installing DSLAMs (Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexer) in the Midwest. He was a small part of an effort by corporate telephone companies (Telcos) to blanket the U.S. in DSL service. As the story so often goes in today’s world, the economy bottomed out, resulting in the eventual demise of both the plans for nationwide DSL and my father’s employment. In spite of the grand campaign by the TelCos who had thrown money at the DSL project, most rural residents remained relegated to the world of dialup service. Major Internet Service Providers concentrated on expanding services in the heavily populated urban areas where the profits were greatest. Small, local ISPs continued to be the only companies attempting to provide service to those end users who had to suffer through the plaintive squeals of their dialup modems and wait impatiently for even the most basic pages to load. Much like Walmart was the catalyst for the demise of the mom and pop store, AT&T, Charter and a host of other mammoth entities ate the little guys like Pac-Man with the munchies. In the recent State of the Union address, President [Barack] Obama unveiled a goal to make it possible for businesses to deploy high speed wireless to 98 percent of the U.S. within the next five years. I have little doubt that the same aforementioned major ISPs will be relied upon to achieve this dream. However, most existing technology being utilized by the larger companies does not have the capacity to provide rural residents with decent service, and leaves behind the local ISPs, which are already attempting to do exactly that. There is room for most ISPs in the quest to leave dialup behind for every citizen; as long as the little guys are allowed to contribute their ingenuity and are justly rewarded for that contribution. In addition, it is very important that competition exists in a level playing field for service providers of all shapes and sizes. Competition keeps costs down and innovation up, which is beneficial for both consumer bandwidth and the bottom line. If you want to see faster speed, expanded coverage, lower costs and increasingly reliable service – support your local ISP and any legislation that assists in giving the little guy a fighting chance. You can read more about Obama’s plan for broadband at www.broadcastengineering.com, and visit www.thelist.com to find a list of local ISPs in your area. Brighton Jay, a customer service manager at a local business, can be reached by e-mailing brightonjay@gmail.com.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI’S NEWS-MAGAZINE OF POLITICS AND CULTURE
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