If It Wants to Save Us, GOP Has to Get Its Game Face On

While political observers note that America is in danger of losing its historical role as the world’s freest nation, greatest economy, and most powerful military power, House Republicans seem to have given up the fight.

Tech entrepreneur Elon Musk observed how precarious things are for America over the weekend"

"I voted 100% Dem until a few years ago," he said Sunday.

"Now, I think we need a red wave or America is toast."

Those signs are everywhere, including:

• A wide open southern border that admits drug and human traffickers, national security threats, and MS-13 gang members.
• A transportation secretary who is laser-focused on eliminating "racist" bridges, roads, highways, and tunnels while the airline and rail industries fall in disarray.
• An economy distinguished by high inflation and a poor job market, forcing many Americans to live off of credit cards for survival. Consumers added $50 billion onto their credit card balances just in the last three months of 2023, for a record high consumer credit card debt of $1.13 trillion.
• Soaring crime, especially carjacking and shoplifting, and home invasions.

Meanwhile, the national debt is more than $34 trillion, and is on track to rise to $54 trillion over the next 10 years.

Taxpayers spend more money servicing the national debt than they do on Medicaid.

But instead of curbing federal spending, Congress approved a $1.2 trillion omnibus spending package on Friday.

Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, firebrand and House Freedom Caucus member, said that by approving the bill, House Republicans own both the bill and the economy.

"The House of Representatives holds the power of the purse," he tweeted.

"101 Republicans voted with Democrats to spend above Pelosi levels. 112 did not."

He concluded, "They own inflation too. That’s the truth."

And the vote itself was reminiscent of a statement made by former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi: "We have to pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it."

In this case the House was given 24 hours to pour over the humongous 1,012-page bill before voting on it.

If they’d had the chance to review it, more Republicans, and maybe even a few Democrats, would have voted no.

The bill contained $2 billion in earmarks, including:

• $2 million for a Maine kelp and shellfish nursery
• $1.5 million to encourage New York kids to play video games
• $388K for Columbia University (which already has a $13.6 billion endowment)
• $249K for the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
• $1 million for Cambridge, Mass., Community Center solar panels
• $1 million for the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital

Other provisions buried in the bill are:

• $850k for a gay senior home
• $15 million to pay for Egyptian's college tuitions
• $400k for a gay activist group to teach elementary kids about being trans
• $500k for a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion zoo
• $400k for a group to give clothes to teens to help them hide their gender

Seriously?

Here’s some advice for the GOP:

No more 1,000-page omnibus spending bills.

Fund each federal department and program separately in small, individual bills, so that members of Congress and the American public know what’s in the bill.

Also, no more earmarks.

Whether you’ve been in Congress 30 days or 30 years, you don’t have the right to force the American people to fund a pet project in your particular state or district.

Finally, no more kicking the can down the road with continuing resolutions. No one said that hammering out budgets with Democrats would be easy, but you asked for the job, you campaigned for it, now do it.

And speaking of asking for the job, there have been way too many Republicans bugging out before the end of their term lately.

The two most recent defections are Reps. Ken Buck. R-Colo., and and Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., reducing the House GOP majority to four: 217-213.

"No rear-view mirror, happy to move on," Buck said on ABC's "This Week," adding, "Dysfunctional place."

They couldn’t cut the mustard for another nine months?

So much for patriotism and party loyalty.

As Musk said above, "we need a red wave or America is toast," and that means the GOP has to get serious.

Democrats and Republicans alike tend to group themselves into a circle whenever things get tough. But Democrats face out and circle the wagon, while Republicans face inward and form a circular firing squad.

Republicans have to start thinking less of themselves and more for their country, "or America is toast."

Michael Dorstewitz is a retired lawyer and has been a frequent contributor to Newsmax. He is also a former U.S. Merchant Marine officer and an enthusiastic Second Amendment supporter. Read Michael Dorstewitz's Reports — More Here.