Madeline Crabb
Hoosiers speak and Lugar loses
By Madeline Crabb
The halls of Congress are buzzing...Lugar lost. Yes, after 36 years in office, Senator Richard Lugar finally loses a senatorial campaign. It's about time.
As happens all too often with "career politicians," Mr. Lugar has spent too much time in DC, and not enough time with his so-called constituents. (I say so-called because Lugar hasn't lived in Indiana for over 30 years.)To say this man has lost touch with Hoosiers is a gross understatement.
The residency issue only surfaced in the last several months. Why it took so long is an interesting question. Lugar has voted in every election, but maintained no Indiana residence. Isn't it ironic how politicians chuckle when citizens demand proper ID's for voting in our elections, and yet, some of these same politicians twist, bend, and break laws when it suits their purposes? Oh yeah, I forgot...Politicians are above the law.
For over 30 years Lugar perpetrated a lie. After selling his home and moving to Virginia, he should have been ineligible to run for one of Indiana's US Senate seats. He had to have help in keeping his residency status quiet for so long. Our media should have uncovered the truth long ago. But no, everyone became enamored by Richard Lugar. And yes, he did some great things over the years. Unfortunately, Lugar began to believe his own press clippings, and stopped listening to the people he was supposed to be serving.
Perhaps in the early years of his service he actually cared about Hoosiers. But reasonable people can determine that if he lived full-time in another state, he wasn't singing, "I long for my Indiana home." (Stanza from the song Back Home Again in Indiana.) Mr. Lugar began his Senate career with conservative values, but ended it with a more liberal viewpoint. Hello! He lived in and breathed the DC-area polluted, political air for over 30 years. How could he relate to mere Hoosiers?
Over the years, and as a resident in Indiana, I have repeatedly contacted Senator Lugar's office about his stance on important issues. Each time, I felt my concerns fell on deaf ears. Letters of reply never really addressed my concerns, but simply flirted with the issues. Usually I felt as if I were getting lectured. This tends to infuriate me. Contrary to the beliefs of many politicians, not all citizens are a bunch of rubes. We study issues, and can clearly see that things have gone terribly amok with our Federal government. Moreover, elected officials serve us, not the other way around. And Mr. Lugar no longer serves Hoosiers.
It saddens many of us as to how the senator has recently conducted himself. His attitude about not being an Indiana resident is contemptuous and arrogant. Like a bratty little child, he basically says, "Na- na na- na na- na...you can't make me live in Indiana." And then, instead of conducting himself like a senior "statesman," he allows his handlers to run vicious ads against his opponent, Richard Mourdock. Finally, in his second concession statement, Lugar basically lectures Hoosiers about how wrong they are in their choice of candidates. In his arrogance, he insinuates the Senate will fall-apart without him — that we're going to be sorry he is gone.
This is the prevailing attitude of far too many of our elected officials. After a little while in Congress, these guys and gals begin to believe they are God's gift to the American people. They become so caught-up in the national power game that they lose touch with the reality they are simply servants of the American people. They are supposed to represent us — not dictate to us. Unfortunately, We the People have enabled our elected officials to be corrupted by greed and power, while also allowing them to become our masters.
Have we simply fallen under a trance of the polished, pretty, and practiced words of our politicians? We vote for people with our values, but why do we continue voting for them without bothering to determine if they still share our values, or whether, like Obama, have become enlightened and evolved? We fail to understand that their environment in DC is like a different world — a world that can dramatically challenge one's beliefs. Truthfully, haven't we become a little lazy and complacent, abdicating our responsibility to hold our elected officials accountable?
The following are three great books that reveal startling behind-the-scene truths our elected officials shouldn't be very proud of: Inside Congress by Ronald Kessler, Breach of Trust by Senator Tom Coburn, and the Great American Awakening by Senator Jim Demint. We the People cannot claim ignorance about how our Federal government got to its current state. We have far too many resources like these books to educate us.
Fortunately, many Americans are waking up and realizing that we must undo the damage caused both by elected politicians becoming too big for their britches, and our negligence in holding them accountable for their actions. Many, like me, have gotten tired of being ignored. We also hate being treated like second-class citizens — or worse, like slaves to their whims. Since we, as individuals, are not being heard, we are coming together as one in groups like the Tea Party. Now, our collective voice is beginning to be heard. Thus people like Richard Lugar, who have repeatedly ignored the will of the people, are defeated. And it is waaaaayyyy past time. It's sad that Senator Lugar had to leave the political scene the way he did. Arrogance and pride are so ugly. Other "career politicians" should take heed.
Americans are simply getting fed-up with the bad behavior of our politicians. We are appalled at how elected officials either ignore or bypass our Constitution. We are sickened by the unwillingness or gutlessness in challenging President Obama as he thumbs his nose at the Constitution, Congress, the Supreme Court, and the American people. Pretty words and platitudes don't impress most of us. We are seeking individuals who want to serve as "citizen legislators," not those wishing fame and a lifelong, engraved seat in Congress. We are looking for a few good men who say what they mean and mean what they say. To anyone willing to hear....
© Madeline Crabb
May 11, 2012
The halls of Congress are buzzing...Lugar lost. Yes, after 36 years in office, Senator Richard Lugar finally loses a senatorial campaign. It's about time.
As happens all too often with "career politicians," Mr. Lugar has spent too much time in DC, and not enough time with his so-called constituents. (I say so-called because Lugar hasn't lived in Indiana for over 30 years.)To say this man has lost touch with Hoosiers is a gross understatement.
The residency issue only surfaced in the last several months. Why it took so long is an interesting question. Lugar has voted in every election, but maintained no Indiana residence. Isn't it ironic how politicians chuckle when citizens demand proper ID's for voting in our elections, and yet, some of these same politicians twist, bend, and break laws when it suits their purposes? Oh yeah, I forgot...Politicians are above the law.
For over 30 years Lugar perpetrated a lie. After selling his home and moving to Virginia, he should have been ineligible to run for one of Indiana's US Senate seats. He had to have help in keeping his residency status quiet for so long. Our media should have uncovered the truth long ago. But no, everyone became enamored by Richard Lugar. And yes, he did some great things over the years. Unfortunately, Lugar began to believe his own press clippings, and stopped listening to the people he was supposed to be serving.
Perhaps in the early years of his service he actually cared about Hoosiers. But reasonable people can determine that if he lived full-time in another state, he wasn't singing, "I long for my Indiana home." (Stanza from the song Back Home Again in Indiana.) Mr. Lugar began his Senate career with conservative values, but ended it with a more liberal viewpoint. Hello! He lived in and breathed the DC-area polluted, political air for over 30 years. How could he relate to mere Hoosiers?
Over the years, and as a resident in Indiana, I have repeatedly contacted Senator Lugar's office about his stance on important issues. Each time, I felt my concerns fell on deaf ears. Letters of reply never really addressed my concerns, but simply flirted with the issues. Usually I felt as if I were getting lectured. This tends to infuriate me. Contrary to the beliefs of many politicians, not all citizens are a bunch of rubes. We study issues, and can clearly see that things have gone terribly amok with our Federal government. Moreover, elected officials serve us, not the other way around. And Mr. Lugar no longer serves Hoosiers.
It saddens many of us as to how the senator has recently conducted himself. His attitude about not being an Indiana resident is contemptuous and arrogant. Like a bratty little child, he basically says, "Na- na na- na na- na...you can't make me live in Indiana." And then, instead of conducting himself like a senior "statesman," he allows his handlers to run vicious ads against his opponent, Richard Mourdock. Finally, in his second concession statement, Lugar basically lectures Hoosiers about how wrong they are in their choice of candidates. In his arrogance, he insinuates the Senate will fall-apart without him — that we're going to be sorry he is gone.
This is the prevailing attitude of far too many of our elected officials. After a little while in Congress, these guys and gals begin to believe they are God's gift to the American people. They become so caught-up in the national power game that they lose touch with the reality they are simply servants of the American people. They are supposed to represent us — not dictate to us. Unfortunately, We the People have enabled our elected officials to be corrupted by greed and power, while also allowing them to become our masters.
Have we simply fallen under a trance of the polished, pretty, and practiced words of our politicians? We vote for people with our values, but why do we continue voting for them without bothering to determine if they still share our values, or whether, like Obama, have become enlightened and evolved? We fail to understand that their environment in DC is like a different world — a world that can dramatically challenge one's beliefs. Truthfully, haven't we become a little lazy and complacent, abdicating our responsibility to hold our elected officials accountable?
The following are three great books that reveal startling behind-the-scene truths our elected officials shouldn't be very proud of: Inside Congress by Ronald Kessler, Breach of Trust by Senator Tom Coburn, and the Great American Awakening by Senator Jim Demint. We the People cannot claim ignorance about how our Federal government got to its current state. We have far too many resources like these books to educate us.
Fortunately, many Americans are waking up and realizing that we must undo the damage caused both by elected politicians becoming too big for their britches, and our negligence in holding them accountable for their actions. Many, like me, have gotten tired of being ignored. We also hate being treated like second-class citizens — or worse, like slaves to their whims. Since we, as individuals, are not being heard, we are coming together as one in groups like the Tea Party. Now, our collective voice is beginning to be heard. Thus people like Richard Lugar, who have repeatedly ignored the will of the people, are defeated. And it is waaaaayyyy past time. It's sad that Senator Lugar had to leave the political scene the way he did. Arrogance and pride are so ugly. Other "career politicians" should take heed.
Americans are simply getting fed-up with the bad behavior of our politicians. We are appalled at how elected officials either ignore or bypass our Constitution. We are sickened by the unwillingness or gutlessness in challenging President Obama as he thumbs his nose at the Constitution, Congress, the Supreme Court, and the American people. Pretty words and platitudes don't impress most of us. We are seeking individuals who want to serve as "citizen legislators," not those wishing fame and a lifelong, engraved seat in Congress. We are looking for a few good men who say what they mean and mean what they say. To anyone willing to hear....
© Madeline Crabb
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