The Great Leftist Conspiracy

I have said repeatedly in the past two years the Democratic Party has been highjacked by ultra-liberals and outright leftists. The John-John ticket is proof of the pudding!

Two of the most liberal voters in Congress are going to spend the next several months trying to show what moderates they are. John Edwards is already being billed as the "man for the middle class", but it's not true.

The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW), which has rated Congress members since 1989, based upon their votes on tax and fiscal policy, has given Edwards ratings of 9, 11 15, 19, and 13 percent, since 1999 respectively. His current 13% rating means he has voted against taxpayer interests 87% of the time in his six years in Congress

"When he has had the opportunity to reduce taxes and return money to the taxpayer, he just says 'no,'" said Tom Schatz of CCAGW. "He refused to eliminate the marriage penalty in 2001. In 2000, he voted against reducing taxes on Social Security benefits(emphasis mine) from 80 to 50 percent, as well as repealing the death tax. If Sen. Edwards had his way, the government would be much larger and personal wealth far smaller."

Edwards, like Kerry, voted against Bush's $350B 2003 tax package, which accelerated already planned tax cuts from legislation passed in 2001. Edwards also has opposed tort reform, an issue which would lower health care costs across the board. Lawsuits and insurance against them is one of the largest contributors to high health care costs in the US.

John Edwards excelled as a trial lawyer, bringing class-action suits for plaintifs who felt a company's products had harmed them in some way. In many class-action cases, the lawyers rake in millions in fees, while the victim gets a coupon of some sort. Victims twice. Since about 80% of businesses in the US are not large corporations, but small independently owned concerns, it is the "working man" who gets hit hardest by a lack of tort reform.

I mention these things to underscore how different the actions are from the words of these two men. They vote as hardline liberals, but speak of themselves as moderates. A John-John administration will move the United States closer to the failure of socialism we are seeing today in Europe. An environment where economic growth, personal prosperity, decent medine, and affordable housing don't exist for the working man.

Only the people who are already rich really prosper in Europe and that's the model for "The Great Leftist Conspiracy".

God Bless America.