Column for Jan. 12, 2012

It has been said that politicians and diapers both need to be changed every so often...and for the same reason.  As a father of two and another baby on the way, I can relate to that axiom.  In our area, we changed our diaper when we voted Congressman Bob Etheridge out of office last year.  Now, like a bad slasher film or Rocky movie series, he wants to make a comeback after just half of one term out of office.

Old Bob has been around a long time in North Carolina politics.  I remember after he decided to leave his position at the Department of Public Instruction to run for Congress.  I interviewed Mr. Etheridge on numerous occasions when I was working in radio.  I had a habit of asking tough questions, regardless of party affiliation.  I quizzed Democrats and Republicans alike with similar zeal.  When it became evident to Old Bob that I would not throw softball questions at him each time he called the radio station, he stopped trying to get free public relations airtime.

I have followed Bob Etheridge’s congressional career over the fourteen years he was in office.  When he did well on issues, I praised his performance.  When he did poorly, I was critical.  I believe in being fair and if I am willing to critique, I had better be willing to give kudos.  Bob was relatively good on Second Amendment issues, but he had a serious problem with staying within the powers granted to Congress.  He wrote and sponsored many bills that were patently unconstitutional.  Then again, most congressmen have that same problem.

One thing that Bob Etheridge was known for was bringing federal tax money home to his district for various projects and issues.  I remember seeing countless photo opportunities in which Bob was giving a symbolic giant check for road improvements, fire and police services, farmers, or whatever the current gimmick was.

I have relatives who literally were his neighbors and think that Bob Etheridge is a great, honest politician.  From my experiences with him, I think that he was the stereotypical, constitutionally illiterate, dishonest sleazeball who was more concerned with his own re-election than with the well being of his constituency.  Believe me, that has made for some interesting conversation at family gatherings.  The measure of a good politician is not how much money is brought back to his home district from Washington, D.C., but rather how much money stays at home to begin with.

Bob Etheridge was quoted in the News and Observer as saying, “I’m like any American right now – frustrated at what is going on with our tea party folks up there. I think they have pushed our country to the brink three times this year, and lost our country its AAA bond rating as a result of that."  

Say what?  No, Bob, it is not the Tea Party that has been the issue.  As a matter of fact, I am rather disappointed with the Tea Party candidates, in general.  After one year in office, they have not done all that We The People have elected them to do...to undo what politicians like you did while you were in Congress.  There has been the occasional slight glimmer of hope, but we eventually get the same old garbage that got us into this mess.  Still, I will take a flawed Renee Ellmers over a politician like Bob Etheridge any day.  We lost our AAA bond rating as a result of the reckless spending that has been rampant for the last two decades, for which the majority thereof, Bob, you were a member of Congress.

What irks me is that since the recent redistricting, Bob Etheridge now lives in the 4th Congressional District.  He wants to run for office in the 2nd District, which was the seat he recently lost.  For some incredibly stupid reason, law allows him to do that.  If I have to live in the 2nd District in order to vote for representatives from the 2nd District, the representative should have to reside within the 2nd District.  This is just another outrageous example of politicians writing the laws so that they themselves will not have to abide by them.

If you are not outraged by the current state of governmental affairs, then you are not paying attention.  Our government was instituted by God (Romans 13), and in this country, we were entrusted with a form of government that requires our participation and assent.  To that end, we must keep dishonest weasels out of office and elect morally strong, constitutionally literate individuals who will be more like statesmen than politicians.  But, do we actually have any to elect?