Jeers from Terry Wintroub for April column
Dear Editor:
I agree with the headline on Paula Walters column in The Tomahawk of 4/24/13: A country should respect its leaders regardless of political affiliation [https://www.thetomahawk.com/Detail.php?Cat=MYTURN&ID=60051]. No, leaders [which are not to be confused with politicians or elected politicians] should not be disrespected for their political affiliation. They should be disrespected for their actions and their words.
I find almost nothing in the rest of Paulas column that I can agree with or respect.
The president is not the leader of our country. He is hired help. A majority of presidential electors hire him to head the Executive Branch of the U.S. government. That branchs job is to execute the laws enacted by Congress and signed by the president.
In spite of Paulas claim to the contrary, we have not elected United States senators and congressmen to do what is best for all Americans. We know this is true because there are no criteria for determining what is best for all Americans. In fact, it is impossible for any law or regulation to be best for all Americans. Even laws punishing murderers are bad for murderers and their families. Laws against illegal aliens (or, undocumented immigrants if you prefer) are really bad for people who hire them.
Furthermore, members of Congress dont swear an oath to do what is best for all Americans or even for most Americans. Their oath is to support and defend the Constitution of the United States, bear true faith and allegiance to the same and well and faithfully discharge the duties of their office.
Lets pretend that 91% of Americans really are in favor of background checks for the purchase of all guns. Lets pretend further that that 91% is in favor of the specific bill that was recently defeated. Their being in favor doesnt make it a legitimate law, any more than 91% in favor of reinstituting slavery or requiring IQ and political sophistication tests would make doing so legitimate. The central government aka Washington has no constitutional justification for dictating the terms for me to sell one of my guns to Paula.
That bromide about voting the rascals out is just empty rhetoric. The gangs known as political parties dont give you the power to do that. If you dont like the dude running for reelection as a Republican gangster because he voted against universal [yeah, right] background checks, your choice is a Democrat gangster who will empower Harry Reid or Nancy Pelosi to raise your taxes, mess with your medical insurance, tell you you cant smoke, tell you how much sugar you can have in your beverages, stack the Supreme Court with adherents of a living constitution, etc.
Terry Wintroub
Mountain City