Charles Gibson, ABC News Anchor, challenged Sarah Palin during their Friday evening interview about reforming Washington, D.C. Gibson seemed to chide Gov. Palin, asking how she thought she could be a reformer when President Bush went to Washington with the intent to reform and had failed.
George W. Bush did plan to go to Washington and solve problems in a bipartisan way. Distrust and anger on the part of the Democrat party and the media quickly turned to outright hatred. For fiscal conservatives, his first mistake was forgetting to pack a veto pen before heading to the Oval Office. Next, he started off right away trying to cooperate with Democrat leadership by signing into law the Kennedy/Democrat education 'reform' known as No Child Left Behind. Few have much good to say about it. An attempt to work together with the other side of the aisle ended up being yet another line item the Left (and many on the Right) cite as failed policy. Educators resent having to 'teach to the tests' which must mean they prefer not being accountable for instilling those math and reading basics. Depending on the educator, those bothersome details interfere with the indoctrination of personal views. I hear teachers complain that because of the amount of time it takes to teach reading and math under NCLB, there's not enough time now for the arts, or physical education. When did things change? Hasn't there always been a portion of each day dedicated to core curriculum, i.e., reading, math, writing, etc.? Before NCLB, what was occurring during the time when those subjects were supposed to be taught? Why is it so unreasonable to expect that children be taught and actually learn how to read, write a complete sentence and have a basic understanding of math?
Public education can be reformed in large part by choice in education, not throwing billions of dollars at a system that can be corrupt in how the money is utilized, and subsequently doesn't solve low test scores. In the liberal world, there's no point in trying to reform education by employing methods to raise test scores. Liberals don't like tests; they are pushing in all parts of the country to do away with testing and even grading. Attempts are made to lower high school graduation requirements. There are initiatives to stop keeping score within school athletics. Liberals don't want comparisons drawn between people, success and achievment are not valued. Everyone must be on the same level playing field--if you have more of anything, the government needs to take it from you and redistribute to another with less.
Failure thus far to reform Washington is not limited to government spending and the curtailment thereof. Every department connected with the federal government needs a thorough house cleaning. On countless occasions during the Bush presidency leaks have occurred within the State Department, Department of Defense and others. Clinton appointees and Democrat sympathizers have made it their primary objective to make sure George W. Bush did not 'reform' Washington. Their political loyalities have motivated disclosure of information detrimental to the war effort. Rather than go after these people, fire them and 'green up' Washington by throwing them out in the 'green' grass in front of their offices where they pick themselves 'up' and go find work elsewhere, these folks were seldom, if ever, exposed and impugned. They continue to draw taxpayer funded paychecks, benefits and comfortable retirement packages, but it would seem many of them take direction from either the Democrat party leadership and/or the MSM.
Folks like Charles Gibson, The New York Times, and all the others love nothing more than to run to microphones and printing presses with a juicy piece of news obtained from "Sources close to the Bush administration......" The sources are never revealed even if they are engaging in treason-like activities and deliberate attempts to discredit their country. The Department of Justice failed the American people the last eight years also. When this type of activity occurred, Justice should have stepped up and investigated. At the behest of a president that apparently takes seriously as governing philosophy the concept of 'turn the other cheek', leakers of sensitive information that is helpful to our enemies and damaging to our nation were not challenged.
Washington does need a good, old-fashioned scouring. Whether it's an Obama or McCain rally, the mere mention of reforming the federal government invokes thunderous applause and deafening cheers. Taxes and spending need immediate attention, no question. What Charles Gibson and those in his profession fail to realize is that the inner workings of government and those that really don't want to see their country prosper and do well also need to be subject to reform and if appropriate, relieved of their duties. The media makes that a difficult undertaking. When federal judges were dismissed for sound reasons (they DO serve at the pleasure of the sitting president), the media and the Left joined forces to discredit, call for hearings and other such attempts to stop this president from exercising authority innate to his position. As media ratings continue to plummet to depths close to that of Congress, there are probably more than a few Americans that wish somehow our media could also be reformed from the bottom up.
W may have said he was going to reform Washington but I doubt he ever intended to reform Washington. Even though McCain and Obama talk about reform, I also doubt they actually intend to do much beyond some window dressing.
Posted by: Allen | September 14, 2008 at 08:41 PM