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M odern P atriot C hronicles
An Eleventh Commandment Free Zone
 Vol. 5, Issue 1
January 29, 2006
By Craig Dawkins

 Where Have I Been?
Republicans, Democrats, Lies & Videotape

Copyright@2006, All Rights Reserved.
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POLLS! POLLS! POLLS! POLLS!

Who do you favor for in the race for 5th District U.S. Congressional seat?

Bill Graves - Denise Bode - Mary Fallin - Fred Morgan - Mick Cornett

Go to www.ModernPatriot.net and vote today!!!!
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Where Have I Been?

My last newsletter was published in April of 2005. It was about religious conservatives and the Republican Party. I asked the question regarding the issue of separation of church and state. My poll results indicated that, while we all recognize no explicit constitutional separation exists; almost everybody believes there should be. So what's all the debate about?

Some have been asking me where I've been. They'd been wondering if I had abandoned my political newsletter. I've been doing some things that are very important both personally and professionally.

I quit working for a year and completed my MBA at Oklahoma Christian University. I became a full-time professor of consumer finance and economics at Rose State College. And in June of 2005, I became a part-time deputy for Oklahoma County Commissioner Brent Rinehart.

Yes, I work part-time in Oklahoma County government. Yes, I have some amazing stories to tell. Yes, I fully confess my viewpoints of Oklahoma County government from the perspective that I have a dog in the hunt with regard to the debate at Oklahoma County. That being said, my bias remains solidly in the limited government corner. And that is a corner not shared by many elected officials running Oklahoma County.

Regardless of my inherent conflicts of interest in the debates to come, I will remain intellectually honest regarding the issues I discuss in the newsletter I publish or I will not publish a newsletter at all. While I expect those to accuse me of my admitted bias as a part-time deputy for Brent Rinehart, I reject the idea (in advance) that my writings will reflect anything but my passion for the truth and intellectual honesty regarding the happenings of city, state, and federal government.

It's that simple.
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Republicans, Democrats, Lies & Videotape

In November 1994, we had a Republican revolution in the U.S. House of Representatives. Republicans were going to advance a limited, smaller government. Republicans were going to eliminate wasteful departments of the federal government. Republicans were going to reign in government cronyism. Unfunded mandates were going to come to an end. Republicans were going to show fiscal responsibility. Republicans were going to make a better America.

Prior to becoming the new speaker of the U.S. House, Newt Gingrich said, "I am committed to hunting down every appropriation that we can find that is some politician taking care of himself." My-my how times have changed.

After just more than ten years of Republican control of the U.S. Congress, what have we gotten for our devotion? Here's my top ten list.

10. Under Bill Clinton the federal budget was 18.5% of the United States GDP. Under Bush and Republican Party control of Congress it is now 20.3%. (Cato Institute: )
9. Lobbyist Jack Abramoff plead guilty to three felony counts in return for cooperating with federal prosecutors. He plead guilty for one count of fraud, one of tax evasion, and one for a conspiracy to bribe public officials. Abramoff contributed two-thirds of $2.9 million to Republican lawmakers and the other one-third to Democrat lawmakers. ( )
8. The national debt in September of 2000 was $5.68 trillion. Today it is $8.2 trillion. A 44% increase since Bush was elected president with Republicans in control of the U.S. House. ( )
7. With Republicans in control of both houses of Congress, they are going to ask that the debt ceiling be raised again. No cuts in government. Just more bone crushing debt. Treasury Secretary John Snow has sent a letter to Congress stating that if they do not raise the debt ceiling by March 2006, the government will not be able to meet its obligations. ( )
6. According to a CATO Institute study, if the Congress passes President Bush's 2006 budget, NOT ONE cabinet level agency will be smaller than when Bush was elected to office. ( http://www.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa543.pdf )
5. While the "No Child Left Behind" Act was pleasing to the honorable Senator Ted Kennedy, it was the epitome of federal government intrusion. Republicans in the Utah State Legislature pushed and passed a bill in 2004 refusing to spend one red cent on President Bush's unfunded "No Child Left Behind" education mandate. ( )
4. Tom Delay resigned his leadership position. Now before you jump to conclusions about my motives here, read the Tom Delay quote that appeared in a September 2005 op-ed written by Deroy Murdock for National Review Online. Delay was asked about the out of control spending by Republicans. His answer was, "My answer to those who want to offset the spending is sure, bring the offsets, But nobody has been able to come up with any yet." When he was asked his opinion regarding the efficiency of the Republican controlled Congress, Delay said, "Yes, after 11 years of Republican majority, we've pared it down pretty good." It's just my opinion but I'm pretty sure that he's due a long break so he can get back in touch with reality. ( )
3. Oklahoma U.S. Senator Tom Coburn-R was harshly scolded by Republicans for daring to propose that the $320 million funding earmark for Alaska's so-called "bridge to nowhere" have its funding reduced by $223 million. ( )
2. Steven Slivinski of the Cato Institute wrote that "President Bush has presided over the largest overall increase in inflation-adjusted federal spending since Lyndon B. Johnson."( )
1. When I input the phrase "President George Bush veto" into Google news, I received the response "Your search - "President George Bush veto" - did not match any documents." He still hasn't vetoed a spending bill. And I doubt he ever will.

Republican activists have been duped into thinking that their party deserves their passion, their loyalty and their money. No longer is the Republican Party acting like the party of limited government.

The choices are mighty bleak today. We have the borrow and spend party (Republicans) and the tax and spend party (Democrats). We need more Coburn-like conservatives running for office.