America Can’t Wait for this Congress to Act

Barack Obama performed a well-choreographed bit of political theater yesterday. Days before he and rival Mitt Romney are scheduled to appear before Hispanic officials in Florida, President Obama took executive action removing the fear of deportation for hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants brought to the U.S. as children.

The policy makes sense – many of the immigrants impacted by the action are hard-working people who are contributing and will continue to contribute to the strength of our country.

Politically, the Obama move was brilliant.

Mitt Romney whose stance on immigration has been evolving since January when he said immigrants should “return home, apply and get in line with everyone else,” now finds it difficult in the general election to oppose the merits of a plan such as the one Obama initiated. Romney and friends know winning support from Hispanic voters will dim significantly if Republicans are seen as advocates for the forcible removal of children, college students and young adults who are law-abiding members of the American community.

But, of course, the often-silly game of modern American politics makes it impossible for opponents to applaud the other, even if they agree.

Fear not, team Romney found something to indignantly huff about. They say the President’s action, which is not an executive order but a memo from the Department of Homeland Security to its agencies, is an overreach of executive authority – actions like these should be left to Congress.

Yes, they are suggesting we wait for Congress to act – a Congress so overwhelmingly dominated by out-of-touch partisans from both parties, little of what happens in the marble edifice on the hill these days rises above puerile political sniping.

When asked in 2010 to define the Republicans’ main job in Congress, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said, “The single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president.”

Outrageous and destructive statements are made by Democrats, too. A disquieting chorus of “to Hell with making America better or doing something productive – we only care about winning elections” echoes through the Capitol these days.

Sorry, Mr. Romney, we can’t wait for Congress to lead. This group of self-interested political hacks is inept and disinterested in working for our country.

Today’s political campaign trail is chock full of candidates vying to score political points with tough sounding sound bites and jabs meant to weaken the opposition. Americans long for candidates who stand for something greater than election. We want leaders committed to building a better America. Sometimes, this will mean agreeing with the guy from the other party. If Congress needs to act, pressure them to do so. If the President’s actions are correct, praise him and explain how you intend to build upon his progress should you come to office. “Yeah, but…” needs to become, “Yes, I agree and I promise to do even better.”

We Americans need to think long and hard about whom we elect to Congress. The current Congress is a failure. Their inability to address the immigration issue is just the tip of the iceberg. There was a positive step taken on immigration yesterday. Let’s work together to take a few more.

### 

Graham Gillette can be reached at grahamgillette@gmail.com 
This entry was first published as a Des Moines Register online essay.

Unequal Schools Threaten Future of U.S.

I spent some time researching my genealogy recently. I uncovered some notable ancestors, a number of quiet heroes and a few interesting characters. I learned several surprising things about the people who contributed to my being here. Discovering what many of them accomplished during their time made me realize I have a whole lot of catching up to do.

In one narrow aspect, this exploration confirmed what I already knew. I’m about as White as a person can be.

I’m not ashamed of my lack of color. I am proud of from whom and where I came. There are some brave slavery abolitionists inhabiting my line and I consider myself open-minded and free of racism. I have come to terms with my country’s checkered history pockmarked with racial inequality and would like to think I have helped the effort to stamp it out during my life. I have been willing to speak up against injustice – most of the time. Plus, I live in 2012, for God’s sake. Sure, racism still exists, but I convince myself the day is within reach when racial discrimination is something relegated to history books.

That’s why I winced when I heard Jada Williams read her essay. The 13-year-old from Rochester, New York had written a book report on The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass in which she had the temerity to say little had change from the days of slavery – “just different people, different era” and “the same old discrimination still resides in the hearts of the white man.” Who does this girl think she is?

Williams said this about her mostly White teachers; “they are in a position of power to dictate what I can, cannot, and will learn, only desiring that I may get bored because of the inconsistency and the mismanagement of the classroom.”

My knee jerk reaction was to dismiss Williams as a hothead quick to play the race card, but something nagged me and I listened to her read her essay again. It is well written, but it has the undeniable voice of a 13-year-old, albeit a bright one. She has picked up some education along the way belying the charges she leveled at her school. Then I heard Williams say, “the reality of this is that most of my peers cannot read, and therefore comprehend the materials that have been provided.”

Aha! Surely she twisted a fact to make her point. Quick, to Google to prove she is exaggerating to dismiss her as nothing more than an overly excitable teen.

Unfortunately, old Whitie (me) finds a report about Rochester City School District, School 3 indicating that only 19 percent of the school’s eighth graders were proficient in language arts last year. A paltry 13 percent were proficient in math. Not only is Ms. Williams correct, I am beginning to think she underplayed the problem by saying most of her peers cannot read. She should have said nearly all of them.

A book about Frederick Douglass inspired Rochester, NY student Jada Williams to write a powerful essay.

Something is clearly wrong when a school has numbers like these. Freedom isn’t reaching its potential in a country where large segments of many communities are not learning, not gaining the tools essential for success, let alone, setting a course to self-reliance. Jada Williams knows this.

The Iowa General Assembly has spent much time this year debating education reform legislation and, save maybe a couple of those elected officials, none of them have made a better assessment of what is wrong in U.S. schools than this eighth grader did. As hard as it for me to admit, Ms. William’s jarring assertions are on target, but we should not stop there. Even in this day and age, race remains a factor, but socioeconomic differences play a role as well. The virulent, festering problem of inequality still threatens.

Much of what is said and written during the education reform debate involves testing and screening teachers. Ms. Williams, too, wants to make those who teach accountable, but she seems to know testing has little to do with the solution. America’s ailing schools will not be cured with more testing and additional rules that tie the hands of those professionals motivated to teach. We must establish a system that trains teaching professionals and lets them guide learning free from the micromanagement of elected officials.

We should heed the call of Jada Williams and fan a revolution. Until we change the culture of our schools and turn them from dismal factories processing children through a series of pass/fail assessments to places that inspire students to learn, Jada Williams, her classmates and countless American children will continue to suffer a clear and present life disadvantage.

Our best national investment is in the creation of schools that motivate the next generation of Americans to reach for a potential their ancestors never imagined. Perhaps the opening lines of our next national chapter on social justice and equality may begin with the words of a thirteen-year-old.

###

Graham Gillette can be reached at grahamgillette@gmail.com


This entry was first published as a Des Moines Register blog entry.

Dear Washington, It’s time to reach deep

Dear President Obama and Members of Congress:

Like you, I am outraged. Our country has piled up too much debt. I know many who have sat where you do had the political luxury to blame somebody else for the problems the country faced and leave much of the mess to be solved by the next group to take power. Sorry, but you do not serve in such times. You must do the job you were elected to do.

Former Presidents and Congresses took us to war, did their best to avert economic calamity and tried to set the United States on a course to broad prosperity. And, yes, hindsight shows some of their decisions were wise and a few were something less. Regardless of their intentions, good or otherwise, the paved American road has led us up a mountain of debt. It is up to you whether we begin the coast down, or we drive off a cliff. If you are having difficulty making the decision, here’s a hint, the cliff option will end badly. You do not really have a choice. Raise the debt ceiling – the sooner the better.

Unfortunately, too many of you are singularly focused in placing fault at the feet of your opponents in a self-serving attempt to sway voter support for your party. Most of us are tired of this foolishness. Your countrymen need for you to act as patriots. Set aside your personal ambition, stand shoulder to shoulder with your fellow Americans and get to work building the nation the next generation deserves.

The U.S. faces challenges and threats we could not imagine a decade ago. If you continue to abdicate your duty by standing at microphones telling us “it is time to eat our peas” or likening the other side to Jell-o, our national crisis will mount and these threats will become all the more ominous. Every day you do so, the American future seems to dim a bit.

It is time to settle this matter. The first step is raising the debt ceiling. This will stop the needless hysteria your inaction has caused. Next, get to work developing a plan to reduce the debt. The United States government is huge. There are countless ways to make it smaller.

Don’t be fooled. The solution has little to do with which party takes the White House and Congress in the election of 2012. We do not need a Democrat or Republican majority to move us forward. We need Americans who are willing to put partisanship aside and commit to working together. I am asking for each of you to reach deep inside and find what is required for you to become one of those Americans. It’s kind of important. The future of our nation depends on it.

Sincerely yours,
Graham Gillette

###

Graham Gillette can be reached at grahamgillette@gmail.com

Other recent blogs by Graham Gillette

Harry Reid, Wrong on Earmarks

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid wants President Obama to “back off” and let lawmakers continue to direct spending to their home districts by allowing legislators to insert pet projects into funding bills.  Reid doesn’t want to give up the power he wields, a power which enables him to bring home dollars to Nevada without having to jump through too many hoops and, this is even more important, a power to use earmarks as enticements to get legislators to vote for other things the Majority Leader wants.  Reid should let the dirty little tradition of earmarking go.

During the State of the Union address, the President said “If a bill comes to my desk with earmarks inside, I will veto it.  I will veto it.”  Reid called this nothing more than an “applause line” and suggested the President was playing to the crowd.  Reid is right, getting rid of earmarks would be popular with voters.  Many cheered the President’s remarks.  And, Reid and the President know, it is easier for the President to threaten a veto of an earmark laden bill than it is to actually veto a popular bill that has a few small, financially insignificant pork projects hidden within.  The President has drawn a line in the sand with his veto threat.  He now needs to make good on it.  Here’s why:

Earmarks may seem like "pencil dust," but they are part of a bigger Congressional problem.

While Senator Reid and those wishing to protect their precious earmarks will dismiss the amount of money earmarks represent compared to the rest of the federal budget (slightly more than three-tenths of 1 percent of federal spending), earmarking is an abuse of the process.  It doesn’t take a Nobel Laureate to understand that the federal budgeting process is broken.  The ability of a few people (Democrat and Republican leaders both) to control what goes into the federal budget and keep the process largely hidden from view is counter to the principles of good government.

Earmarks may not represent a large portion of the federal budget, but earmarks are a potent weapon used by those in power in Congress to manipulate a system that often puts the will of the people behind the of the will of lobbyists, and political party powerbrokers.  Without earmarking, Congress will have to follow a more orderly an open budgeting process.  More important, it will equalize the power balance in Congress.  By eliminating the funding of pork projects, one mechanism leadership uses to strong-arm legislators into falling into line will be removed.

Many in office for a long time see the federal budget process as unchangeable.  They don’t see fixing something as seemingly insignificant as three-tenths of 1 percent of federal spending as worthy of their time.  I am sure Senator Tom Harkin has often wished he could take back his 2002 comment that the extra $6.3 billion needed to pay for the farm bill he supported was “pencil dust” in the cost of federal programs. He has taken a lot of flak for it over the years.  But, comments like these show the danger those who deal in the staggeringly large numbers of the federal budget face.  They let the system overwhelm them.  In the farm bill case, $6.3 billion may be small compared to the whole budget, but, like earmarks, the U.S. will only be able to fix its budgeting fiasco by breaking the budget into smaller chunks and fixing what is broken there.  The best most logical place to start is earmarking.

Presidents have wanted to put an end to the perk of congressional power that enables power-brokers in Congress to hide pork projects in legislation for decades.  I remember cheering President Reagan during a campaign stop in Tampa, Florida in the early 80’s when he demanded the President be given the line item veto so he could veto an earmark without having to kill the whole bill.  He was right then.  President Obama is right now.  But, if President Obama fails to stand up to Senator Reid and the rest of the Congressional club, Americans will still be clamoring for budget reform decades from now as the federal government is surrounded by a mountain of budget pencil dust.

###

Graham Gillette can be reached at grahamgillette@gmail.com

This entry was first published as a Des Moines Register blog entry.

Grassley’s Tantrum

I feel like I have picked on Senator Chuck Grassley recently in this space.  That was not my intent; the Senator deserves credit for many good things.  He has, however, made himself an easy target.   He did so again today.

Grassley held a conference call for Iowa reporters this morning.  Bret Hayworth of the Sioux City Journal captured the just of the call fairly well in his blog.  Earlier in the day, Grassley joined 41 of his colleagues in pledging to block all Senate action until the Bush tax cuts were extended.  After standing up to almost every action brought to the floor by the folks the majority of Americans voted for in 2008, Grassley and friends now think they know exactly what the people – all the people – want because their guys won more seats this time.  It would be nice to be able to pick the results you like and discard the ones you do not.  It doesn’t work that way.

Grassley said the lesson of the 2010 election was a repudiation of Democratic leadership, that Americans want members of Congress to focus on deficit reduction, the economy and job creation.  OK, but that isn’t exactly or all they/we want.  I happen to think we want government to be better, more efficient and fair.  We want those in seats of power to work together, not stymie each other for selfish political gain.  Yes, we want you to find compromise, Senator.  More than anything, we want members of Congress to work toward the same end, our nation.

Don’t say you will thwart all legislation until you get what you want.  That’s how spoiled children behave.  Demand a vote on tax cuts and allow the other party the chance to have a few up and down votes on issues they feel are important to the people they represent, too.  Neither party has blanket authority to act and forward issues independently because of what happened in this election, the last one or what the latest poll says might happen in the next.

I’ll admit I am adamant about same sex marriage and the repeal of the unfair and silly Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT) law that has forced many a qualified American from military service.  I get that way when people aren’t treated equally in a country that is based on equality – call me crazy.  But, Grassley’s comments about DADT on today’s call were inane and this issue provides a good example of what I am talking about.

“Reid knows he doesn’t have the votes for a lot of things, like The Dream Act, Don’t Ask Don’t Tell,” said Grassley.

Senator Grassley, let us see that for ourselves.  Let Senator Reid bring issues like these to the floor.  There is plenty of time for the Senate to vote on these bills, your precious tax cuts and a few others, before you head off for your extended vacations.  He may win a few and you may win a few.  Better than that, the American people will win a bunch.  For once, Congressmen and Senators will be doing their jobs instead of whining and obstructing.

We sent you to Washington to lead.  Sitting on your hands and saying you won’t do anything unless you get your way was bad behavior in pre-school and it still is.

###

Graham Gillette can be reached at grahamgillette@gmail.com

This entry was first published as a Des Moines Register blog entry.

Don’t Serve Cheese at Your Next Tea Party

A common refrain heard at election rallies this year was government is out of control.  Often in angry tones, rally goers would point to the recent health care bill or corporate bailouts and say government must be stopped.  Never mind that many of the politicians playing to these crowds played loose with the facts, the theme sold and swept many new people into office.  But, before you dismiss the anti-government crowd entirely, you need consider government cheese.  Yep, government cheese.  That recurring comedic punch line is an excellent example of why the government, specifically the U.S. Department of Agriculture, gives these naysayers strong ground on which to stand.

In a front-page story this morning, the New York Times reports on Dairy Management, a $140 million marketing creation of the Department of Agriculture to get the American people to eat more cheese.  Dairy Management’s revenue comes largely from a government-mandated fee (I still call that a tax) and is supplemented by several additional million from the Department itself.  Through a series of confidential (yes, confidential) agreements, Dairy Management has induced companies like Domino’s Pizza and Taco Bell to stuff their products with cheese to get fat Americans to eat even more of the gelatinous goo.

The struggling pizza chain, Domino’s, is the benefactor of a $12 million all-expense-paid marketing campaign.  All Domino’s had to do was introduce a line of pizzas with 40% more cheese.  One slice of this pizza has two-thirds of a day’s maximum recommended saturated fat all while the Department is bending over backwards to tout its  $6.5 million Center for Nutritional Policy and Promotion effort to promote a healthy diet.  ($140 million to eat more cheese to $6.5 million to eat healthier, hmmmmm?)

Dairy Management cooed in one report about how its agreement with Taco Bell had created a new quesadilla that used eight times more cheese than any other of its menu items.  The steak quesadilla with cheddar, pepper jack mozzarella and a creamy sauce (everybody knows three kinds of cheese is best enjoyed with a creamy sauce) is a win for Dairy Management as it rings in with more than three-quarters of the daily-recommended level of both saturated fat and sodium.  (Whoo-hoo, way to go, government!)

Dairy Management is one example of a government program started with good intentions that has run amuck.  During the Depression, the Agriculture Department bought the cheese industry’s excess product and gave it to those in need, helping to save family farms and feed people in difficult times.  The Depression ended, but the program has continued to grow.  By 1983, the government had a stockpile of $4 billion in cheese stored in Missouri caves.  (I am not making that up!)  Today, Dairy Management is focused on trying to get Americans to eat even more of the stuff, even though our consumption has skyrocketed from over ten pounds a year in the 1970’s to 33 pounds a year today.   Cheese is the largest source of saturated fat adding to Americans’ waistlines, clogged arteries and overall fine physiques.  And, Dairy Management is a bloated example of why government may just be out of control.

There is something wrong with a government that colludes with an industry to increase the sales of a product that its people do not need and is actually contributing to obesity and its related health problems.  Dairy Management spent $136 million domestically last year and an additional $5.6 million of Department money to promote dairy sales overseas.  Next time you go to a Tea Party, you might want to ask your host to hold the cheese, lest you want to be seen as a tool of the run-away government you decry.

(In the interest of self-disclosure, the writer of this piece loves cheese and he firmly believes he would even if the government wasn’t marketing it to him.)

###

(Graham Gillette can be reached at grahamgillette@gmail.com)

This entry was first published as a Des Moines Register blog entry.

Egg Recall Leaves Iowa’s Leaders Silent

Production conditions at two Iowa egg facilities owned and operated by DeCoster Farms have caused anationwide egg recall due to a salmonella outbreak. Unsurprisingly, these events have caused a national media feeding frenzy. A Google search a few minutes ago using the words “egg” and “recall” show 2,207 news stories. The TV talking heads can’t get enough either. The story is everywhere. But, what makes this interesting is what isn’t being said and who isn’t speaking.

When I inserted the word “Grassley” next to “egg” and “recall” the Google search comes up empty. The same when I substitute “Conlin,” “Culver,” and “Branstad.” “Harkin” results in 12 news stories. Senator Harkin has long been involved in food safety and agricultural issues and he is helping shepherd new regulations through Congress, an effort that began before the outbreak started in May. Harkin is quoted this morning by Politico about this bill, but like his colleagues above he says nothing about the apparently shameful practices by the two giant Iowa egg facilities at the center of the controversy.

Elected officials and candidates for those offices often chase stories like the one swirling around DeCoster farms. Iowa’s reputation as an agricultural leader is being sullied. One would think this would have these officials clamoring to comment, taking action and assuring the people of Iowa that they are on top of this to ensure bad things like this will never happen on their watch. Instead, we have silence.

I am sure the Grassley, Conlin, Culver, Branstad and Harkin teams will say they are not prepared to comment on an ongoing investigation, or something similarly side-steplike. Maybe, but I am hard-pressed to recall another time when they were able to muster such bipartisan and uniform restraint.

The egg facilities in question are big, no, giant operations. Here’s hoping the Grassley, Conlin, Culver, Branstad and Harkin silence is a result of prudence to uncover facts before speaking and not some sort of sensitivity because DeCoster is a political heavy weight. Meanwhile, hundreds of millions of eggs have been recalled, people have gotten sick and Iowa’s reputation is being questioned by talking heads and newspaper columnists from Maine to California.

At some point Iowans deserve to hear what Grassley, Conlin, Culver, Branstad and Harkin think about the egg factories in question and what they plan to do to make sure another salmonella outbreak doesn’t happen again in the future.

Update to original post:
After I submitted this piece this morning, I was asked by a reader why I did not include comments by Bill Northey, Iowa’s Secretary of Agriculture, and his Democrat challenger, Francis Thicke. This is a good point and I regret the oversight.

I clicked on the official Secretary of Agriculture website and went to the News and Events page. The left side has slew of press releases. None of them concern the egg recall. The right side of the page lists “Hot Topics.” Surely, I thought, something about the egg recall will be there. There are links to the following:
Goff Partnership Field Day Postponed
Emerald Ash Bore
Crop and Weather Report
Distillers Grains
Ethanol
E85
E85 Fueling Locations and More
Iowa Watershed Projects (New)
Iowa Agriculture Quick Facts
Publications
Request for Bids
Request for Applications
Wergin Good Farm Neighbor

Nothing about eggs. Odd, I would have thought the egg recall would have been the hottest of topics on Agiculture Secretary Bill Northey’s page.

His challenger Francis Thicke does pop up on Google news when you search on his name, “egg” and “recall.” He is going to be on Ed Fallon’s radio show to talk on the topic on Thursday. Maybe Fallon will be able to get a few of the others to call in and let us know what they are thinking.

If I stumble across anything else, I will post it.

Update 3:30 p.m., 08/25/2010:
In the last 24 hours many of those I listed above have spoken about this issue. Links to their comments can be found here.

This entry was first published as a Des Moines Register blog entry.