OPINION & EDITORIAL
Warning: Republicans to bring positive change
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Also by Matt Modell:
- Taking responsibility for your decisions (April 24, 2003)
- Fixing the problems of ASM (November 25, 2003)
- The key word is 'illegal' (December 4, 2003)
- Feingold-McCain 'Incumbent Protection Plan' fails (November 13, 2003)
- A fond farewell to UW (December 11, 2003)
Related Stories:
- It's Morning Again in America (November 8, 2002)
- '08 hopefuls test political climate (November 15, 2006)
- Future full of post-election hope (November 8, 2004)
- Democrats need a lesson in public relations (November 12, 2002)
- Bush opposition needs backbone (October 31, 2006)
by Matt Modell
Thursday, November 7, 2002
Republicans didn’t just win around the country Tuesday night — Republicans made history. The American people gave President Bush and the Republican Party a national mandate for progress, not further obstruction.
If anyone disagrees that this election gave Republicans a mandate, look at the facts: Never before has the president’s party won back the Senate in a president’s first mid-term election; never before has a Republican president and only twice before has any president’s party gained seats in the House — in any mid-term election.
With this mandate the Republican Party will be able to pass legislation the American people have been seeking. Without Tom Daschle’s partisan delay tactics, the Senate will be able to pass the creation of a Department of Homeland Security. The Department will allow for all security agencies to fall under one umbrella, making it easier for the sharing of information.
This will also give the president the ability to shift resources and suspend collective bargaining if we are in a national security crisis. This is a right every president since John F. Kennedy has had, but liberal Democrats like Hillary Clinton have been trying to take this right away and hamstring not only this president but also future presidents.
We will finally be able to see the permanent elimination of two of the most ridiculous taxes.
For those of you who may be unaware of this, when you die, the federal government charges you a high tax — for dying! This affects Wisconsin residents in particular, because if you are a farm owner and you die and want to pass on the family farm to your family, this oftentimes cannot happen, because the land is so valuable and therefore heavily taxed. Most farmers are rich with land, not cash. Just the concept of having to pay a fee for dying seems incredulous, as it is not really a tax you can avoid.
Another ridiculous tax is a marriage tax. That is correct; your taxes are higher if you get married. Making marriage a hardship with higher taxes is something Republicans and many good Democrats, like Zell Miller, are against. We should be promoting strong families, not putting up roadblocks that discourage them.
A third and critical need Republicans must address is the filling of all the vacant judicial seats in the federal government. The entire Senate should hold hearings and confirm fair, well-qualified and reasonable federal-court judges that will uphold the law and not legislate from the bench.
More than 9 percent of all federal judgeships in America are vacant. This is creating a significant backlog of court cases and unnecessary delays. President Bush has nominated 11 judges to go before the Senate over a year ago; only three of them have been brought to a vote in front of the entire Senate.
These judges still waiting include Texas Supreme Court Justice Pricilla Owen, former Assistant to the Solicitor General Miguel Estrada and Justice Dennis Shedd. All of these candidates have received the highest ratings from the left-leaning American Bar Association, yet Daschle did not allow any of these candidates to go to the Senate floor for a vote. Fifteen other Court of Appeals nominees have yet to receive hearings.
Republicans need to give all of the president’s nominated judges a fair and expeditious hearing. Those that are qualified will be confirmed. If any are unqualified, they will be denied, but at least they will have been given a fair hearing and a vote in front of the entire Senate.
The history-making Republican victory Tuesday evening gives the Republican Party a chance to make a positive difference for the American people. For the next two years Republicans will have the opportunity to pass effective legislation that will benefit all Americans, regardless of skin color, class or income. Every American, from children to seniors, could use effective programs and laws that will give them every possible opportunity to succeed. Republicans will introduce and pass legislation that will hopefully do this. They have two years; it is time for Republicans to prove they can really walk the walk. I think they will.
Matt Modell (mmodell@badgerherald.com) is a senior majoring in journalism and political science. He is in Washington, D.C., this semester for an internship.
