And you Trust them to Tax you, Spend your money, provide a secure retirement, run our economy, ...

Not to beat a dead horse too much, even though Representative Jean Schmidt's speech on the congressional floor will be remembered for a long, long time, but a very good point is made. No, I am not talking about defending or arguing with what she said. I am just amazed that she breaks a pledge she made 75 days prior, puts her foot in her mouth, and goes after other critics (instead of taking responsibility).

Ohio State Representative Tom Brinkman, Jr recently sent out an e-mail to his supporters reading:

This is typical. "Mean Jean" Schmidt sticks her foot in her month,
Gets trashed by the NEW YORK TIMES,
And her supporters send out an e-mail
attacking Me, Chris Finney and others.
She can not even take responsibility for her own miscues.

The e-mail continues to point out the pledge Rep Schmidt took when she was sworn into office:

However, here today I accept a second oath. I pledge to walk in the shoes of
my colleagues and refrain from name-calling or the questioning of character. It is easy to quickly sink to the lowest form of political debate. Harsh words often lead to headlines, but walking this path is not a victimless crime. This great House pays the price.

Does this surprise you that Rep Jean Schmidt did something wrong and instead of taking responsibility, she and her supporters are blaming others? It shouldn't. Over the years, our politicians have sworn to improve education, fight crime, make our economy prosper, get drugs off of the streets, and to provide retirees with a secure Social Security.

Well, how well have our politicians done in fulfilling their promises? Most people would agree, not good. Have any of our politicians taken responsibility for their actions? Hardly. Come campaign season, you will see politicians blaming each other for everything that has gone wrong. It is never their fault, it was the other party, or the other lawmakers. Politicians never seem to take responsibility for their actions.

Does it surprise anybody with what Rep Jean Schmidt did. It shouldn't. But it does of course serve as a ripe reminder of why Libertarians became Libertarians. If our politicians don't take responsibility for their actions, why would we trust them to tax our money away, spend money on their pet projects, take away our civil liberties, and to control our life. Don't be surprised by what happened on the congressional floor, just remember this situation the next time a politicians promises their next sweeping law or government project that is going to solve all of our problems. What will that politician do when their program fails to deliver?

You can read the New York Times article here