Scottsboro Mayor Melton Potter introduces 5th District Congressman Mo Brooks, Republican from Huntsville.
Congressman Brooks stated he was a Fiscal Conservative and believes our nation will be subservient to China if the debt situation does not change. He stated we are supplying China with the means to destroy us by virtue of our debt payment to them.
Congressman Brooks assessment of our financial plight was right and wrong. He was right, our debt is the problem, his figures are correct. He was wrong on blaming our financial crisis on the Democrats and President Obama. There are solutions, Brooks did not have them. His solution was to create dissension and division in support of the Republican Party. At the bottom of the page I list the solution to our problems. Our debt problem is related to our growing energy crisis and problems. Washington politicians, Brooks included, have no meaningful solutions.
Congressman Brooks ranted on for most of the meeting about how our economy was crashing and if the Democrats continued on with their programs such as health care and socialism we would surely be subservient to the Chinese. The crowd of about 50, including 5 staffers, applauded loudly in sync with Brooks as he continued on with periodic episodes of Obama bashing mixed with economic doom and gloom.
Brooks blamed most of our problems concerning the Southwest Asian Wars on the current administration. He failed to mention any Republican responsibility related to the current war, instead he took the road of 'blame the Democrats and Obama.'
The Congressman did not realize or failed to mention it was the Commodity Futures Modernization Act of 2000 of the 106th Congress, a Republican Congress (
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/106th_United_States_Congress ), which allowed the Mortgage crisis and economic downturn which began about 2006, culminating in a financial meltdown in 2008 under President Bush, it was President Bush who began the TARP program bailouts.
2011's 30 year outlook according to Mr. Brooks. When the TVA debt situation was brought forward his tune changed from a devout Fiscal Conservative to a devout Republican Socialist. Telling all how nuclear power and the TVA was going to save us from an era with no power. Sheer pro-nuclear propaganda right out of the nuclear lobby's play book.
Congressman Brooks stated the Democrats and President Obama's Health Care Plans and other entitlement programs are breaking the United States. The crowd of mostly over 65-80%, continued to applaud loudly, apparently not realizing their Social Security and Medicare would come to a halt if the radical Republicans had their way. As the crowd applauded with fervor to the Obama bashing, I decided to boo the festivities, as there was entirely to much President Obama and Democrat bashing. Although I do not agree with all of our President's policies, he is our President. To base ones political policy and platform on bashing Democrats and President Obama does not produce results, it produces division of the populace. Brooks' political strategy utilizes the principles of ideological propaganda as a communicative technique.
When asked about Bellefonte the Congressman stated he supported nuclear power. He told the crowd of Republican supporters the shutting down of coal facilities, due to the environmentalists and the EPA, nuclear power must be brought on line. Not true pointed out Ms. Gretel Johnston of Scottsboro, Ms. Johnston told how Energy Efficiency technology could produce the power needed. Brooks replied, "Oh, you mean the efficient energy light bulbs." Ms. Johnston explained some of the Energy Efficiency measures which would supply over 300,000 jobs in the Southeast, including Jackson County, if a serious plan was implemented.
I informed the Congressman about TVA's tremendous debt to which I was heckled by a Chamber of Commerce staff member and a Goose Pond Colony staff member, obviously they were Republicans not interested in facts and attempted to interrupt my presentation. When the Congressman was asked if he supported TVA socialism and extending TVA's $30 billion dollar debt limit his reply was maybe, maybe not, depends on how it was worded by those asking. Apparently the Congressman is not as Fiscally Conservative as his presentation appears.
TVA's Financials: "TVA- SEC Form 10-Q Quarterly Report May 3, 2011, page 49, debt- $24.125 billion; interest on debt- $25.832 billion; long term total obligations including debt, interest on debt, fuel contracts, leases and power commitments $68.868 billion dollars." Total debt and debt interest- $49.9 billion!
http://investor.shareholder.com/tva/secfiling.cfm?filingID=1376986-11-36
Turn about is fair play, but not in the eyes of the Scottsboro Police who were there to obviously keep in line any comments against Brooks and the Republican extremist ideology. When a Republican supporter decided to bash Ms. Johnston and myself for our presentation, I spoke up in protest. The Police Chief, came over and stated to me, "don't interrupt, wait until you are recognized to speak." However, the Police Chief said nothing to the hecklers from the Chamber of Commerce and Goose Pond Colony who attempted to interrupt my presentation.
The town hall meeting was informative, informing true listeners of how far right wing the Neu Republikans have moved. Real solutions to the debt crisis are not in the Republicans political strategy book. Bash Democrats and our President was the outcome of the meeting.for the explicit purpose of rallying additional Republican support.
Solutions: Jobs, put Americans to work, stop the political deceit and pandering, it is dividing our nation. Political bickering and name calling does not support solutions but supports the political party, we need solutions not furtherance of individual and party political agendas. A comprehensive Sustainable Energy Plan for the United States is the tool for resolving many of the problems facing our nation. It will bring jobs and secure our energy future from dependance on foreign energy sources which have led us into wars costing thousands of American lives and trillions of dollars.
