Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

My Point of View by Brad Kramer

A core tenant of our republic is representation by our peers in our government. We elect people from all walks of life to represent us and how we want to see America governed. Whether the office is the presidency, a governorship, state or federal Legislature, and so on, we elect representatives who share our values.

Freeborn County voted for a conservative base in the recent elections, with the Republican Party leading every single ticket in the county. While term-limits are another issue altogether, one issue that springs to mind when we continue electing lifelong politicians and elitists is the “do as I say, not as I do” attitudes. Also known as hypocrisy. If you want to know just how pervasive this is right now, search the hashtag “#rulesfortheebutnotforme.”

While we see hypocrisy in all political affiliations, the hypocrisy by leading Democrats as they require us to drastically alter the way of life we enjoy, shutter businesses and even avoid family gatherings is stunning.

In early September, Democratic Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi visited a salon that was shut down, like every other salon, but she pulled some strings and made a visit when nobody else could, and then cried that she was set up when confronted. And don’t forget Gov. Walz’s friend with a candy store getting a free pass while other businesses were shuttered.

On Nov. 6, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who implements some of the heaviest-handed COVID-19 shutdown orders in the U.S., was reported to have attended a party that exceeded the number of individuals and households that his orders allow, and they were not wearing masks. We are seeing many mayors and governors going on exotic vacations while asking us to stay home.

Politicians who are the most vocal about manmade climate change have been globetrotting for years between luxury mansions and speaking engagements in their personal jets and luxury automobiles. Apparently, it is only us, not them, that causes climate change. Al Gore is the most visible for his hypocrisy on this issue, but he’s far from alone, with John Kerry flying overseas to accept an award for … environmentalism.

Then we have the financial hypocrisy by the politicians who advocate for more socialism because of income disparity while they flaunt their wealth. Apparently, income disparity can only be fixed by government forcing us to be equal, rather than the wealthy, like them, using their wealth to help others. Bernie Sanders and his $2.5 million fortune includes three homes, and his wealth is modest compared to other advocates of socialism.

Politicians who are the first to attack our Second Amendment rights and vilify and defund the law enforcement community are the first to have armed security and law enforcement for personal protection, as we saw with the Minneapolis City Council’s $152,000 spent on security for the members who were most adamant about defunding police.

Then we saw, right after the inauguration, that the Democrat governors started calling for their states to open after mandating draconian shutdowns for the past year and COVID-19 cases immediately began getting reported as lowering, as if a magical change occurred with a new president that immediately lowered the number of COVID cases and emptied out hospital beds.

The list could go on, with the biggest advocates for curtailing the rights of common Americans often being the greatest hypocrites. It’s one thing for a person with high ideals to fail at times. It’s quite another when a career politician demands that we give up rights and make sacrifices through legislation (which is carried out by use of force) as they do the opposite in their personal lives.

As an American, I see the tactics of the two major political parties as very different. The Democratic Party is forever claiming the sky is falling. The oceans are rising. The disparity between the wealthy and the poor are getting wider.

Here is a key differentiator between the Democratic and Republican parties: Democrats claim to fix those problems by restrictive legislation. Republicans strive to fix problems by finding radical innovations that the marketplace will support. There is nothing wrong with having high ideals or being committed to causes such as the environment. It is why I am an environmental consultant and support the watershed’s projects. We can argue all day about whether climate change is real; and while many Republicans may challenge the validity of manmade climate change, the reality is some of the biggest innovations that promise to improve the environment are coming from industry and capitalism instead of government. Industry that does not curtail our freedoms and liberties. Industry that does not tax us if we don’t use their products. Industry that fails if they aren’t effective or operate irresponsibly. And it’s the Republican Party that supports industry rather than curtailing freedoms. We believe in the triumph of the human spirit rather than screaming about an apocalypse and mandating everybody (except the elite) changes.

Brad Kramer is a member of the Freeborn County Republican Party.