In Washington it’s politics over people.
A case in point: Congressmen Jay Dickey of Arkansas has been under fire lately. Black farmers are seeking help in making the Department of Agriculture pay up after a court awarded monetary damages in a lawsuit alleging discrimination. Dickey told the black farmers that Republicans won’t help them because they haven’t contributed to or voted for Republicans. A large number of black farmers in the lawsuit live in Dickey’s district so the congressman is in for a very tough reelection battle. Therefore, he’s trying to contain the damage of his candid admission that career politicians often decide policy on the basis of who helps them politically, not what is right and just.
Dickey, supposedly a fiscal conservative, is now publicizing a long list of projects costing millions that he has showered on African-Americans. He even pushed a bill, finally, to urge the Department of Agriculture to pay up. But get this: the Congressional Black Caucus defeated the bill. Why would the Black Caucus undercut a bill that urged the government to pay damages to black farmers? Because they didn’t want Dickey to get the credit. Mr. Dickey and the Black Caucus are at each others throats, but they have something in common: they both decide the issues based on what’s best for their own political careers, not what’s best for the country. That’s why voters of every color and creed want term limits. No wonder over 98 percent of incumbents are reelected. So much for fair elections.
This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.