Legislature should listen to the voice of the people

The House has decided to make the closed door inquiry an official impeachment process. The headlines indicated that they had enough votes to unveil their activities. I heard rumors that some Democrats were going to vote against it, but CNN didn’t mention any. The radical left and CNN present a unanimous front.

I have never witnessed such hatred. The radical Democrats with the support of a liberal national media have been trying to overthrow the 2016 election from day one. It began with the “Not My President” demonstrations before the inauguration. Maybe they thought if they protested loud enough the results would change.

Then they launched an extensive investigation into Trump’s alleged collusion with the Russians. The Mueller report neither confirmed nor denied any wrong doing, so both sides claimed victory with no solid ground to stand on. After the midterm elections, with a newly elected Democratic majority, the House investigated the investigators. They called both Mueller and the Attorney General to testify. Meanwhile the Republicans are still investigating Hillary’s five year old emails. Now its Ukraine-gate.

Most of you are familiar with the prelude to the investigation. An anonymous source overheard someone in the administration say that the President had a phone call about a year ago wherein he told the president of the Ukraine that the U.S. would withhold military aid unless they investigated Joe Biden’s son.

The aid in question was not withheld, nor was there an investigation into young Mr. Biden. The new buzz word is “quid pro quo,” but I see neither “quid” nor “pro” nor “quo.” The charges against the president would be dismissed as frivolous by any court in the land. But still they press on with zero chance that President Trump will be forced out of office.

This whole affair leaves me with some very real concerns about the future of our democracy. Will partisan investigations be the norm rather than the exception? The Congress seems to be investigating just for the sake of investigating. It appears that the radical branch of the Democratic party is using investigations to discredit their opposition. There is a public assumption of guilt for anyone accused of a crime.

Similarly, the more you investigate the opposition, the more likely the public will assume guilt. If this tactic becomes politics as normal, the Republicans will investigate their rivals when they are back in control of the House. The House will become the investigative branch of government.

I am also concerned about the amount of time and energy we are wasting in a futile investigation. While the House is consumed with hating all things Trump and conducting investigations, the real problems facing our country are being ignored. Our national debt is out of control; a train wreck waiting to happen. I haven’t heard it mentioned in over a year.

We have a serious border security problem. The Obama administration was working on it until it became a Trump initiative. Now “Trump hate” has rallied Democrats to work for open borders.

Who is working on improvements to our electric grid and interstate highway system? The grid is becoming shakier and bridges continue to deteriorate while the House investigates their political rivals.

I voted for representatives who would give my children and grandchildren the opportunity to live the American dream. I don’t expect my representatives to ignore the needs of the country and waste their time on partisan investigations.

Frank Watson is a retired Air force colonel and long-time resident of Eastern Washington. He has been a free-lance journalist for over nineteen years.