C-Span is a wonderful way to learn about what politicians are like and what they are doing for or against our country and fellow Americans. Each time that I tune in to C-Span to hear the debates in the House or Senate of the United States, I am struck by the heartless and hateful attitude that Republican members openly display on the floors of those two great bodies.

There was a debate in the House of Representatives on August 10, concerning a bill that would help state’s local governments to maintain their police and fire departments as well as schools. The funding is necessary because state governments are in deep trouble due to the Bush recession. The Democrats are working to keep these great public servants on the job. I heard countless Republican House members argue that this country cannot afford to help the states because of the high cost of 26.3 billion dollars that would be paid for by removing tax breaks from corporations that move their jobs off shore. Time and again they complained that the states should have to take it on the chin and not expect help from the federal government during this time of high unemployment and low state revenues.

We who live in the R-7 school district know who ultimately pays the bills when the state of Missouri cannot or will not help our school districts. As one of the lowest taxed states in this United States, we are well aware that local taxpayers will be faced with even higher property tax bills to make up for lost state support. Under the Hancock Amendment that forces a vote on all tax issues, the tax payers of the R-7 district have always voted themselves a tax increase in order to insure that our children have the best educations that property taxes will support. But here are the Republicans, in the midst of high unemployment, essentially saying lay off the police, the firefighters, and the teachers because all of them belong to labor unions.

The big, wealthy corporations have their union representatives as well. That union is called the Republican Party. They will fight tooth and nail to preserve tax cuts for the highest paid, 2%, of the American people. They will fight tooth and nail not to tax corporations that move their jobs out of this country and lay off American workers in the process. The arguments that they make are specious claims by those who for eight years ignored deficit spending, the need to regulate big business, and whose president, George W. Bush, asked for, got, and signed the huge bailout for the out of control big financial institutions. Many of these same Republicans, who voted for the Bush TARP bailout for big Wall Street Corporations, are now trying to shift the blame to President Obama and, horror of horrors, Nancy Pelosi. Ohhh my! That awful girl, for shame.

I am convinced that in all of my years of following politics and of being a member of and supporting, first the Republican Party and now The Democratic Party, that I have never seen a worst bunch of liars and hypocrites than the Republican Party that is now in power in Missouri and who want to be in control of the federal government. These people are heartless; they insisted that to get this bill through the House of Representatives, 12 billion dollars must be cut from the food stamp program that is a vital necessity for the poorest families in this country. If there really is a hell, surely the Republicans will fill any and all vacancies in Satan’s world. How can any professed Christian vote for people like that? Any American who does not love his neighbors enough to oppose these heartless Republicans can surely be said to be un-American.

Bob Beigher