We’ve had a guest all week so I haven’t spent much time on line. But I did send a response to a column by Conservative columnist Cal Thomas to the News-Press and they printed it today (Sat., 1/24/14) next to his column. I am including it here.

In his column “A political bridge too far, too left,” Jan. 18, Cal Thomas asks the readers to “select the scandal(s) that affects most people and has long-term implications for the country in a time of war ...” He poses the answers: (A) The Christie traffic mess in New Jersey, (B) Benghazi, (C) IRS, (D) Obamacare.

Mr. Thomas hopes you will follow his lead in your choices and select B, C and D. But he is wrong in every case.

Mr. Thomas did not reference that the George Washington Bridge, which spans the Hudson River to connect the nation’s largest city with one of its most densely populated suburbs, carries over a quarter million vehicles every day. Yet, according to Mr. Thomas, it is not a scandal that Gov. Christie’s staff abused the power of the governorship to extort an endorsement from Fort Lee’s Democratic mayor.

This kind of abuse is what destroyed the Nixon presidency. Therefore, yes, this is a big deal, and the investigation goes on to find out what Gov. Christie knew and when did he know it. No matter how you look at it, either Gov. Christie knew and approved of his staff’s behavior or he was clueless.

Mr. Thomas emphasizes the tragedy during the Benghazi attack so that everyone could understand the failure of President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Unfortunately, he dismisses the fact that House Republicans cut the administration’s request for embassy security funding by $128 million in fiscal 2011 and $331 million in fiscal 2012. Clinton had warned that Republicans’ proposed cuts to her department would be “detrimental to America’s national security” — a charge Republicans rejected.

I am certain that Mr. Thomas informs himself and knows very well about the Republican role in refusing to fund protection for our embassies. It is clear, when you know the facts, that any failure to protect those killed in Benghazi was aided and abetted by Republican members of Congress. Yet, Republican spokespeople and politicians continue to bring this up because they want to smear Hillary Clinton in fear of her potential presidential candidacy. They won’t let it go. Yet the facts are out there. Clinton had warned that cutting funds would jeopardize security abroad.

In reference to the IRS’ refusal to grant nonprofit status to numerous conservative groups during the 2012 election campaign for, allegedly, political reasons, the fact is that the IRS, without a directive from the administration, was targeting all groups that abused their tax-exempt status, including liberal and centrist groups.

President Obama’s assurances that if Americans like their present insurance plans and doctors, they may keep them under the Affordable Care Act, were made in good faith, killed no one, and were eminently solvable.

The insurance plans that had been replaced were defective but the replacements were better. It just took people a little while to understand that. More and more people who are signing on are realizing just how much helped they are.

This law is not perfect, thanks in large part to some of the best features being eliminated under Republican pressure. Meanwhile Republicans have come up with nothing to offset this plan—how could they? This started out as their plan, developed by the conservative Heritage Foundation and adopted by Governor Mitt Romney in Massachusetts.

The right wing nicknamed the Affordable Care Act as “Obamacare,” hoping to discredit it. They hate it because President Obama made it happen. If they applaud President Obama for loving the Heritage Foundation plan, it would make Obama look good, so they don’t do it. President Obama knows a good idea when he sees it. He wasn’t going to say no to it just because it was a Republican plan. Yet, he gets no credit for being a statesman.
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I am happy to be in the paper as often as I am and a couple of readers write to me now to cheer me on.

xx, Teal