Religions In Congress And Why They Matter
Ken Hughes
May 31, 2007
Why is a person’s religious affiliation a political issue? The constitution guarantees freedom of religion and doesn’t define what religion is, it leaves each person to worship in their own way without government interference. Yet every election religion becomes and issue in one form or another. When I was young only those persons who described themselves as devout Christians could run for the US Congress and expect to win, things have changed in the past 50 years. Religion’s become a detriment for politicians. Those who have the fortitude to stand by their religious beliefs must now defend their dedication.
Today’s Senate and House has to following 155 Catholics, 1 Muslim, 2 Buddhists, 67 Baptists, 62 Methodists, 43 Jews, 43 Presbyterians, 37 Episcopalians, 17 Lutherans and 17 Mormons the rest list themselves as other or with no religious affiliation. I didn’t see anything in the listings that resembles a cult, what I see is diversity in keeping with the nation’s religious makeup.
The senate majority leader Harry Reid is one of the 17 Mormons serving in congress. No one has questioned Reid’s loyalty or cult status the way they’re questioning Mitt Romney, and not surprisingly Harry Reid is silent on the subject as are the other 16 Mormon members of congress. There’s a message here religion is a long way down the list of priorities for politicians.
Politics is one of the defining factors in this nation’s welfare and there are no qualifiers except age, even citizenship can be manipulated to meet the requirements for admittance to congress.
In a perfect world all candidates for public office would be judged on their character and intellect. They’d have to prove they had something to offer other than a healthy checkbook and a lot of media manufactured charisma. In a perfect world the voters would look beyond the hype a candidates handlers injected them with each day. The voters should want to know where the candidate stood on the issues not what their opponent’s views are. We, the voters are at fault for allowing political candidates the privilege of trashing their opponents and hiding their own frailties without questioning.
It’s often been said we get the government we ask for, that’s only partially true. We get the congress we elect and they create the government we get. If we were more selective in who we elect to public office we may get a better government, a government with the publics interests and not the special interests as their main concern.
It’s no secret money buys congressional votes, contributions are the mother’s milk of politics. This doesn’t mean all politicians are corrupt, it means politicians by necessity are manipulated by Lobbyists of the various special interest groups. Not all Lobbyists are corrupt. Lobbyists are the voices of the public’s interests who have the ability to catch the ear of congress, there are exceptions. Congress can’t hear 300 million voices individually someone has to speak for the masses, ergo Lobbyists.
In the eyes of congress and their co-conspirators the mainstream media there’s an 800 pound Gorilla out there [the internet Blogger] who’s about to eat their lunch. With the advancing technology in communications there’s no place to hide, a politicians every thought and movement becomes fodder for the bloggers. Those who previously were made to seem like saints by the media have all become sinners by the bloggers. The more they say the less the public believes what they’re saying. Not all Blogs are forthcoming with the truth, by in large what’s published on the internet by bloggers is fact not fiction. Internet Bloggers have been able to show the bias of the mainstream media. Now all the various opinions are available to the public to choose from perhaps it’s time for a national euphony, what to believe and what to reject.
As voters are we smarter than a fifth grader, sometimes I wonder. Sans sports, the nation is turning more to reality television [the great educator] for their entertainment than the soap operas of previous years. Hopefully this will mean a more educated public. Could it be America is growing up?
There are several qualified candidates running for president, lets pray we’re smart enough to pick the right one for the right reasons
Today’s Senate and House has to following 155 Catholics, 1 Muslim, 2 Buddhists, 67 Baptists, 62 Methodists, 43 Jews, 43 Presbyterians, 37 Episcopalians, 17 Lutherans and 17 Mormons the rest list themselves as other or with no religious affiliation. I didn’t see anything in the listings that resembles a cult, what I see is diversity in keeping with the nation’s religious makeup.
The senate majority leader Harry Reid is one of the 17 Mormons serving in congress. No one has questioned Reid’s loyalty or cult status the way they’re questioning Mitt Romney, and not surprisingly Harry Reid is silent on the subject as are the other 16 Mormon members of congress. There’s a message here religion is a long way down the list of priorities for politicians.
Politics is one of the defining factors in this nation’s welfare and there are no qualifiers except age, even citizenship can be manipulated to meet the requirements for admittance to congress.
In a perfect world all candidates for public office would be judged on their character and intellect. They’d have to prove they had something to offer other than a healthy checkbook and a lot of media manufactured charisma. In a perfect world the voters would look beyond the hype a candidates handlers injected them with each day. The voters should want to know where the candidate stood on the issues not what their opponent’s views are. We, the voters are at fault for allowing political candidates the privilege of trashing their opponents and hiding their own frailties without questioning.
It’s often been said we get the government we ask for, that’s only partially true. We get the congress we elect and they create the government we get. If we were more selective in who we elect to public office we may get a better government, a government with the publics interests and not the special interests as their main concern.
It’s no secret money buys congressional votes, contributions are the mother’s milk of politics. This doesn’t mean all politicians are corrupt, it means politicians by necessity are manipulated by Lobbyists of the various special interest groups. Not all Lobbyists are corrupt. Lobbyists are the voices of the public’s interests who have the ability to catch the ear of congress, there are exceptions. Congress can’t hear 300 million voices individually someone has to speak for the masses, ergo Lobbyists.
In the eyes of congress and their co-conspirators the mainstream media there’s an 800 pound Gorilla out there [the internet Blogger] who’s about to eat their lunch. With the advancing technology in communications there’s no place to hide, a politicians every thought and movement becomes fodder for the bloggers. Those who previously were made to seem like saints by the media have all become sinners by the bloggers. The more they say the less the public believes what they’re saying. Not all Blogs are forthcoming with the truth, by in large what’s published on the internet by bloggers is fact not fiction. Internet Bloggers have been able to show the bias of the mainstream media. Now all the various opinions are available to the public to choose from perhaps it’s time for a national euphony, what to believe and what to reject.
As voters are we smarter than a fifth grader, sometimes I wonder. Sans sports, the nation is turning more to reality television [the great educator] for their entertainment than the soap operas of previous years. Hopefully this will mean a more educated public. Could it be America is growing up?
There are several qualified candidates running for president, lets pray we’re smart enough to pick the right one for the right reasons
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