February 13^th

 

I didn’t comment on any right wing columnists yesterday because the only one published locally, Thomas Sowell, wrote something that no sensible person could disagree with. To my amazement and to his credit he wrote that all children should be vaccinated. By saying this he risked the wrath of his party’s far right; but he did it anyway. Good for him!

Today is different: today we have the party’s intellectual, George Will, suggesting that Mike Pence, (What, you’ve never heard of Mike?) should run for President. Pence is the Governor of the State of Indiana. Will’s thesis is that Governors are prepared to govern unlike non-governor newbies who have not had that kind of experience; you know, like Obama. That’s silly!

Will further observes that Pence has been a supporter of state control of education. So Pence is on the right side of “No Child Left Behind” and of “Common Core” both programs that involve federal intervention, according to Will. Others might say that they involve federal assistance. I have already commented on letting states do as they please with education: Governor Geo. Wallace standing in the schoolhouse door and the Texas board of Education rewriting history for the benefit of jingoistic fundamentalist right wingers are examples of letting states have a free hand with K-12 education; we needn’t go there again.

Then he touts Grace-Marie Turner the founder and president of Galen Institute. These folks are funded largely by the medical and pharmaceutical industries. We can be sure that Grace-Marie has the welfare and the pocketbook of the typical American uppermost in her healthcare deliberations. Sheesh!

Will takes a swipe at Obama for, “advertising his disdain for the legislative branch by pushing past the proper limits of executive action.”  Will, like all good members of the commentariate, gives no specifics. Nor does he mention that the republicans declared before Obama took office that they would help pass nothing that would bring any credit to him and perhaps lead to a second term. That didn’t help them much, did it?

What has Governor Pence accomplished in Indiana? He has abolished the inheritance tax. This will help the middle class no-end. The unemployment rate is about 5.7% nearly the same as the national average. Other than opposing Obama, thus endearing himself to the likes of Will, I see little to recommend this man to the electorate. Maybe the electorate remembers Governor Sarah Palin and the splendid record of Governor Agnew.  I wonder if Will really believes they would have made great Presidents.