By Rose Pedenko and Tanya Simon

Far too many people are under the misguided notion that a U.S. senator shepherds legislative policies that are best for Americans and this country.

We are going to try to describe what is actually required of a U.S. senator so that we all are au fait with the thin cloak of qualifications, especially when any of them decides to make a run at the Presidency.

The post of a United States senator has been, and always will be, a tax-subsidized ego trip – a position that thus far calls for no defined aptitudes other than a knack for schmoozing the right constituents and an ability to fill that abysmal pork barrel. The only true requirements are reaching the ripe old age of 30, being a citizen of the United States for at least nine years, and an inhabitant of the state they seek to represent, except if you’re Hillary Clinton.

Unlike most of us working stiffs, the position of senator has no enforced hours of work or standards of accomplishment. Senators rely solely on their ability to make John Q Public believe, through their gift of gab, their intentions to carry out campaign promises.

In actuality, senators, for the most part, are hidebound blusterers or bellicose busybodies who expect everyone to take them and what they say seriously. In addition, they readily acquire a sense of entitlement to hefty salaries (which they vote to increase), top-of-the line healthcare benefits, and a goody bag of perquisites – all subsidized by taxpayers. The six year term automatically ensures eligibility for lifetime benefits, to include a federal pension, health and social security benefits. Not too bad for a job you charm your way into.

Since we are on the topic of taxpayer extortion, in our opinion, they should not have the liberty to vote their own pay increases. A fairer method would be to appoint a non-partisan, independent oversight and compensation committee. It would act much like the Roman Censors. A Censor’s authority could include the following, based entirely on the ancient blueprint:

One of the primary functions of the Censors is to review the Senate rolls and expel members for improper practices … membership in the Senate could be stripped by the Censor if a Senator has been found guilty of disregard of the mores majorum (public morals, literally: the ways of the forefathers), e.g., corruption, disregard of a colleague’s veto, abuse of capital punishment, severe domestic violence … and bankrupts or is an adulterer, or if auspices demanded to.

The committee would have the power to conduct a yearly performance review of each senator (based on achievements and failures) to establish whether a pay raise, a pay cut, or the boot is given – a meritocracy that strips away indolence, incompetence or high-mindedness and reminds them that their reward is to be of service to their country, not to him or herself.

This would be ideal because Senators, for the most part, prove repeatedly that they are least expert when it comes to understanding or reading the pulse of the electorate on high-level political, economic and moral issues. Instead, they huddle in teams, drawing from each other’s weaknesses, then deliberate and caucus with their colleagues in that non-collegial rarified air of Washington – to appear like they really care, which they do not. As often as possible, they whore themselves in front of the media, and for the benefit of the sheep that voted them in, to claim they have the right answers to those complex issues, which is almost never.

On the infrequent occasions senators actually do comprehend the People’s will, they more likely refuse to bend to the will of the electorate in favor of some imagined sense of their place in history, and more importantly, their place in corporate America after they leave office. Case in point: The People’s collective and ear-shattering “No!” in 2007 to the Senate’s attempt to pass a scurrilous comprehensive immigration bill – Z-visas, free driver licenses, free medical, free social security benefits, and everything else under the sun to be handed over gratis – for the millions who crossed into America illegally.

In case you were not aware, and you probably are not because senators are sneaky little devils when it comes to withholding crucial information the People are entitled to know: the total per-year dollar amount to support these criminals exceeds the total per-year cost of the war in Iraq (which, by the way, we are winning).

Which brings us, would you believe, to the subject of the three presidential candidates, who are (by gosh, by golly) U.S. senators.

Let us begin with Barack “Two Years in the Senate and I Know Everything” Obama, who is fast becoming a handful to his own party and, if elected, to the entire nation. Then there is Senator Hillary “Would I Lie?” Clinton and Senator John “These are God’s Children” McCain. As Senators they have accomplished little, save John McCain (who accomplished everything the Democrats had hoped for).

To be fair, there are more than a handful of faithful elected officials that deserve the title of “Honorable.” Unfortunately, you won’t hear their names in the mainstream media because those good public servants are busy actually serving the People.

Three Views; Three Writers; One Great Man

***

CONSERVATISM STARTS AT HOME

by Lance Thompson

Conservatives have been wailing plaintively about presumptive GOP nominee John McCain since Mitt Romney withdrew from the race. Their complaints have ranged from mild annoyance and talk of "sitting out" the election to overreactive threats to vote for McCain’s opponent. Nothing on this continuum will be helpful in November.

However, if these disaffected conservatives are truly searching for a candidate who represents their views, I suggest they look a little closer to home. For example, conservatives in California’s 4^th Congressional District–yes California has conservatives–have a terrific candidate in State Senator Tom McClintock, who will be running for Congress this November.

Tom McClintock came to the attention of a nationwide audience during the California gubernatorial recall election of 2003, when he was rated best qualified and most capable of any of the candidates, and earned 21.7% of the votes for Republicans (Arnold Schwarzenegger claimed the rest and won the election).

Tom McClintock is a knowledgeable advocate of conservative policy and fiscal restraint. During his nineteen years in public service, he has been a tireless champion of lowering, limiting and reducing taxes. He was Director of the Center for the California Taxpayer, a project of the National Tax Limitation Foundation. He favors a border fence and tough enforcement of immigration laws. He is hawkish on national defense and funding for the military, but is a vigilant critic of big government and its attendant waste. During his years in the California Assembly, he spearheaded efforts to return $1.1 billion in tax overpayment to Californians.

In short, Tom McClintock is the rock solid conservative leader that disaffected Republicans have been seeking during this campaign.

Voters in California’s 4^th Congressional District live among some of the Golden State’s most spectacular scenery, including the Sierra Nevada, great conifer forests, and desolate lava beds, in addition to the state capital and the Gold Country. Those voters now have an opportunity to claim an even more valuable resource–a stalwart conservative candidate ready to represent them in Washington. Tom McClintock is the genuine article, a conservative who is unyielding on principle and indefatigable in the political arena.

For the rest of the nation, the Democrats in Congress are wallowing in a legislative quagmire of their own making. They will be vulnerable to conservative challengers. So if you’re a conservative who’s been whining about John McCain, the pity party’s over. Find the Tom McClintocks in your own district or state. They will be running hard and they will need your support.

Tom McClintock has worked hard to earn the votes of Californians. He won’t let them down. If you’re in California’s 4^th District, give him your vote and support. If you’re elsewhere in the country, send conservative candidates to Congress this November, and keep McClintock in good company.

THE LITTLE CONSERVATIVE THAT COULD

By Rose Pedenko

Who is Tom McClintock and why should you care? In 2003, he ran against Arnold Schwarzenegger in the California Recall Election. Since that time, we wrote two articles entitled The McClintock Factor and The Giuliani Factor, respectively, to describe the phenomenon of choosing a candidate based on “electability” rather than competency to hold office.

Shortsighted politicians and pundits alike deprived the electorate of the best possible Republican candidate by shoving a moderate candidate down star-struck throats. The result -- California’s fiscal crisis under Governor Terminator now exceeds the disaster under his recalled predecessor, Gray Davis. Had California Republicans united behind the true fiscal conservative, Tom McClintock would have been the Governor of California and the state on the road to recovery. Instead, we have become asphyxiated by our resident RINO and the liberal gasbags in the State Assembly. We now know, without a doubt, our theory proved correct.

Why should you care? The Republican Party is splintered and conservatives have lost their way. Tom McClintock has always been the proverbial GOP Elephant in the room. He doesn’t pretend to the personage of Ronald Reagan bandied about by other candidates. McClintock is the genuine article – a true disciple to the traditional principles of our constitutional government. He chugs up the political ladder because he truly believes he can make a difference.

Tom McClintock advocates that “the fundamental design of our national government is to maximize individual freedom and minimize the burdens of government on our people. Government is not our nanny and our national treasury is not a grab-bag for politicians .” It is heartwarming to listen to a man speak of being part of a generation that knew a time when it truly was morning in America . The Republican Party needs more Tom McClintocks, and they need them now.

If we could bottle McClintock’s optimism, the nation would be drunk with pride. In his Congressional announcement speech, he stated that “Californians know him, and they know he has always steered a straight course, never wavered from the principles that united all of us as Americans,” and that he would not rest until those principles have been restored to our government.

As Tom McClintock rises from the ash heap left by misguided California Republicans, he will push himself up Washington’s Capitol Hill -- not just because he can, but because every fiber of his being says he must lead Americans back to that morning in America.

TOM McCLINTOCK: A SPECIALIST WHO REALLY CARES

By Tanya Simon

Say “HMO” and far too many Americans think chamber of horrors.

The same can be said for our present Congress. A large number of the men and women who fill those august seats have proven themselves to be like the principals of health maintenance organizations: gum-chewing garage mechanics trying to pass themselves off as brain surgeons.

Tom McClintock (R-CA) this past week announced he is running for Congress in California’s 4^th District – and Tom is no grease monkey. He is a career politician, a great conservative and a noteworthy patriot who has always had only the best interests of this state and his constituencies at heart.

He is a staunch supporter for the defense of our borders. He has always stood firm against tax increases, succeeding, for example, in leading the effort to stop former Governor Gray Davis from repealing a reduction in vehicle license fees, as well as arguing for spending cuts.

McClintock ran for governor against Arnold Schwarzenegger. He lost to the actor at the 2003 recall election (after Davis was ousted). He lost his bid again in the 2004 general election, and Arnold was re-elected.

The world is aware of how the “movie star” votes have disastrously affected California. Our state faces a $16 billion deficit crisis – far worse than when Davis was in office. I pin the blame directly on the voters who allowed themselves to overdose on a celebrity glitter high – when they reveled in the fantasy that electing The Terminator would be “…so groovy, dude!”

Today, like Peter the Fisherman, all the “dudes” who voted for Arnold Schwarzenegger deny, deny and deny complicity for the mess we’re in.

I and other sensible conservatives voted for Tom McClintock for governor both in 2003 and 2004. We knew this state would suffer a fatal hemorrhage if a garage mechanic rather than a specialist was elected to “heal the patient.” Now the patient is on life-support.

I and so many others continue to believe in and support Tom McClintock. He will, without question, be an excellent and a necessary addition to the United States Congress – a Congress which, evidenced by their ineffectiveness, have become this nation’s Jiffy Lube.

Tom McClintock knows this. In his words:

Tom McClintock is the specialist we need – and we need him and others of his experience, skills and dedication now more than ever.

By Rose Pedenko and Tanya Simon

Titans of journalism, such as the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times, are a dangerously few columns short of their own obituary. If they continue their careless disregard for truth and accuracy, and, worse, rank dismissal of their readers’ intelligence, their ending might eventually read like a Special Report bulletin:

*** “Newspapers and the once mighty network news organizations in this country are dead – (that’s DED for their still loyal audience). Forensics determined the deaths were self-inflicted: They had hermetically sealed themselves within their ivory towers, turned the laser printers on full blast and were asphyxiated by their own biased reporting.

“Rescue teams described ghastly scenes upon breaking through to the inner sanctums of those swaggering houses of power: the air was choked with the stench of decaying yellow paper and ink which had been utilized for amoral, leftist political and anti-American propaganda. One rescuer emerged quite shaken, saying he could still hear the disconnected wailing of bitter telemarketers begging former subscribers to accept free weekly issues.

“Analyses of their demise included owners’ and editors’ long-standing ingratitude of subscribers’ trust, increased arrogance thinking readers’ opinions were inconsequential, and, finally, ignoring the ominous rumble caused by the massive loss of advertising revenue buckling and caving under their slippered feet.

“Why did such a horrible end come to be for these powerful gods of clubs and racetracks? The front pages of these once respected newspapers, particularly the most liberal-minded of them, had become theme parks for irresponsible treatment of the truth. Plagiarism, concocted scenarios and shadowy sources had become the accepted journalistic path to success for lazy writers and even lazier editors.

“Lastly, the newspapers failed to accept that the public stopped caring about their so-called experience, their elitist ivy-league degreed writers and Pulitzer Prize winners because updated, fact-based and unbiased information came faster than the speed of sound via the Internet. The last forensic find was false pride.

“The number of mourners estimated to attend the services is expected to be low.” *** End of bulletin.

We realize this is an extreme example of what could be referred to as an alternate history. On sober reflection, and taking into account all of the unchecked embarrassments perpetrated by the liberal media, this bulletin doesn’t sound that outrageous, because in the parallel universe of professional journalists and the unstoppable increase in number of citizen journalists, there is no longer anywhere for the MSM to run or hide. Their open mishandling of sensitive national security information concerning the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, their relentless attempts to disparage the President of United States, their foolish support of blanket amnesty for millions of illegal immigrants, and their limelight attention on pre-chosen presidential candidates has been more than sufficient to demonstrate their foolhardy and predictable actions.

The recent passing of William F. Buckley was the final death knell for the wretched excesses of the Dailies, because the loss of that giant reminded us – conservatives and rational Democrats alike – of what a real journalist and editor looks like, and how a real journalist and editor conducts himself.

A dispiriting aspect of their impending demise is that a modicum of fairness would have staved off “curtains” for the Dailies. The rapid rise of cable news ratings and the proliferation of citizen journalists should have been their wake-up call. The superciliousness and snobbery of the liberal media has proven to be both mind-bending and shortsighted in scope and measure.

Recently, we were on the receiving end of a call from an L.A. Times telemarketer. To our surprise he did not hesitate to acknowledge mistakes made by that paper. In desperation for our subscription he was quick to add that Sam Zell, the new owner of the Tribune, was a forward-thinking man who would be putting forth effort to present both sides of a news story (like this is a novel idea), and, on that basis, would we consider re-subscribing.

It seemed too little, too late. But we did say we would “keep an eye on the paper” for the changes he talked about. That’s when his impersonation of a Baptist preacher suddenly poured forth, asking if we believed in forgiveness. Lordy! If that ain’t desperation, then we really are as dumb as they believe.

The bottom line is, we and all concerned Americans want this from the media: no fuss, no muss, no egocentricities, and certainly not just what they want us to hear and read. We want information on both the Left and the Right, in equal proportion – no more heavyset front-page reportage that skews their way, and the news that doesn’t relegated to page 18.

Americans demand and deserve the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help us all.