Thursday, October 10, 2013

A Dishonorable Honorable

Some years ago I worked with a manager who earned a reputation for lying frequently, although there seemed to be no reason for most of the fabrications. One subordinate observed that his leader even lied when it would have been much easier to tell the truth. Is it possible that some folks have a mysterious built-in compulsion to choose deceit over honesty?

My congressman, Fred Upton, may fit that mold. He has done a good job lately of tossing aside big chunks of his integrity.

In August, Upton said, “I know some of my colleagues have suggested that they will not support (a continuing resolution to fund government) unless the Affordable Care Act is defunded. I think this would be a lousy idea and certainly harm the most vulnerable.”

Early this month, Upton voted to shut down the federal government unless President Obama agreed to stop implementation of the Affordable Care Act.

A few hours after the shutdown went into effect, Upton said, “The Affordable Care Act is not ready for prime time, but shutting down the federal government is not the solution.”

Upton chairs the House Energy and Commerce Committee. He supported the relicensing of the accident-prone Palisades nuclear plant, and has long proclaimed the safety of nuclear plants.  However, this summer when radioactive material leaked into Lake Michigan from Palisades Upton visited the plant and termed the leak “unacceptable.”

Early this year, Upton requested more funding for the Environmental Protection Agency to clean up a large area of chemically polluted soil in the Kalamazoo. But on March 21 he voted to drastically reduce the budget of the Environmental Protection Agency. The agency then said it didn’t have enough funds to clean up the Kalamazoo disaster area.

It is customary to refer to Members of Congress as “The Honorable” John or Jane Doe. Upton has demonstrated that he no longer deserves that salutation. If you live in southwest Michigan and are looking for a rascal to turn out, one is close at hand.


6 comments:

Kay Dennison said...

Sounds like someone is just begging not to be re-elected!!!!

Tom said...

Maybe he has some kind of bipolar disorder. Does the Congressional health plan cover mental illness?

jhawk23 said...

In the very weird sociopolitical system of Liberia when I was there in the mid-1970s, the ruling class (composed mainly of the freed slaves who returned from the U.S. to west Africa) were also known collectively as "The Honorables." For the most part, they weren't, not by a long shot.

Anonymous said...

I left a comment via my iPhone, but don't see it here. Bah! I agree with Tom. Hopefully the new ACA covers mental health services.

It's one thing to represent your constituents, even if you make everyone else angry. This fellow doesn't appear to know whom he represents. Dianne

Anonymous said...

Here in the UK our House of Commons is full of 'Honourable' (excuse the English spelling) and 'Right Honourable' crooks.

Kay said...

Oh my goodness! What an aggravating, dishonorable fellow. He really does give politicians a bad name. The problem is too many voters don't pay attention to or remember how bad their representatives are when election time comes around.