As I pen this article for this month I am brought to the position to ask many thought provoking questions.

I would like each of you to really think about this and what direction would you like to see the Republican party and the state of Mississippi go. I will take this opportunity to mix reality with ideals.

I do not write this article to support one candidate over another, I write this article for each person to take a hard look at their vote, minus the propaganda and mudslinging.

What influence is the Tea party actually making on politics and what does this mean to your state? The Tea Party movement was started due to the fact that many people felt their ideals and voices were not being heard in Washington.

The frustration level with conservative American taxpayers has created a division in Washington that is understandable.

However, is alienation and unwillingness to compromise a good approach? As a Republican I understand trying to reduce spending, but we must come up with an approach that is productive and change producing.

I point to the recent sequestration as a perfect example. What was accomplished? Did this save any money for America? Was change created?

Grand standing for a cause without a fi rm plan and a course of action that will propel change is counterproductive. I will reference this by using the old term “throwing the baby out with the bathwater.”

Do we take the tactic of removing Republican leaders and replacing them with representation that is not willing to compromise? Do we see this as a catapult for change? At what cost?

I do not have answers to these questions. Each voter must decide what they think is the right approach. As it is true the Republican party has contributed to higher spending in many divisions of government, however not all spending is “bad” spending.

The state of Mississippi receives 2.47 dollars for every 1 dollar we send to Washington in taxes (MotherJones.com). Mississippi makes the lowest federal payments of any other state at $4821 per capita (freerepublic.com). If all that federal spending was to disappear or to be drastically cut, where would we be?

So, I ask you as an American citizen and an informed voter to take a hard look at both philosophies and let’s see if we cannot choose what is best for Mississippi and the nation.

 

By Bonnie Holland