He won't be working for himself in Congress

Friday, May 28, 2010

Our primary elections draw closer. Who will earn our votes? I look at the candidates and see two conservatives battling it out. It's not an easy choice, although on the surface it would seem obvious who will get the most votes.

One candidate has the blessing of the Republican National Committee. He says he is conservative. He gets substantial media coverage. He is articulate and personable. And he has solid financial support. He appears to be a shoo-in at the primary level. The other candidate seems to have a hard time getting noticed by the political movers and shakers. When his name is mentioned at the RNC, the response is usually "Who's that?" His financial contributions dribble in $5 and $10 at a time. But there's something about him that's fresh and new.

I guess it boils down to what the individual voter wants. I'm looking for somebody who meets my minimal qualifications: honesty (we already have enough thieves in government); a deep and abiding belief in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, not as progressives and socialists would like to write it, but as our Founding Fathers wrote it. I'm looking for someone who does not enter Congress owing favors to people who made large financial donations to their campaign, or career politicians who supported him and twisted arms to get him votes. I'm looking for a person who recognizes our country is on a collision course with bankruptcy, far-left socialism, irresponsible wasting of our tax dollars, and who has sound, sensible ideas on how to get us out of the mess our country faces.

Until I met this candidate, I'd never encountered a candidate for Congress who says right up front that he will not accept pay, pension or health care benefits when he is elected. If that's not new and fresh, then nothing is. He also promises that if the people feel he does a good enough job representing them and want to re-elect him, he will serve two terms — but no more. He says serving one's country is a privilege — not a career.

I sincerely believe when I vote for Collins Bailey to be my congressman I'll be getting someone who will spend every one of his waking moments working for me; not for himself, not for getting re-elected, not for personal enrichment, and certainly not trying to rename our great country "the United Socialist States of America."

James H. Hilbert, Mechanicsville