WOULD YOU BUY A PIG IN A POKE?

Posted on September 15, 2014 by Tom Salmon

pig in a pokeWould you buy a pig in a poke? You probably think not, but we do it all the time. That’s why that expression, “a pig in a poke,” has remained with us since about 1555. Even though almost no one uses the word “poke” any more, because we still warn each other not to buy a pig in a poke, the use of the word “poke” to mean a small sack survives.

What is the most common way we buy a pig in a poke? Without really knowing what they will do if we elect them, we elect men and woman who spend our money and regulate our lives in hundreds of ways. Because the amount we pay in taxes seems so difficult to control, except for that short period before April 15th, we tend not to give the matter much thought. Nevertheless, the money we spend on government is our largest expense.

Because our government seems so difficult to control, we also tend to ignore the cost of “expenses” we cannot quantify. These expenses come from unwanted laws and unneeded regulations. Here are some examples.

  • Even though solid majorities in many states have voted against same-sex “marriage,” unelected judges are forcing us to accept the practice.
  • With “global warming” as their excuse, our government officials are trying to put the coal industry out of business and subsidize more costly wind and solar alternatives.
  • Public education, once strictly a local concern, is inexorably being nationalized, leaving parents less and less control over what their children learn.
  • The Federal Government has nationalized our health care, raising our costs and reducing our choices.
  • Our government now runs the student loan “industry.” Moreover, we have discovered that our government guarantees huge numbers of home loans. In fact, our government has bailed out lenders and investors more than once. Remember the Savings and Loans Crisis.
  • And so forth. Is really that difficult to think of examples?

Unfortunately, the constitutionality of much of what the Federal Government does is dubious at best. When Alexander Hamilton and John Jay and James Madison wrote The Federalist Papers, they argued that the check and balances written into Constitution could keep the ambitions of power-hungry men in check. Unfortunately, the Constitution is failing, probably because we have not used that document as they hoped and intended.

So what can we do now? We can refuse to buy a pig in a poke. We can insist that the folks we vote for explain what they intend to do before we elect them. 

Consider our 2014 CANDIDATES SURVEY. Are there questions in that survey that you would like your preferred candidate to answer before you vote for him or her? In fact, we have heard from a number of the Congressional candidates running in Prince William County. To get the rest of the candidates to respond, we need your help. Can you contact your preferred candidate and ask him or her to reply?

On the other hand, if your preferred candidate has already responded to our survey, please thank that candidate and let them know how much you appreciate them letting you know what you are voting for.

Here is the status of the candidate responses to our survey.

House of Representatives – 01

House of Representatives – 10

House of Representatives – 11

 

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