Republican Boehner, Trustworthy Speaker?

 Photo Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

As the November elections draw closer, Democrats in the House are aware that Republicans may very well take control. With this in mind, minority leader John Boehner is taking full advantage of the malcontent towards Democrats within the inner circles of lobbyists and big corporations.

Boehner, who is in the running to replace Nancy Pelosi as the House Speaker, is known to be in cahoots with big names in the tobacco industry as well as Google, Goldman Sachs and Miller-Coors. In return for $37,800 checks, Boehner has given the big names and lobbyists ample room to push their agendas within the legislature.

An article in the New York Times said, "The members of this inner circle said their association with Mr. Boehner translates to open access to him and his staff," which essentially means that his financiers openly and conveniently share their demands with Boehner.

The same Times article exposed Boehner's spending on travel and "popular golf spots". The expenses are paid through Boehner's his political action committee, the Freedom Project. "In the last 18 months, it has spent $67,000 at the Ritz-Carlton Naples in Florida, at least $20,000 at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville, Va., and at least $29,000 at the Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio," for fund-raising events.

While Boehner exceed in fund-raising, the public should be asking "How is Boehner helping legislature pass laws that help the general public?" Instead, we're asking, "Why is Boehner's support so easily purchased?" I can't take him on a fancy golf trip, but I can give him a piece of my mind. Why should we support a politician who can be so easily persuaded?