Standing for principles

To the editor:
    On March 18th, the Aroostook County Republican Committee voted to condemn Senators Collins and Snowe for their support of the Economic Stimulus bill recently signed into law by President Obama. At first glance, the committee’s vehement repudiation of fellow Republicans seems counterproductive. Several members of the committee argued against the resolution, claiming that attacking the senators personally would undermine the party, and that we should express our disappointment in a less public fashion. They believed that we should appear unanimous in our support, despite our dissatisfaction with their actions in the Senate which led to the passage of the bill.
    This is the very argument that makes political parties dangerous. When the interests of the party are held in higher esteem than the interests of the nation, we all suffer. As free citizens, it is our responsibility as individuals to vote based on the dictates of our own conscience. The principles of a political party should therefore reflect the principles of its members. When this is the case, each member is motivated by his own personal belief to serve in cooperation with others and work toward a common goal. In our case, that goal is to elect representatives who will work to limit government involvement in our lives. Cooperation is the chief weapon of the political party; without it, the party is nothing more than a herd, and any bull strong enough to take charge can then drive them anywhere he wishes to take them.
    When a public servant acts in a manner contrary to our principles, it is our responsibility to express opposition, regardless of party membership. In the case of Senators Snowe and Collins, their party affiliation should be a matter of trivia when two trillion dollars of taxpayer money is being arbitrarily handed out to private businesses. Should we vilify President Obama, who proudly signed eleven hundred ill-considered pages into law, while turning a blind eye from two of the law’s chief architects? Such arbitrary application of principle is no better than the Treasury’s seemingly random distribution of bailout money.
    The members of the Aroostook County Republican Committee claim to support limited government, fiscal responsibility, and the rule of law based on the Constitution. If we are afraid to condemn behavior that violates our beliefs, then our participation in the political process is nothing but a mirage. True principles do not vanish when one gets close to them. If we are to have any success in battling against the rising tide of arbitrary and intrusive government, we must remain steadfast in our beliefs.
    It was principle that kept a frozen and battered Continental Army from blowing away like chaff before the wind, and it was principle that guided President Washington from stepping away from an office that could have been his for life. Principles like these were strong enough to build a nation, and they are strong enough to guide us past the current crisis, back to a nation where prosperity and liberty flourish together.
Michael LaReaux
Haynesville