From whistleblowers.orgWashington, DC, March 14, 2007. Today, by a vote of 331 to 94, The House of Representatives passed the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act (H.R. 985). The Enhancement Act is the first major reform of federal whistleblower laws in 18 years, and cures numerous weaknesses in existing legislation. The Enhancement Act will:
- For the first time, provide most federal employees with a right to have their claims heard in federal court;
- Protect most federal employees who expose waste fraud and corruption through their chain of command;
- Provide a new remedy for federal contractors who expose fraud on the taxpayers
I read through the materials regarding this act and we certainly could use it. The part about it that really got me fired up though, was when I looked at the congressional voting record for the Whistleblower's Protection Act.
Not one Democrat voted against this legislation, though the "word on the street" is that Democrats just give money away willy-nilly to people and spend, spend, spend. If that is true, then wouldn't the Democratic party want to limit the amount of whistleblowing regarding waste and corruption?
Every election, the Republicans convince many Christians... well, actually many in white, Christian America that "Republican" and "Christian" are synonymous. Looking at the voting record, I noticed that 1/2 of the voting Republicans congresspeople went against this legislation.
Moment of Introspection
I am a Christian - I love Jesus (not that well, but he still loves me anyway). I want to serve him and do his will down here. If I were in a situation where I was aware of corruption and graft in my government job, would God want me to expose it with the light? The Bible seems to say "Yes"! Would it be un-Christian to want legal protection? If I were to suffer for my good deeds, that is rewarded by the Lord, but should I deliberately shun protection? Did God give us democracy for a reason?
Discussion Question
Can anyone explain why so many Republicans would be opposed to this legislation? The follow-up question, would be, Do you think Jesus would vote for the Whistleblower Protection Act? Can anyone explain why a Christian would be against the Whistleblower Protection Act?
Tawk amongst yourselves.
2 comments:
Love the new blog, Matt. It's going on our blogroll.
To be honest, I'm not totally out of the loop here in Costa Rica, but I'm not as up-to-date as I used to be on politics. I know that Bush and most of the GOP are in the toilet in terms of approval ratings. But I do not know the in's and out's of the legislation you're talking about.
I'm guessing that if this vote took place when Bush's approval rating was above 50 percent, the result would be a lot different. In other words, the Democrats have no fear in standing up to the Bush Administration (and why would they?) and Republicans are trying their best to distance from Bush (for self preservation reasons).
I think that Bryan raises a good point as to why many Republicans voted against the bill. Obviously, most of the country is not behind Bush's agenda for Iraq or the War on Terrorism. The people are tired of hearing "It's for national security." Right or wrong, they're not buying it. So, this bill sails through with no problem.
But to the question of what's the "Christian" stand on this issue, I really cannot say. You can make legitimate arguments on either side. Therefore, I don't see it as a "What Would Jesus Do" vote. Personally, I think whistleblowing in the Pentegon, in the CIA, etc. is already way out of hand. Criminal, in fact. So I can tell you that my "first blush" reaction on this issue is to side with the losing team. I could be totally off on that (like I said, I haven't really kept up on this issue), but that's how I see it.
Anyway, to respond to the title of this Blog - and what future topics are likely to come up here - does Republican equal Christian? No, it doesn't. And it bothers me that Republicans say this, preach this, and assume this. I think it's a huge reason they took a beating at the polls last time, to be honest. The Republican Party took conservative Christians for granted. And they didn't show up on November 2nd to rubber stamp failed policies.
But I love the Blog, the topics, and the forum for debate. Looking forward to future discussions.
That's my two cents.
Thanks for showing up with some good info, guys. Having someone come in w/ some military experience and another w/ actual political knowledge :) rounds out the conversation.
Just so it's known, I am a very "conservative" voter and actually do vote Republican much of the time. I have been dismayed at some of the odd contrasts in the party though and was particularly dissapointed at the Republican party's "silent" marketing of themselves as the "Christian party" .
Look forward to hearing more from you guys whenever you have time, and I have a half-informed opinion ;)
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