Ever since I have been registered to vote in Alaska, over 23 years ago, I have had one US Representative only, Republican Don Young. He was sworn into office when I was only a little kid, in March of 1973. He became a Congressman before our nation celebrated the Bicentennial. Elvis Presley was still alive and well. The Watergate Scandal was still in its infancy. The World Trade Center was newly built and officially opened in April of that year. Federal Express was a brand new business. The Drug Enforcement Agency didn't exist. And our government was officially much smaller than it is now.
Ironic, wouldn't you say, that a conservative Republican who has been in office for over 40 years has helped to grow such a monstrosity of democracy?
Today, on his Facebook page, he lets his constituents know that he believes Congress should get back to work but only after he reminds us that he has been around for 18 government shutdowns. Yes - eighteen:
I’ve been here for 18 government shutdowns now, and there is plenty of blame to go around – on both sides of the aisle – for causing this shutdown, but I think it is important to acknowledge that with a national debt nearing $17 trillion, federal government spending is simply on an unsustainable path, and must be reduced, and that point was largely lost during this shutdown.I love how he wants to apportion equal blame - as if Democrats and Republicans equally held our feet to the fire this time around. He doesn't want to address the Republican hatred of the ACA or the Tea Party control of the Republican Party. He refuses to take any responsibility at all. In this respect, Don Young hopes to ride a wave of independence that has helped him survive election after election in Alaska. He's different from those other Republicans - he's neither a RINO nor a Tea Party fanatic, though he can't exactly claim the latter without angering many of the conservative base in Alaska.
So what's the reaction been on his Facebook page? Join me below and let's take a look.